Facts on boats doing damage to river environments

[Mark Christianson]

Oh, don't get us started on those drift boats.

you want controversy, that'll get it going....

[smallie_hawgin]

Scout and trout hunter:

There are actually papers in the North american Journal of Fisheries Management on several of the topics you were asking about earlier. One of which was do the jet boats effect the fish... As a part of the environment in certain cases maybe yes in others a passing boat, canoe, jetboat etc, may actually stir up some invertebrates for the fish to consume. On the transplant from original location to a tournament weigh-in site.... Even this makes me a bit uneasy. However, I can tell you from reading several journal articles on telemetry and first hand experience that fish are adaptable critters and I have no doubt that if released healthy, they will be back up river to their original spot within a week. One of the erlier telemetry studies looked at bass returning to their home sites after being transplanted. Average return time for distances up to 25 miles was three days. Not to say that Miss R smallies do the same thing, but, I know they are capable of moving great distances in short times.

On the erosion issues, the greatest impacts I see are not from recreational craft, whether jet boat, jet ski or pleasure craft... it is still from abusive land owners on our lakes, rivers and streams. Incredible increases in impervious surfaces throughout the respective watersheds leads to spikier flow regimes and road runoff (ie tire and exhaust waste), with higher peaks and lower valleys in the flows and stage. This coupled with the dipsh*t land owners that want to show off their great big houses to all of us by cutting and mowing the vegetation that holds the banks and prevents erosion. That is what I see as a the biggest problems. Then there is the ever increasing population that flushes their toilets.... eventually into the Mississippi... Think that has no effects, go ask the guys fishing smallies on the Potomac where male bass are growing female gonads and producing eggs.

If we start talking fuel waste products well, then there is an arguement that may be legit, but that would put any motors at guilt. It is truly a great resource and by most accounts it is still improving (In terms of smallmouth bass, walleye and channel catfish) in the stretch between St. Cloud and Coon Rapids. Yes there is probably increased angling pressure and to some extent resource exploitation by the use of jetboats, that seems evident in the number of smallies with hook injuries, but thankfully C&R works.

So, from behind this guys nose.... I see a resource that can support some use, remember it is about 6,000 acres of water between St. Cloud and Coon Rapids, surely we can all find a place to our selves, and thankfully it is not like Minnetonka nor will it ever be. Just my .04 Ok I'll step off my box. Sorry for being long winded.

[Mark Christianson]

[MSRiverdog]

smallie_hawgin said

Quote:

---

On the erosion issues, the greatest impacts I see are not from recreational craft, whether jet boat, jet ski or pleasure craft... it is still from abusive land owners on our lakes, rivers and streams. Incredible increases in impervious surfaces throughout the respective watersheds leads to spikier flow regimes and road runoff (ie tire and exhaust waste), with higher peaks and lower valleys in the flows and stage. This coupled with the dipsh*t land owners that want to show off their great big houses to all of us by cutting and mowing the vegetation that holds the banks and prevents erosion.

---

One of those guy's lives across the creek from me, claims he doesn't need any permission from the government and can do what he want's without any permits (retired Anoka cop). It's been quite a site after every one of our latest rainstorms. I can't believe he can get away with his shoreline "IMPROVEMENT" His comment to me a year ago was that I should cut my trees down and put in rock so I could see the river better. Unfortunatly that mindset is pretty common, "let's clear our river shoreline it's the other guy that's the problem."

[Mark Christianson]

Hey SH

Talk about the facts around rip-rapping a river shoreline if you could too.

Thanks very much for the enlightenment. Too bad people like MSRD's neighbor across the creek can't be convinced of anything once they make up their darn minds.

The old, "What difference do I make in the grand scheme of things" mindset.

Sad.....

[ScoutII]

Well we had a jet blow our boat of the trailer while we were loading. And the guy didn't do it just once, but twice in a 10 minute time frame. And then when I put a post on a site , they tried to make us out to be the BAD guys. Now this is water over the dam, so don't everyone get excited. I might have accepted it happening once, but twice by the same boat as we were recovering from the first time is unexcusable. The wake hit so hard it tore a roller off the trailer. I know now what to expect and have learned what I wanted from everyones postings. Thank You All

[Mark Christianson]

Just like ATV issues.

A single bad apple, ruins it for everyone.

Glad we could help.

[MSRiverdog]

Quote:

---

Well we had a jet blow our boat of the trailer while we were loading. And the guy didn't do it just once, but twice in a 10 minute time frame.

---

I gotta ask this, when you talk jet are you talking about RP type jet boats or SeaDoo type jet boats? Two different animals, and different drivers. I have yet to see anyone in a RP type throw much of a wake at any time. They jump right up on top of the water with very little wake, the SeaDoo's are a different story. A lot of them are (Contact US Regarding This Word)'s and can be aggresive, on purpose. Did you by any chance get this jet boat guy pi$$ed and was he trying to send you a message?

