Open Letter to the "Jerk" at KY lake this weekend

To the jerk that cut off my water outside Moors on main lake Ledge:

I was in the Blue/White Stratos with my 72 year old dad clearly fishing and enjoying the morning with my dad. You pulled right on top of us in a Nitro (I believe) and proceeded to drop your trolling motor while saying "don't worry we are going on down" You proceeded to troll right on top of, and fish, the structure that we were fishing. If I seemed short in my answers it is because it was all I could do to keep from exploding on your behind. If my dad were not in the boat, you partner would have had a major issue on your hands. Maybe your first major issue of the sort, but I doubt it. My first inclination was to fire up the motor and totally blow out the whole ledge so it would have been useless but the older and much kinder old man in the passenger seat advised against it. We were having a good morning catching lots of short fish but it was making him happy and we were enjoying ourselves just spending time together. If you are a member of this forum and read this, might want to think twice about your actions next time because there might not be a kinder and wiser old gentleman in the boat to save your behind. I know this subject has been beat to death, and will probably continue to be, as long as inconsiderate jerks such as yourself are out there on the water amongst us.

Randy Kelly
409 N whitcomb Ave
Clarksville,IN 47129
502-445-5775

Amen Randy...bad thing is there's another one just like him out there right now cutting somebody off

I'm with ya man....we had two old guys in a blue Ranger roll right up to us with in 10' (no lie) I said 10'. We were 20' off the right side of the point and they tried to squeeze between us and the bank. This was Saturday Sept 27th about 9 a.m. no fog...blue skies.. first secondary point on the right side of Higgins Bay as you enter. We were speechless....what a couple donkeys! I wish you guys would have kept going because the fireline I was throwing would've treated your lower unit well. You did say you were sorry, but I think you need to get your eyes checked my friend. Visibility was great.

Bottomline....for the future knuckle-head....If I can reach you with a cast, you're 2 close and I can throw my 120 Sammy a mile...if it was a $6 bait you'd have it embedded in your grill. Wake up people or make sure to finish that 2nd cup of coffee.

Mark Bell
137 Citizens Blvd.
Simpsonville, KY 40067
866.884.9425

Apex - Sorry to hear that happened. I've been on more than one trip where something similar has happened. Look at the traffic around you on the highway the next time you're driving somewhere and ask yourself: "Is this any different?" I think you'll start to see a pattern that's only going to get worse. If they can't drive on the highways, what makes any of us think they will be able to follow the rules of etiquette when driving a boat? For the most part, it seems like it's a sad place we live in these days!?!?

i dont know this to be true but back in the late 1980s when the red man tournament trail was going on there were a lot of tales about one angler from knoxville tn. that if you cut him off he would give you one warning and if you did not back off and go the other way he would shoot your boat full of holes.some of the older tournament fishermen from tennessee probably knows who i am talking about. sooner or later you are going to cut the wrong guy off and all hell will break loose especially in todays crazy world.

[QUOTE=apextrail;341192]To the jerk that cut off my water outside Moors on main lake Ledge:

I was in the Blue/White Stratos with my 72 year old dad clearly fishing and enjoying the morning with my dad. You pulled right on top of us in a Nitro (I believe) and proceeded to drop your trolling motor while saying "don't worry we are going on down"
Randy Kelly
409 N whitcomb Ave
Clarksville,IN 47129
502-445-5775[/QUOTE]

Dude.........he was one of about 2 BILLION total TOOLS out there this past weekend.

I too, had a couple TOOLS do the SAME thing..........

I don't care that you're fishing a tourney, and I DON'T CARE THAT FISHING HAS BEEN TOUGH..........

I let it slide, but next time, I will take down your numbers.....FIND OUT WHAT TOURNEY, and post your information on EVERY site I KNOW.

George White
502-552-6103.

