Lake cumberland Raft up

Quote: "Do you really think that the owner of a $1mil. boat is a idiot?"

YES. YES I DO!

I for one say "to each his own"... while it may annoy me, we live in the US of freakin A where they are free to injure themsleves and their watercraft as long as they dont harm me or mine... so they have as much right to have a poker run or raft up as i do to fish... and basstourneys have as much right tothe waterway as a striper fisherman... so when you guys start bickering, it kinda makes you look like children...

PRO V LE, Dave is one of the finest stewards Lake Cumberland has ever had. He holds the lake in the highest regards and all that use it, it has been proven over and over. Also has helped many on this site for alot of years. The point he was trying to make was EVERYBODY has the right to use the lake. Alot of these raft up guys are seasoned boaters that have been using the lake for over 20 years and not all of them are dummies. As many of you know the big C is where I mainly fish but tend to stay away from it during the summer months especially holidays and Poker runs ect., mainly because it's just not my thing and I don't like all the boat traffic. That being said they have as much right out there as anybody and I CHOOSE to stay away during these times. During Spring, winter and Fall you will see me and my little Champion out there as many times as Momma will let me go, which is alot.

None of us own the lake, it belongs to all of us, and that's just the bottom line.
Take care fellas.

Yeah, I think Dave's point has been missed here. There have been bass boats run a ground just like run a bouts, so pleasure boaters do not hold a pattent on stupid. I'm with Mark, although I usually can find plenty of time to fish Cumberland's open waters in the morning, way back in the creeks for gills during the day and nights for bass. I have taken my own life in my hands by attempting to striper fish at night (ALL LIGHTS ON) and have had two different pleasure boats run so close as to take out planer boards. Otherwise, there is usually plenty of water for everyone. I'll be heading home as the rafter crowd starts showing up, more so because of parking than boat traffic.

Do we bass fisherman think pleasure boaters are idiots for getting out there and getting slammed and running around the lake all night....yes....do pleasure boaters think we bass fisherman are idiots for getting out there for 8 hours and sometimes not even stopping long enough to eat...yes....will i cuss a pleasure boater and throw a bait at them everytime they run between me and the bank...yes...but the fact is they have just as much right to be out there as we do....be it early in the morning, middle of the day, or after dark.....alcohol and the water are a bad mix....but i know plenty of bass fisherman that go out there and soak down a few suds while theyre fishing....we all put our lives at stake everytime we head out on the water....just hope everybody, fisherman and pleasure boaters alike, keep themselves safe during the poker run and raft up

July was a bad month for boaters on LC. Pleasure boaters and Bass fishermen all get equal opportunity to reap the benefits of poor judgement on LC. Link to photo board: [URL]http://www.fishin.com/forums2/showthread.php?t=82354[/URL]

Safe boating/fishing to all.

[QUOTE=mhall;423457]PRO V LE, Dave is one of the finest stewards Lake Cumberland has ever had. He holds the lake in the highest regards and all that use it, it has been proven over and over. Also has helped many on this site for alot of years. The point he was trying to make was EVERYBODY has the right to use the lake. Alot of these raft up guys are seasoned boaters that have been using the lake for over 20 years and not all of them are dummies. As many of you know the big C is where I mainly fish but tend to stay away from it during the summer months especially holidays and Poker runs ect., mainly because it's just not my thing and I don't like all the boat traffic. That being said they have as much right out there as anybody and I CHOOSE to stay away during these times. During Spring, winter and Fall you will see me and my little Champion out there as many times as Momma will let me go, which is alot.

None of us own the lake, it belongs to all of us, and that's just the bottom line.
Take care fellas.[/QUOTE]
Very well said. Built for flood control and recreational purposes. Hope they get there record.

i hate it, trust me i do! not only will i be forced off the water early ( i do posess good judgement) i will aslo have to listen to all the loud motors all evening while i try to relax on my back porch....ahhh yes the peace and solitude of lake living. but as bad as i hate it no one has ever tried to limit my activities during a striper tournament, we each have our thing.....boone said it....its america, i doubt that they are having a raft up in iraq on the 14th. hope theyre safe and enjoy....and then go home! quick!

Also the 28' Formula that went way way up the bank near beaver about a month ago and the wake board that went up on the small island in the mouth of beaver 2 weeks after that.

What a smart move on the part of jet/seado manufacturers not to put litghts on them. They would have gone the way of the three wheel ATV long ago.

The raft up and the poker run are a couple good examples why I fish CL early in spring, and late in fall, and not much in between.

I respect their use of the lake, and just avoid the times when they would disrupt my enjoyment.

I do like to go to CL sometimes in summer, and take just a couple rods, but spend most of my time just riding around looking at the party folks. That in itself is an enjoyable weekend. The most fun, is to dock the boat up, go get a cooler of beer and a lawn chair, and go sit by Conley Bottm, or Jamestown Ramp at about 5-7 pm when the weekenders with hangovers in 90 degree heat start to fight the crowd to ramp out. Americas funniest videos would be put to shame, and the World Wrestling Federation could learn some new smack talk just listening to what goes on.

When all is said and done around 9 pm, I ramp out on a desserted ramp, and take a leisurely ride home.

So far as who has the fastest boat, as a one time pontooner and now owner of a miniature guided missile cruiser, all I can say is in my mind, the best boat is the one that provides the most room for beer, cold cokes, coffee, snacks, and a decent place to stretch out in the shade. If it has that, I can figure out how to fish off it. I like the fast guys, they are impatient, and if they get on my spot, all I got to do is chill, and relax, and in a couple minutes the urge to fire up the big motor and demonstrate male mochismo overwhelms them and they are gone. My spot is then my spot.

And runnning over planner boards? I do keep my lights on, but if you are running that fast at night and can't see a boat even it it doesn't have lights on, and steer WELL clear, then folks, you deserve what ya get. Remember hot shoes. Running fast at night is just as much a risk to YOUR boat, as it is to all else on the lake. So have at it. And if you run over my well lite planer boards when they are close to my well lite boat at night.......good luck....I use braid.....can you say bye-bye seals?

I am usually on the water at night. Probably 70% of the work we do is in the dark.

Of that time, about 9 times out of 10, whenever I have an oncoming boater running at speed that makes me concerned, it is a bassboat with those freakin blinding headlights on.

It is pretty rare I light up the spotlight to show where I am and find a go-fast or runabout heading for me.

Most pleasureboaters don't take well to night driving.


As for the raftup, I can't tell if it will be a success or not, or even how you woud define "success". It is not my cup of tea at all, but we will pretty much have to be there and available, regardless.

I truly can't imagine how it would affect a fisherman down on the main lake west end at all, as all the boats will be over by Conley. I guess if you want to be a "glass is half empty" sort of person, you could say that weekend is shot, but the lake is over 90 miles long. I figure that is about 86 miles that will be near empty. Pretty much all of those folks will be in at or before dark.

So, sit home and complain, or go fish. It's up to you, but don't say that event ruined the lake for the whole weekend.

Just my opinion.

Any event on the lake ruins the whole lake for evryone that isnt in the event... people dont just set in one spot their all over the lake... they run from one end to the other... From burnside to the dam and every creek in between will be totally bombarded with boats, any willing to take a bet on that one??