water patrol harassing fisherman

[walkeraviator]

Remember... these guys are not Coast Guard... they are KDFW... so they are more concerned with the fishing aspect than the boating aspect... at least that is my guess...

is a throwable device equired in a boat if there is a flotation device for each passenger???

[kygorski]

In answer to your question, yes! i was stopped on the hollow a couple of yrs ago, license? OK two them, wearing my Pfd, throw device? Looked around and remembered my wife was using it for a kneeler while she was weeding the flower bed, asked if a spare PFD would do? No!fire extinguisher good, fish legal, whistle? no air horn, not good they said OK I'll get one. Paddle? HuhI said, this is a deep vee almost 18ft long what good would a paddle do me. then his parther pointed out the fact that besiodes a main engine, I had a manual 5 HP kicker, a bow mount electric, and a tiller electric,I also said I had a drift sock, and 100 ft of anchor rope, plus anchor.And then we talked fishing, and they said they were checking fishermen, have a nice day, and away they went. This was by the Tn DNR, Soyou need a throw device. If a ski dooer needs it, I'll throw him the anchor! This spring was stopped again, this time almost got a citation, why? no bailing device, my boat didn't have a bilge pump yet, My 20 ounce coffee mug wasn't enough.But again they let me slide, now I'm even legal there.Guess water skiers and house boats dont need anything, except a cooler full of suds, and an out of state registration.

[floatman]

In answer to your question, yes! i was stopped on the hollow a couple of yrs ago, license? OK two them, wearing my Pfd, throw device? Looked around and remembered my wife was using it for a kneeler while she was weeding the flower bed, asked if a spare PFD would do? No!fire extinguisher good, fish legal, whistle? no air horn, not good they said OK I'll get one. Paddle? HuhI said, this is a deep vee almost 18ft long what good would a paddle do me. then his parther pointed out the fact that besiodes a main engine, I had a manual 5 HP kicker, a bow mount electric, and a tiller electric,I also said I had a drift sock, and 100 ft of anchor rope, plus anchor.And then we talked fishing, and they said they were checking fishermen, have a nice day, and away they went. This was by the Tn DNR, Soyou need a throw device. If a ski dooer needs it, I'll throw him the anchor! This spring was stopped again, this time almost got a citation, why? no bailing device, my boat didn't have a bilge pump yet, My 20 ounce coffee mug wasn't enough.But again they let me slide, now I'm even legal there.Guess water skiers and house boats dont need anything, except a cooler full of suds, and an out of state registration.

kygorski, was the whistle ok are not??

[Bass man]

I've been checked about 3 times on Nolin since the early Spring, and I guess they recognize my boat now. Honestly, I don't mind it since there's been countless times when I've seen boats flying down the lake at night time with no lights on, drunks swimming around the docks, and people unloading livewells with 3 limits of Crappie and I always think, "Where's the Game Warden when you need him?" I've never been to Taylorsville and I don't know how big the lake is there, but I'm sure we've all seen a situation on the lake when you wished some idiot would get busted by Fish and Wildlife and they were no where around.

[kygorski]

yeah the whistle worked, but I know the air horn was louder. I was in my 12 ft boat many years ago, had a 7.5 motor. the Ill. game warden stopped me this was a very small lake, asked me about a fire extinguisher. I had a dry chemical thing that was cheap, and handy, showed it to him. Thats not coast guard he told me. So I asked him this. What would you do in a 12 ftboatif the engine or gas line caught fire? I'd jump out he said, so would I and I wouldn't bwe carrying a fire extinguisher either.

[Grumpy]

I am not sure why the airhorn was no good. I have a small handheld airhorn that I keep on a lanyard on my dash. I have been checked in KY, TN, IN and MI and that has been satisfactory everytime. The KY Boating Regulation says "Kentucky law states that all boats 16 feet in length or longer must have a hand-, mouth- or power-operated signaling device capable of producing a blast for two seconds or more and audible for one-half mile for class 1 vessels, one mile for class two vessels . . .."

I have always thought the HANDheld airhorn was fine.

Grumpy

[kygorski]

I carried one of those air horns for years,and was never questioned about them, till then.Come to think of it, that fishing boat I rented in in Tn two weeks ago didn't have a horn, or fire estinguisher,

[dissel]

yeah the whistle worked, but I know the air horn was louder. I was in my 12 ft boat many years ago, had a 7.5 motor. the Ill. game warden stopped me this was a very small lake, asked me about a fire extinguisher. I had a dry chemical thing that was cheap, and handy, showed it to him. Thats not coast guard he told me. So I asked him this. What would you do in a 12 ftboatif the engine or gas line caught fire? I'd jump out he said, so would I and I wouldn't bwe carrying a fire extinguisher either.

I've been stopped four times at rough in the past month and a half. Its the same too. For the pleasure boaters don't they have to see them do something illegal for them to come aboard?

[BPenrod]

is a throwable device equired in a boat if there is a flotation device for each passenger???

Yes for boats 16 feet and larger.

[coombro]

Are you talking about kwfd (game warden) stopping you? Thats who usually checks me out so their not going after the pleasure boaters. Their after the fishing guys as they are suppose to. Now the other guys don't know what their called water patrol I guess. Their the water cops that are looking for illegal boating and saftey on the water. Differance in the two. Never have I felt harassed as I've had encounters with both of them and welcome them to check me out.

[Duayne]

Are you talking about kwfd (game warden) stopping you? Thats who usually checks me out so their not going after the pleasure boaters. Their after the fishing guys as they are suppose to. Now the other guys don't know what their called water patrol I guess. Their the water cops that are looking for illegal boating and saftey on the water. Differance in the two. Never have I felt harassed as I've had encounters with both of them and welcome them to check me out.

I don't think there is a difference between "water patrol officers" and "KDFW officers". KDFW does have a branch of biologists that will perform on the water surveys and study fisheries but those guys have no powers to enforce law. I've been stopped several times by them and the first thing they say is don't worry getting your fishing license out. Some local law enforcement agencies have the means to patrol waters and can enforce boating and fishing (as well as hunting) regulations. Then there is also the coast guard on occasion on a few waters. But the KDFW officers can and will enforce both the fishing and boating regulations.

[Dave Clark]

Hey Guys,I see the TWRA on Dale all the time but have only been checked once in the last two years.Usually they just want a fishing report from a safe distance.However I have seen them check 40 or 50 pleasure boaters in a couple of hours near the dam and all I got was a wave.....Job well done.