White Catamaran Capt. D!$&

[Madd Matt]

I am not going to defend anyone at all in this thread except to say that unless someone knows the name of the boat, then don't "speculate" and get everyone bashing a captain that wasn't involved.
I am not a captain, I don't Charter. I have casted and I run big boards...
being that Sara-J appears to be getting some blame here, and the original poster didn't use any names, even said he wasn't sure, please be really careful in attacks on a specific boat.
I do not know Gary of Sara-J. I've never officially met him or talked to him.
However, over the past 8 years of me running big boards I have probably fished in the same areas and packs as him and been around his boat as much or more than anyone in this forum. I have never seen him disregard boating protocol, and have never heard him being a jerk on the radio.
Accidents do happen. I'm not defending him, nor saying that no one has had an issue with him.
I am saying that I've been within 100' of his boat dozens of times over the years, and "as a whole" he is a good captain. He doesn't deserve "credit" for an issue that the original poster doesn't even know who it was.
He definitely doesn't deserve a bunch of bad PR from this board when we don't know who it was.
This forum has always been the best on the web in my opinion because we have great contributors and we don't have the drama of other sites.
If Gary ran over your boards and cussed you out, and kept your gear, feel free to post an accurate account of that.
My problem with what is going on here is that everyone "trolling" these forums and the general public read this and form an opinion of Sara-J charters and Gary, and he may or may not even be the boat involved.
There was nothing wrong with this thread at all until speculative names of boats were thrown into it. Those of us who fish the Western basin already know potential culprits without anyone mentioning names.
By the way... there are more than 2 white Cats on the West end of Lake Erie.

[Capt Eric]

keep from making it worse. If he is not a charter captain he was sure acting like he was one with his group.

Acting like a charter captain???? I'm not sure what this means, but please don't lump all charter captains into one group! I run the second largest full time private 6-pack boat on the lake, and I couldn't tell you how many times I've turned off a line that I wanted to be on because someone else (no matter what size their boat) had the right-of-way. Some people get it, some people don't. Right-of-way has nothing to do with size or the number of lines you're running. I've had little boats come at me on my left side, get inside my board line, then yell at me because I'm the *******! I'm sorry, but if you were on my right side, I would have turned long before you got that close, it's simple right-of-way.

I do everything I can to work with all the other boats around me, and sometimes we get in a pinch and have to call on the radio and ask for some help. Maybe ask someone to slow down just long enough to get by if we can't turn the other way. It happens! And about 6 times out of 10, we'll get a little help from the other boat. The other 4, we just have to deal with it. None of us want to trade paint out there......the paperwork just isn't worth it.

Oh, and my 2 cents on the original issue here? As the captain of any vessel, it is your responsibility to maneuver your vessel in order to avoid collision, even if you do not have the right-of-way. It sucks, I know. But in order to save your gear, sometimes you need to give way when you shouldn't have to. There are too many boater out there that either do not understand the rules of the road, do not care to follow the rules of the road, or get too involved in what's happening out the back of the boat to realize what's about to happen in the front!

Process of elimination.....this particular boat is not a charter. I saw Sara J mentioned a few times here... If it were a Sara J boat, close enough to hit your gear, you'd easily be able to identify it. Sara J's boats are floating billboards, you can read Sara J from 3 miles. (I'm saying this was NOT a Sara J boat involved in the original complaint post.) "Eagle Eye" is another 34' King Cat, and he is in the water at Anchors Away, but has not been out on the lake yet. "EyeTime", another 34' King Cat, still in the building at Anchors Away.

Anyway, thanks for reading this far. Tight Lines! Good luck! Stay safe!

