What a dayon Marion Today!

[Christopher Quast]

Went out to Marion in Lakeville today for the first time ever in my life and first off I get there and it takes all of a half hour to unload and then to top it off we didn't catch a single fish and OOOH YAAA I almost forgot to mention the fact that I got a (poor word usage)ticket all because we were trolling and ended up in some thick weeds and I told my buddy to start the big motor and he sped up a little to get us out of the nasty stuff to a less weedy area and as he was doing this he gave er a little bit for no more than fifty feet and then I look over my shoulder and who's coming??? good OL sheriff!!!! with nothing better to do since there was skiers,and wakeboarders everywhere and they could go full tilt right up to the bouys and come flying by you while your trying to fish and instead of doing anything to them come and pick on a guy who's tangled in weeds OOOOH I'm [PoorWordUsage]'D!!!! and he pulls up and ask who the boat belongs to and then give him my DL and then he had a chick on the boat and he asked her if we had are lifejackets and they were sitting right next to each of us and she relayed that back to him and then he asked me if I had my throwable device and I said I did and it was right under my deck hatch and I showed him and then he said I had to leave it out so I did and then the jerk-bait gave me a ticket for not having it out in the first place.

Then I just left the dam lake and on the way I got a chance to read the ticket and he checked the box that said somthing about "not having it on board at all" and then at the bottom it had a section saying other and in the line he wrote "didn't have throwable out" So what I'm wondering was do you guys think I should have to pay the fine or do you think it would be worth fighting and also does anyone know how much they will nail me for this [PoorWordUsage]?

[borg0196]

well you know what they say, when it rains it pours.

[AceintheHole]

Just pay it and move on. You may not like it but it's not worth ruining your day and week. I'm not sure of the law but I don't see any reason to give you a ticket. We have never had a problem with this and we have been checked a couple times a year and we didn't even have our lifevest out they were stowed under the seats.

[Shack]

I had a C.O. check me years back and my throwable was slighty under the console. He informed me of the error. I was polite and tried to joke with him a little.

I got a warning and thanked him.

Did he say anything about a throwable having to be tied to a rope? I thought I read that is a new law for over 16' or something. I did it anyways and it is a good idea.

Good luck if you fight it!

[123fish]

I think I heard the CO down here say the cheapest ticket he gives out is $92 for not having your license in possesion. Hope the rest of your weekend goes a little better.

[harvey lee]

I would assume that if a ticket was given for the throwable device that there is a law in place for it. One could look the law up and if you believe you were not wrong you could fight the ticket. Personally, I would pay the ticket and move on as it would cost plenty to fight it and you probably would not win anyways.

[Neighbor_guy]

If your attitude with the deputy was the same as the one you displayed here, I am not supprised you got tagged. Havving ridden in a water patrol boat I can tell you that their job is to check life jackets. And monitor no wake zones. They check EVERY BOAT ON THE WATER!!!! It just happened to be your turn. It diddn't help that you were stuck, running in the weeds, and causing a ruckus.

You made a mistake. Own it and move on. If your attitude was poor though, he will remember, and you will get looked at close every time out. A good reason to be good.

[Christopher Quast]

Shack, he didn't say anything about having it tied to a rope, and he also told me you didn't have to have your PFD'S out and readily accessible, because after he said he was going to give me a ticket I said to him I thought I only had to have our PFD's out and I do and he told me they only had to be on board. JUST TICKET HAPPY!!!

[Neighbor_guy]

Shack, he didn't say anything about having it tied to a rope, and he also told me you didn't have to have your PFD'S out and readily accessible

your PFD's dont have to be out. Your throwable does.

[blarkey]

I had a Co. do the same thing to me and my dog. I had my throw-able in the compartment and I asked him who was going to throw it to me the dog, luckily he let me off with a warning .

[joeyquicksand*]

fight it...

[Jeremy airjer W]

I was reminded that the throwable must be out last year. If there is an emergency you would want to throw it as soon as possible, thats how they explained it to me!

I have not heard about tying it to a rope but since I roll in an 18' I will be checking that out!!

[mtheis]

I received a warning this year for not having my Life Vest with me and was grateful that I didn't get a ticket. However, now I seem to get stopped at nearly every lake I fish and they specifically ask me if I have my PFD and move on. It's funny, they don't ask me anything else.

