Over the years CharlestonFishing.com has been a valuable source of information as well as a great source of entertainment and some pretty good laughs. “What Just Screams Rookie” For those of you that are regular readers of the CharlestonFishing.com forums, you have probably noted this long running discussion on the Fishing Discussion Forum. As I read through and laughed at the majority of the 14-pages of posts this week (a lot of times thinking I have done that, or I have seen that happen) I noted a pattern of instances that all occurred at the boat ramp. Many of the stories told were funny, quite a few of them could have had or did have an element of danger, and almost all of them were avoidable.
Some of the landing related stories are truly “rookie” mistakes, but quite a few of them were simply a due to a total lack of respect. Below is an article that I put together almost 5-years ago in preparation for the hectic Rockville Regatta weekend. While the regatta has come and gone this year I thought it would still be a good idea to re-run this article after reading the “What Screams Rookie.” Perhaps this will help us all have a better landing experience…
I have seen some crazy things occur at the public boat ramps over the years. There is always the guy that forgets to set the parking brake and rolls his car into the water, or the guy who is attempting to pull a 25 foot Bayliner out of the water with a Pinto, or how about the guy with the wave runner who is attempting to back his trailer for the first time ever with 20 people telling him how to do it, 30 people waiting, and 50 people cussing. It is like a mini version of road rage at the dock.
If there is one thing every boater dreads more than filling up at the gas station, it is launching and retrieving their boat at a public boat ramp! Combine a little bit of disrespect, with a tired sun burnt boater and tempers will flare and arguments are sure to ensue. With a little bit of patience, some common sense and courtesy, launching and retrieving a boa