Embarassing Incident - Lynnhaven Inlet

To add my 2 cents worth, I have to say from experience that one cannot expect boats to come thru channels with currents as they are and be able to put "focusing on an angler's line" at the top of their priority list. As difficult as it is for me to see my line from shore, I am sure that holds true for boaters. When fishing in areas that are clearly for boat traffic only shore anglers, out of courtesy, should expect and be willing to pull in their lines when there is approaching boat traffic. Kind of like playing jump rope. You wait til conditions are just right to get in there. It does take some patience having to wait for boat after boat after boat. But you get your line in and hope for a fish strike on that cast. And be prepared to retrieve when necessary.
With that said, conflicts of the such could definitely cause a ban along the shore areas for anglers. The city has a stake in providing services for the boaters while profiting from the venture. There is no profit in allowing access to the shoreline angler. If anything losses from lawsuits may develop. And that I am sure the city will try and avoid at any cost.

I cut and pasted a portion of this post from the tidalfish.com board and pasted it here as an example of unsportsmanlike conduct and rudeness by an angler towards another angler over the loss of a lure. I brought it here cause I know many of the beach fishermen that fish the Lynnhaven inlet frequent this board. In fact I suspect I may know who the individual that had this confrontation with Plumbbob is. I am surprised cause he is normally quite subdued.

The post does not hang blame on either the boater or the beach fisherman. The intent is to point out that confrontations such as this are rude and pointless and are not worth the $2-$3 cost of lure. I also intended to show the beach bound angler that boaters do not intentionally run over fishing lines. Many of them do not realize that mono and props do not mix well - and thus the risk of wrapping line up in the prop is avoided. That was the ONLY intent of the cross-post between the boards - nothing else.

To the individual(s) that is trying to inflame this into more than this: Please re-read the entire post and replies. Do not go "behind the scenes" using b-mail and private mailings to make false accusations. IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ANYTHING POST YOUR STATEMENT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN FOR ALL OF US TO SEE AND READ.

READ ALL THE REPLIES. You will see that the majority of the beach lead slingers are in fact conscientious that boats do need the room and will fish around them as necessary. Out of this incident comes some good in that the cross post raises the awareness of all anglers to each other's needs. How about adding your two-cents worth?

Lou

Heaver, etal
I am still fairly new to the forum, in number of posts, but I have been reading for a while. I viewed an incident at the pier at CBBT that pretty much turned me off from pier fishing. A short time after I arrived at the pier, I watched a person on the "T" cast at a boat and miss. His casts wer in the range of 200+ feet. This happened a couple more times and then he finally hit one boat with a weight that was 2-4 ounces. The gang with him at the end hooted and laughed. Apparently they were too stupid to realize what a weight that size can do if it hits someone. At first I thought the person was casting for fish but realized the rod was deliberately rigged as a weight only set-up, a weighted weapon, no hooks, no nothing just the weight. I decided right then that if that was the caliber of so called "fishermen" that frequented piers in Virginia, thanks but I'd stay on the beach or in a boat. By the way, none of the boats came close enough to endanger any lines, they weren't even fishing just headed out of the bay.
This forum gives me hope that this was just a bunch of freaks. As both a boater and a surf fisherman, I make sure that there is plenty of room around me for anyone to have room enough to fish. When boating, I stay completely away from pier and surf fisherman, figuring that I have enough mobility to go to other good spots that they can't reach.
Thanks for the words that I have read in this particular topic, and to all the good advice that I have obtained thru the past few months.
Rick

Figure I'll use this as a chance to piss both sides off...

When cops and journalists work to reconstruct a crime scene, they quickly discover that the story sounds different depending on who you're talking to. Rarely is it that case that one party is blameless and the other is completely at fault.

So is the case in most of these situations. Boaters and shorebound guys share a resource, and it has been my experience that boaters are often arrogant and inconsiderate and shorebound anglers are often hostile and easily upset. I've seen a fair share of rudeness from both parties.

Did the boater cut off the guy on the beach? It's possible, even if it fouled his prop. Is it wise to soak a bottom rig in a boating channel? Probably not. Should boaters be close enough to fishing piers that they can be hit? Again, probably not, but that doesn't mean those of us on piers should start winging sinkers to try and hit a boat. All kidding aside, someone can actually be killed. And a manslaughter charge ain't funny. From what I hear, prison sucks.

If you're on the shore, don't fish in areas with heavy boat traffic. If you're on a boat, stay away from guys on piers and the shore unless you're in transit to a slip or dock. We have it hard enough as it is without some prick crowding in and blocking a honeyhole.

Shake hands, go to your corners, and join me for beers next time I'm in town. You'll be surprised how much hostility disappears in the presence of alcohol.

I would like to make a general comment about how we react to undesired behaviors. Part of my job is a Human Performance Coordinator. It is well known that to discourage undesired behaviors, they must not be approved in any way. If you are present when undesired behaviors are exhibited it is important you do not approve of them and it is preferrable you note they are undesired. If you feel you cannot simply say "That is a dangerous thing to do and you should think it over very carefully" or at least offer a disapproving glance, then do not react in any way that can be construed as positive reinforcement. Laughing is tacit approval. Likewise, if someone stops an undesired behavior, don't be afraid to compliment the correct action and reinforce a positive behavior, especially if it helps you. I'm sure most of you would gladly say thanks to a person with 5 rods out, seeing you approach, reels in a couple to offer you a place at the rail. There is no need to be rude, loud or abrupt, but sometimes a word is important. The other night when someone cast too close to me for comfort, I simply said "that was a little close." When the same person cast across my fly line with a bottom rig a little later, I reeled it in, spent a few minutes getting everything untangled, including the rig from itself. I then said in a pleasant voice "we're all clear now!" there was no confrontation, the person was not threatened by me and the behavior changed. Changing undesired behaviors is what we would like to accomplish when our environment doesn't permit us to move away easily. Whether dangerous casting behavior, illegal catches, or stupid stunts, sometimes we encounter things on the beach and piers we could make a little better. No, we're not out there to be policemen and policewomen, but we all have a stake in making it a safe, pleasant environment.