How long does a warning stay on my record and will this haunt me forever?

[Dave S]

My dad was asked by a CO about his throwable device one day while he was fishing alone and also made the comment about who would throw it to him if he fell out of the boat.

I will admit that he gets a little ignorant in his old age, but the common sense part here is if you saw someone else fall out of a boat, what would you throw them? By the time some get through all of the clutter in their storage compartments, the person could be laying on the bottom of the lake.

Or should I ask this: If you (not referring to anyone in particular) noticed someone struggling to stay afloat, would you A) keep going or stop to help?

When we participate in outdoor activities, we have a responsibility to know the laws that pertain to such activity. Don't make it any harder on yourself. Pay the fine and move on.

[mojoputter]

Good one Blarkey, if I fell in my stupid dog would probably just jump in the water to play.

I would just pay the ticket and live to fish another day...

[TMF89]

I would check out the ticket. If it's more because you didn't have one on the boat, then obviously fight it, because you did HAVE it on the boat. If it's the same, then don't, because even though I think it's a bum move to ticket you because you didn't have your throwable out, it's legal, so you won't win.

CO's are interesting, most of the time they're great guys, but every once in awhile you get a bad one. It reminds me of the story my grandpa told me.

They were up north, and this CO had been checking them every day all week, and they never had any problems. Well there was a no keep (anti-slot?)size for pike, and they had one that was about a half-inch under that. The CO pulls up, and demands to check the pike. They comply, and he checks it on two boards, where it checks out, then he checks it on this piece of [PoorWordUsage] old board that's beaten to [PoorWordUsage], and all the sudden the fish grows an inch and a half. My grandpa was ticketed, and had to pay the fine.

[Croix]

so if i have a 16.5 ft boat i have to have a throwable device?

[Croix]

just looked it up, over 16 feet must have life vest for all ppl on board plus a throwable device.(except canoes and kayaks) News to me, better get a throwable device before i head out again. Didnt see anything about it being attached to the boat via rope. If anyone knows that rule your input would be appreicated. Thanks,

Croix

[AceintheHole]

In my eyes every boat should have a throwable device rather it's required or not. Better safe then sorry.

[vikingmeatwad]

He said this wasn't a CO but a Co. Sheriff.

There is a big difference and most every CO I have met(besides the canucks) have been very respectful as I have with them.

This sounds to me like a bit of revenue generation.

[Sandmannd]

If your attitude with the deputy was the same as the one you displayed here, I am not supprised you got tagged. Havving ridden in a water patrol boat I can tell you that their job is to check life jackets. And monitor no wake zones. They check EVERY BOAT ON THE WATER!!!! It just happened to be your turn. It diddn't help that you were stuck, running in the weeds, and causing a ruckus.

You made a mistake. Own it and move on. If your attitude was poor though, he will remember, and you will get looked at close every time out. A good reason to be good.

I agree with you, clearly out of the lines of the law. It's not fun, but they are doing their job. You admitted you didn't have your throwable out, that's against the law. Because you didn't know is no excuse. I have two throwables and keep them right by my feet under my counsel. Can get to them in a second. It's not worth a fight as you were in the wrong. And know, he wasn't trying to generate rev, like I said, he admitted he was breaking the law.

[Matt C]

Regs say over 17 feet you need a throw able device in an unlocked compartment at all times. Also a Fire extinguisher, and a life vest unlocked at all times for as many passengers as you have. You must also have a horn of some type, air or boat installed.

I've been checked by both CO's and Cty Sheriffs. Always happy to see them out, and I think we need more.

I keep my LJ (2) under my main counsel and 2 under my passenger counsil, my throwable is under the passenger counsel, and my Fire Extinguisher is under my throttle lever.

CO's n sheriffs arnt out there to make your life miserable, they are there for a reason, safety, they don't want to spend 20 hours searching for your body at the bottom of a lake. Pay the ticket. Or if you feel its invalid, go ahead and go to court. From what I have read...just pay the ticket and get back out there and catch some fish!