[Capt Juls]

I am not going to defend anyone at all in this thread except to say that unless someone knows the name of the boat, then don't "speculate" and get everyone bashing a captain that wasn't involved.
I am not a captain, I don't Charter. I have casted and I run big boards...
being that Sara-J appears to be getting some blame here, and the original poster didn't use any names, even said he wasn't sure, please be really careful in attacks on a specific boat.
I do not know Gary of Sara-J. I've never officially met him or talked to him.
However, over the past 8 years of me running big boards I have probably fished in the same areas and packs as him and been around his boat as much or more than anyone in this forum. I have never seen him disregard boating protocol, and have never heard him being a jerk on the radio.
Accidents do happen. I'm not defending him, nor saying that no one has had an issue with him.
I am saying that I've been within 100' of his boat dozens of times over the years, and "as a whole" he is a good captain. He doesn't deserve "credit" for an issue that the original poster doesn't even know who it was.
He definitely doesn't deserve a bunch of bad PR from this board when we don't know who it was.
This forum has always been the best on the web in my opinion because we have great contributors and we don't have the drama of other sites.
If Gary ran over your boards and cussed you out, and kept your gear, feel free to post an accurate account of that.
My problem with what is going on here is that everyone "trolling" these forums and the general public read this and form an opinion of Sara-J charters and Gary, and he may or may not even be the boat involved.
There was nothing wrong with this thread at all until speculative names of boats were thrown into it. Those of us who fish the Western basin already know potential culprits without anyone mentioning names.
By the way... there are more than 2 white Cats on the West end of Lake Erie.

Thank you Matt....I was thinking the same thing. Well said.

[Eriegardless]

I am not going to defend anyone at all in this thread except to say that unless someone knows the name of the boat, then don't "speculate" and get everyone bashing a captain that wasn't involved.
I am not a captain, I don't Charter. I have casted and I run big boards...
being that Sara-J appears to be getting some blame here, and the original poster didn't use any names, even said he wasn't sure, please be really careful in attacks on a specific boat.
I do not know Gary of Sara-J. I've never officially met him or talked to him.
However, over the past 8 years of me running big boards I have probably fished in the same areas and packs as him and been around his boat as much or more than anyone in this forum. I have never seen him disregard boating protocol, and have never heard him being a jerk on the radio.
Accidents do happen. I'm not defending him, nor saying that no one has had an issue with him.
I am saying that I've been within 100' of his boat dozens of times over the years, and "as a whole" he is a good captain. He doesn't deserve "credit" for an issue that the original poster doesn't even know who it was.
He definitely doesn't deserve a bunch of bad PR from this board when we don't know who it was.
This forum has always been the best on the web in my opinion because we have great contributors and we don't have the drama of other sites.
If Gary ran over your boards and cussed you out, and kept your gear, feel free to post an accurate account of that.
My problem with what is going on here is that everyone "trolling" these forums and the general public read this and form an opinion of Sara-J charters and Gary, and he may or may not even be the boat involved.
There was nothing wrong with this thread at all until speculative names of boats were thrown into it. Those of us who fish the Western basin already know potential culprits without anyone mentioning names.
By the way... there are more than 2 white Cats on the West end of Lake Erie.

Better go re-read the comments here. The OP never mentioned any boat names....just said it may of appeared to be the one Juls mentioned but also said he could not confirm. I WAS the ONE that said Sara J cause IT WAS a Sara J boat that I was referring to. And I have my facts straight and know for sure that I could read Sara J cause had I not moved I am sure I could have reach over and cut his board tow line with my pocket knife as it bounced off the side of my hull. And then he looks at me and shrugs his shoulders and holds up his arm like "Whaaat???" He may be a GREAT Captain and the nicest guy on the lake but the day/occurrence I am referring too...maybe he was just having a bad day but he was completely out of line and I had to do what Capt. Eric mentioned. Alter your course to avoid a collision at all cost...if you have the right away or not.

Great post Capt. Eric....very well said! I see it happen all the time...people get in a pinch when there are that many boats in a small area, I get it and it has happened to me but most people are always willing to work together.