[fonz58]

There are ALWAYS bonehead boaters! At the Sartell Tourney as we're heading back for the weigh in a huge Ranger Bass boat with a 225 passes me on my left (about 50 yds away)...I'm going 45 in my River Pro....he's easily doing 55-60....upon getting 75 yds past me, he cuts in front of me and vears to the right to go around the island on the right because he can't go through the shallow side to the left. So now I ride his monster wake twice.....better yet, in about 60 seconds I am now back in front of him because he had to take the long path......so the bonehead cuts in front of me a 2nd time!!! This hot rod had a fancy rig....his name on the motor and all!!! Fancy Ranger Tournament Angler shirt bla bla bla! Instead of passing me on the left, and then cutting in front of me, there was plenty of room to go around me on my right, navigate around the island in the deep water, and I probably would have never even touched his wake. I took a pounding, and got a nice shower thanks to his anticks! What's my point! It's all about the HUMANS!!! Not the boat-jet or otherwise. Some people are selfish no matter what rig they drive. There are clearly selfish Jet Boat drivers!!! Just as there are A**holes driving other rigs. If I wasn't so bushed after the event, as I saw this guy stowing his gear after the tourney, I wanted to chew him a new one. He certainly deserved it....but I doubt it would have made any difference, and I don't think I would have felt any better, and only made an enemy.

[ScoutII]

RP jet. Really we were just heading home for the night. We had night lights on the boat turned on while loading, so we could see. And I even shined the river when they approached so they would know we were there. I guess they thought we were in the way. It realy made us take longer to get off landing because now we had to work around missing roller on second attempt. My buddy was in the water up to his waist before the second wake and the second wake went up to his shoulders. He was not Tooo Happy.

[lumbertick]

Wow...one of the best threads on river conservation yet...good job!!! I happened to be out on the river Sunday (I forgot about the tournament). I am happy to say that I only encountered one jerk (I was working the shoreline up stream and this guy pulled in worked it down...right in front of me ...he didn't even say hi when I had to quit casting to let him through) Point is that there are (Contact US Regarding This Word) in every aspect of life....I am certain there are guys in RP's just as there are some in canoes who are jerks...the guy that cut me off was in a prop boat (also wearing the fancy fishing shirt??? maybe a coincidence??) Some people have no idea what a fragile resource the river (or lakes)are and have no respect for it or the people on it. Frustrating as he11. People....there's a bunch of them I could do without....although maybe someone out there is saying that about me

lt

[fonz58]

don't get me going on that one.....in the tourney, we were floating downstream, and a huge prop bass boat buzz's up, no more than 75 yds downstream from us......cut us off. After about 10 more casts, we put the old Minnkota @100%, buzzed right around that jerk, and swung about 1 boat length in front of him and started fishing in front of him!!!! He didn't say one word!!! He knew better. It was a he/she tandem in that boat.....I thought SHE would have taught him better manners than that!

[lumbertick]

Hey fonz....ditto on the guy/gal combo....apparently there job on the river that day was to show us how "NOT" to do it....I am laughing only because it keeps me from crying!!1

lt

[Pacman]

Speaking of environmental damage. Last year I was anchored over a rocky/rapid south of the Anoka bridge, about 15ft from shore. Catching some real nice bass, I have fished this spot for years in the fall, in short a good spot. The home owner came out and proceeded to weed her garden, ( mind you I am a stranger) she through all the weeds, etc in the river ! Of course I speak up....WHAT THE F... ARE YOU DOING!. She looks at me dumbfounded and says , getting rid of the weeds!Just when we are speaking she gets a cell phone call, tells the caller that some jerk ( me ) tells her that is illeagle. The caller sypathizes with her, telling her it is ok to use the river to dump yard waste!I troll the river with cranks just about every weekend in the summer. On most Saturday afternoons you can hardly go 100ft without fouling your hooks. There is so much grass clippings, tree trimmings, etc.In years past I have confronted homeowners to no avail, contacted the police, and DNR. Nothing seems to stop it, any ideas what else we can do?

[MSRiverdog]

Pacman said

Quote:

---

There is so much grass clippings, tree trimmings, etc.In years past I have confronted homeowners to no avail, contacted the police, and DNR. Nothing seems to stop it, any ideas what else we can do?

---

YEP! We have a bunch of those jerks that live here. There are many more of us that live here that would love to know who they are so we could confront them, they are our "neighbor's" and we get even more sick to death of it as us downriver folks get to clean their stuff (cleaned up for moderaters) off of our docks and lift's. I know of a lot of residents that would go knock on their doors and confront them as neighbors, and some us would be glad to bring the local police with.