[bonefish]

The law is to have the throwable available, but it's only "recomended" that you tie a rope to it. I got an inspection at a launch by the coast guard this weekend. It was a good opportunity to make sure I was up to spec - without the risk of a ticket!! He broke things down as to what is suggested, and what is the law. The rope thing does make sense since I'd rather pull them to me than waste time and risk injury trying to get close with the motor. Another thing I learned was that it is "recommended" that your anchor ropes are a 5:1 ratio to boat length. So a 17' boat should have at least 85' of rope on the anchor. He also commented that at least 75% of boats he inspected had the current registration sticker covering the old/expired ones, which is a bad idea. He sees at least 3 boats/day that are missing their sticker because the entire stack of stickers came off!

[eyebjim]

I beleive the regs say that the throwable has to be out and within reach of the driver. Just remember the song. "I fought the law and the law won"

[Lund4ver]

Amazing how many people don't realize what is required to go boating. Throwable law has been in effect for the last 5 years minimum, probably longer. That is the first thing taken out of the boat storage whenever I hit the water, and then the lifejackets are on (required to be on kids by law as in Minnesota).

[BoxMN]

FWIW - I have actually used my thrwoable to pull a guy out of 52 degree water, with his boat circling at WOT just yards away. Thankfully he was on the outside of the "circle of death". We did/do have a rope tied to it, and we had to use the rope, as the first time he reached for the cushion he went under and we had to pull it back and throw again, as I had to keep our boat between him and his circling boat.

We only had rope tied on so we always knew it was in boat, not flying out, but found the rope came in handy.

Also, I used trained and was volunteer deputy (trainee) for a year with Henn. Co. Sheriff's Water Patrol (great organization with great training, and great employees and volunteers) and I recall that PDF's cannot be still in their packaging under the seats, hatches, etc. They must be readily accessible, and many people just leave them in the plastic bags in storage. Good way to keep them clean, but bad way to allow them to save a life.

Anyway, after we pulled that guy out several years ago, I wear a PFD everytime I am alone, and usually even with others. They are always out on the seats. I also use a kill switch lanyard every time I get above trolling speed now, something I did not do previously.

sorry for preaching I just saw first hand how little things can make a big difference in life and death situation. This guy's body temp was 94 when we got him to the ambulance (we called once we knew it is was a person in the water, before we even got to him, and the ambulance was waiting at the access, along with sheriff boat).

[Christopher Quast]

Regs say over 17 feet you need a throw able device in an unlocked compartment at all times. Also a Fire extinguisher, and a life vest unlocked at all times for as many passengers as you have. You must also have a horn of some type, air or boat installed.

I've been checked by both CO's and Cty Sheriffs. Always happy to see them out, and I think we need more.

I keep my LJ (2) under my main counsel and 2 under my passenger counsil, my throwable is under the passenger counsel, and my Fire Extinguisher is under my throttle lever.

CO's n sheriffs arnt out there to make your life miserable, they are there for a reason, safety, they don't want to spend 20 hours searching for your body at the bottom of a lake. Pay the ticket. Or if you feel its invalid, go ahead and go to court. From what I have read...just pay the ticket and get back out there and catch some fish!

Really? It says that you don't have to have your throwable out? Just in an unlocked area Well according to that comment I wasn't in the wrong then or did I miss something?

[MuleShack]

Maybe they just couldn't figure out where TimbuckToo was and thougth you were out of state....

[Lowblazah]

Heres the reg...

Quote:

IN ADDITION, on boats 16 feet or longer (except canoes and kayaks,) there must also be at least one U.S. Coast Guard approved Type IV throw- able device, such as a buoyant cushion or ring buoy immediately available for each boat.

The law does not state that PFDs must be worn, only that they are readily accessible except for personal watercraft (Wave Runners, Jet Skis, etc.).......

I got checked on the river last year and didnt have my throwable out...he made me get it out and only gave me a verbal warning thankfully. Looks like you had the priviledge of learning the hard way...

hey at least now you know...

[musky5555]

Well put neighbor guy!

Nothing Better to do??? GOLDTIP, what do you think the sheriff's water patrol is doing out there... THEIR JOB! Absolutley, in many cases, your own attitude writes the ticket for you. A simple "thank you, i'm sorry sir" may have resulted in a warning.

Sounds like some other classic excuse for speeding... "my speedometer is off," or "I put bigger tires on my truck."

You made a mistake, now deal with it! I'm happy when I see the water patrol out on the lakes. There job is to keep the lakes safe, and in some cases, write tickets.