Boater educate

[D-I-A]

Well I normally don't have issues with boats half throttling through the water when I am in a kayak, but when I am standing up throwing a cast net it is not the time or place to be throwing waves at some one in a kayak.

I was out yesterday evening throwing the cast net for all the small white shrimp that are moving into the back lakes for my Chumcicles when a boat comes up on me half throttling cause the biggest waves that boat could have possibly created while I was in the middle of my throw.

It rocked the yak so bad that it pitched my rod out of the rod holder into the water. So for the next 15 min I was throwing my net just to find my rod. Which I did find. Thank god.

So those with boats if you see a kayaker never throttle half down its best to just keep your boat motor wide open.

[FishNette]

Yes. People seem to think they will make a smaller wake by slowing down, but they actually make a larger one. Remember, you don't need a license to boat, so any idiot can be on the water ruining your day. With that being said, aren't there regulations about catching shrimp in the shallow waters this time of year? I'm just sayin'...

[GHSmacker]

Were you fishing in a channel or blocking the only entrance to a back lake?

[coachlaw]

It doesn't really matter where he is. You've got to be an idiot if you can't look behind you and realize that you're causing a huge wake by going 1/4, 1/2, or 3/4 throttle. Your wake will be smaller if you go wide open. If you are courteous, you learn that slowing down for people fishing and boats at dock is the right thing to do, but you need to do it PROPERLY. Otherwise you're just being more of an arse through ignorance/stupidity.

To slow down properly: Well before you come even with the people you intend to slow down for, pull the throttle back to idle. When your bow settles completely, you are no longer making more than a ripple of a wake. You can continue like this, or you can bump up the throttle just a little. If your bow rises any, you are now creating a wake again. When and where I grew up, fathers taught their sons this. And 95% of the people were good at it and courteous. Since I moved here, I notice that only about 10-15% of the boaters around SLP have any notion of what their wake is doing. Much to my chagrin, even many of the people I am friends with do not know how to operate a boat in a courteous fashion. Most of those that actually slow down properly do so too late and I get the brunt of their wake as they slow down.

Some people take pride in being arses and that's the way the world is, but most people THINK they are being courteous. They just do not have enough brain cells to figure it out, so they make a bigger wake in an effort to be courteous.

[Jerkyourcroaker]

With that being said, aren't there regulations about catching shrimp in the shallow waters this time of year?

The applicable regulations can be found HERE. As long as he was in a "Major Bay" or "Bait Bay" as defined in the regulations and not in a "Nursury Area", he is fine. That rule is consistent for all times of the year. The only thing that changes with time of year is the hours of the day that you can recreational shrimp.

Recreational Fishing: Shrimp Regulations

• Shrimp may be taken for personal use (bait or food). Shrimp taken for personal use may not be sold.
• A person taking or attempting to take shrimp from salt water for non-commercial purposes is required to have a valid fishing license and a saltwater fishing stamp endorsement.

Legal Sport Shrimping Devices

• Cast Net
• Seine
• Individual Bait-shrimp Trawl (see following)

Coastal Waters

Salt waters of the state are divided into the following groups:

1. Outside Water: That part of the Gulf of Mexico extending from the shoreline seaward to nine nautical miles. Shrimp may not be taken from outside waters during closed seasons (see ___ )
2. Inside Water: All bays, passes, rivers, or other bodies of water landward from the shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico. In these waters, the tide rises and falls and saltwater shrimp are found or migrate. Shrimping is not permitted within any natural or man-made pass leading from the inside waters to the outside waters of the state.
3. Major Bays:
   • Sabine Lake north of Cameron Causeway to south of a line marked by the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (Sabine Neches Canal/Sabine River) between the eastern most tip of Goat Island to the western most tip of Stewts Island
   • Trinity Bay southward from a line extending from the mouth of Double Bayou in Chambers County to Double Bayou Channel Marker 14, to Separator C-2, to Point Barrow in Chambers County
   • Galveston Bay
   • East Bay westward from a line extending from Frozen Point to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Marker 12
   • Matagorda Bay westward of a line extending from a location on the mainland (where a line running immediately northwest [bearing 330 degrees] from Shellfish Marker A intersects the mainland) thence southeasterly to Shellfish Marker A located near the mainland, thence to Shellfish Marker B located near the end of Shell Island Reef, thence to the tide gauge located near the Matagorda Peninsula, and thence southeasterly [bearing 153 degrees] to the Matagorda Peninsula.
   • East Matagorda Bay
   • Tres Palacios Bay south from a line from Grassey Point to the mouth of Pilkington Bayou
   • Espiritu Santo Bay
   • Lavaca Bay southward of State Highway 35
   • San Antonio Bay southward of a line from McDowell Point to Mosquito point
   • Aransas Bay
   • Corpus Christi Bay exclusive of the area bounded by the line extending from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at the southwest point of the Dagger Island chain, along Dagger Island to the southeast tip of Ransom Island, then southeast to the westernmost point of land north of Marker 14 in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel
   • All exclusive of tributary bays, bayous, and inlets, lakes and rivers
   