Had a similar experience here on Saturday myself. I was doing a tourney prep trip and we were sitting on a ledge that has been producing some big fish..not big numbers..but big fish. One of my clients caught a fish that went around 4.5 to 5 lbs right after the other client had caught a short fish. I noticed a boat off to my left fishing a nearby point watching us. After my client released the big fish, this boat with two obvious tournament anglers, started his engine and then proceeded to fast idle his boat right toward the area on the ledge we were fishing. I stood up and waved both arms at the driver indicating that we were fishing there and for him to go around....I also was yelling at him at the top of my lungs to go around...he was so close that there was no way he could not hear me...as a matter of fact both the driver and the passenger in that boat was staring right at me. Anyway, this boat proceeded to run right over the shallow ledge where we were catching fish. There was no doubt that it was their intention to shut our bite down...which it did.

I apologized to my clients for the language that came out of my mouth directed at these two yahoos as they passed us. As my wife says, the old Top SGT came out in me...lol.

It was obvious to me that these folks were probably practicing for a tournemant and were planning on fishing that ledge in the future or they were just plain being rude because we were catching fish and they weren't. Either way, there is just no excuse for that kind of behavior.

I will say that even with all the tournament anglers that are here right now...including last weekend...probably numbering in the high hundreds...that everyone but these two folks that we encountered were being very sportsman like and giving us plenty of room when we were fishing. I have had folks within 50 yards of me many times this week not catching anything as my clients were catching fish after fish and none of them attempted to move in on us. Most folks, including the tournament anglers are good folks and good sportsmen....it is that small percentage of rotten apples with no sense of sportsmanship or morality that tends to give the majority of tournament anglers and other boaters a bad reputation.

Anyway, hope you folks have a better experience and don't run into these few less than desirable folks on your next trip.

As for myself, I am leaving this morning for my annual get together with all my old military buddies and other friends for a little trout fishing for the rest of the week. Been doing it for 22 years now and am looking forward to seeing my old friends and relaxing for a few days.

For the guys that ran over the ledge we were fishing last Saturday on N. Ky...if you were practicing for a tournament this coming weekend, I will be back on the water on Saturday...I will be coming by that ledge..if you are on it....payback is coming.

Dave Stewart
270-354-5039

Get'em Dave. Oh yea and have fun at the river gonna get some rain but hopefully won't damper the trip to bad.

Mark
I probably won't even wet a line this week....I will most likely just relax and enjoy some down time with old friends. I will be in site 27, if you are in the area stop by.

I appreciate you guys listening to me vent...lol Hopefully one person will read these comments and think twice before moving in on someones water. Truth be known Dave, if these guys had idled up and told us they were fishing a tourney, I would have gladly moved from the spot and left with a much better attitude. Anyone that knows me would tell you that is the truth. It is the guys that assume because they are fishing a tourney that they have some kind of free pass to do what they want that chap my behind. A little diplomacy is all it takes on the water. As a side note to the story, We moved to another spot and flat out whacked them. Pop ended up with a best 4 lb smallie. We did get the last laugh as I am sure they caught the rest of the 12 inch fish we left behind on that ledge.

[QUOTE=DaveStewart;341279]Mark
I probably won't even wet a line this week....I will most likely just relax and enjoy some down time with old friends. I will be in site 27, if you are in the area stop by.[/QUOTE]

Kendall is a nice campground, you fellars have a great time.

I have to agree that some people these days are so ignorant about common sportsmanship and courtesy it truely sickens me to deal with this type of person. What hapeened to " SPORTSMANSHIP"???? especially on the water with fellow fishermen . I have had a few bad experiences in years past but this year takes the cake. We had numerous times where people would idle across the spot we were fishing just to gps it and other tournament anglers got so close that I could of physically stepped into their boat . I cant even understand why you would do that and how you could feel like it was no big deal when you did it. I guess it takes all kinds and if this is what tournament fishing is coming to you can have it......I know there are still more of us out here that have respect and sportsmanship that we should but the bad apples do take away from our great sport.........Jarrod