   
4. Bait Bays (includes major bays and those listed here):
   • Chocolate Bay
   • West Bay south and west of Interstate Highway 45 Causeway bridge and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway inclusive of the area south of a line extending westward from Interstate Highwy 45 Causeway Bridge at Virginia Point, along the southern edge of Tiki Island to the northeastern tip of North Deer Island at Channel Marker 48
   • Trinity Bay northward from a line extending from the mouth of Double Bayou in Chambers County to Double Bayou Channel Marker 14, to Separator C-2, to Point Barrow in Chambers County
   • The Old Brazos River lying north of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Brazoria County
   • Upper Laguna Madre
   • Baffin Bay
   • Alazan Bay
   • Barroom Bay
   • Lower Laguna Madre, including the Brownsville Ship Channel
   • The entire Gulf Intracoastal Waterway exclusive of all tributaries
   
   
5. Nursery Areas: (No Shrimping Allowed) Those coastal waters not specifically named above as Major Bays or Bait Bays are considered Nursery Areas. Includes tributary bays, bayous, inlets, lakes, and rivers that serve as significant growth and development environments for postlarval and juvenile shrimp. Does not include outside waters, major bays, or bait bays.

Seasons and Limits

Aug. 15-March 31	30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset	2 quarts/person (with heads attached) 4 quarts/boat (heads attached) on boats taking shrimp with an individual bait-shrimp trawl No count size restrictions
April 1-Aug. 14	30 minutes before sunrise to 2:00 p.m.

[Gulfcoast13]

It doesn't really matter where he is. You've got to be an idiot if you can't look behind you and realize that you're causing a huge wake by going 1/4, 1/2, or 3/4 throttle. Your wake will be smaller if you go wide open. If you are courteous, you learn that slowing down for people fishing and boats at dock is the right thing to do, but you need to do it PROPERLY. Otherwise you're just being more of an arse through ignorance/stupidity.

To slow down properly: Well before you come even with the people you intend to slow down for, pull the throttle back to idle. When your bow settles completely, you are no longer making more than a ripple of a wake. You can continue like this, or you can bump up the throttle just a little. If your bow rises any, you are now creating a wake again. When and where I grew up, fathers taught their sons this. And 95% of the people were good at it and courteous. Since I moved here, I notice that only about 10-15% of the boaters around SLP have any notion of what their wake is doing. Much to my chagrin, even many of the people I am friends with do not know how to operate a boat in a courteous fashion. Most of those that actually slow down properly do so too late and I get the brunt of their wake as they slow down.

Some people take pride in being arses and that's the way the world is, but most people THINK they are being courteous. They just do not have enough brain cells to figure it out, so they make a bigger wake in an effort to be courteous.

Therer you go - all the advice you need.

[D-I-A]

Were you fishing in a channel or blocking the only entrance to a back lake?

I was well clear of the boat lanes and with in plane sight from a long distance off. I was standing up with a bright yellow life vest on. I was not hard to miss.

[Curmudgeon]

Yeah, if I can ever afford a bote I'm gonna have to get y'all to give me lessons.

[Rollo]

Boaters often are too busy looking at the water for fish sign to notice a yac or wader in there path! dont count on them seeing ya till its too late, and I agree with keeping your boat on a plane rather than slowing down,seems like a lot are just plane idiots out there,Stay safe!!

[Hesser]

Some of us do still have some braincells left but not the knowledge from practice. Thanks to all for this info, I am one of those that slow down to idol well before passing a kayaker and have been given a thumbs up each time but it is good info for those that just pull the throttle back a bit. When stopped a couple weeks ago by a game warden, I asked if I was going too fast through a no wake zone. He told me no, I was fine and then asked where the fish were biting and to show him the life vests for the two of us in the boat.

[buoy37]

D-I-A The simple fact that you were standing on your yak and the boater could not comprehend the cause and effect of his actions is scary. Makes you wonder how they hold a job or run a household.

[Robalo]

If I had a boat captain that splashed kayakers, he would look just like Trayvon Wakemaker.

[JT]

I dont think Id stand up in kayaks anymore

[D-I-A]

I also caught a young blue fish in the back bay.

[fuzzy]

Where your from Sandy everyone grew up on the water.Sorry to say I was never in a boat with my Dad.I was 40 years old before I started fishing Galveston.Bet I been teaching my boys.Most folks around here start boating with no idea.Put it in the water and go.