[pappyon]

what i have learned is that many on the lake do not know that the right is right away or the left. the dont know what it means...or whos right are we talking about. They are confused as to who does what. for me...if someone is trolling...or sitting..and i am moving..i get out of their way...way out. I dont go full throttle or even close when near people jigging. this happens to me all the time. Many people are just ignorant of the rules or just dont pay attention. when i tell people in my boat that the guy on the right has the right of way....they always ask.....whos right??? Maybe pamphlets at the marina with a diagram and pictures would help. lol I have been on the lake since 86 when my dad lived there. He was one of the first to troll. Most hated that then. the problem we had then was the sail boats. They ran over our boards a couple of times. We used the big boards with the curtain rings and pulled 3 lines a side. sometimes yellow birds. But it was always fun.

[WVWalleyeHunter]

No offense intended to the good Charters out there. That was not the point of my post, it was to help me identify the culprit and that has been accomplished.
I did every thing I could to aviod the conflict, the area was not crowed and he had no reason not to turn and avoid me, like I said before i kept turning and turning to avoid him and even stopped to reel my gear in. He pushed me up against the shallow area and rock pile by the monument and then ran over my gear as I was reeling it in and never stopped and then he continued on like I wasnt even there.
I have identified the boat and it was not A Sara J boat or Eagle Eye or Eyetime.
If i have a run in with them again I will deal with it as approporiately and as "immaturely" as possible.

[Jiga-Byte]

WVWalleyeHunter it sounds like you did everything right in this case. You gave way, even when it wasn't your obligation. You did everything you could prevent an incident. I have no idea who this person/boat was but it sounds like they were just trying to be a bully out there on the water.

I realize that there are always two sides to every story, so I will refrain from formulating opinions on any one person or boat. But from what you've stated - you did everything right; especially the part about not retaliating in the presence of the children.

Its sad that some people are selfish and inconsiderate of other vessels on the water. Hopefully we can all learn from this; and move on to respect each other on the water and become better fisherman.

[Greatwhitehunter]

I don't know who's right or wrong here but I hope know one would take action into there own hands. We all have had incounters on the lake. Take your lumps and move on. Respect the lake respect others. No fish worth the hassle to me.

[Madd Matt]

Better go re-read the comments here. The OP never mentioned any boat names....just said it may of appeared to be the one Juls mentioned but also said he could not confirm. I WAS the ONE that said Sara J cause IT WAS a Sara J boat that I was referring to. And I have my facts straight and know for sure that I could read Sara J cause had I not moved I am sure I could have reach over and cut his board tow line with my pocket knife as it bounced off the side of my hull. And then he looks at me and shrugs his shoulders and holds up his arm like "Whaaat???" He may be a GREAT Captain and the nicest guy on the lake but the day/occurrence I am referring too...maybe he was just having a bad day but he was completely out of line and I had to do what Capt. Eric mentioned. Alter your course to avoid a collision at all cost...if you have the right away or not.

Great post Capt. Eric....very well said! I see it happen all the time...people get in a pinch when there are that many boats in a small area, I get it and it has happened to me but most people are always willing to work together.

I believe that if you read my post that you would see that you and I are in complete agreement... I am confused as to what you think I said. Multiple times I mentioned that the OP post was perfectly fine, and a good conversation and good post. He didn't mention any names.... Also, if you read my post, you will see that I commended you for telling your story with a boat name when you knew exactly who it was, and said that it was perfectly fine when you know what happened and who did it. I was not calling into question your account and have no problems with it.

I don't own this site and don't have any right to tell anyone how to respond. However, there are enough of us who have been in here for years and we all truly appreciate keeping the drama that is so common on other sites out of Walleye.com.

I was merely asking that everyone not jump to conclusions on the OP's run in on the Lake with a specific boat when we don't know who it was. In your personal case, obviously you know. So tell your story. No problems there.

[Eriegardless]

I believe that if you read my post that you would see that you and I are in complete agreement... I am confused as to what you think I said. Multiple times I mentioned that the OP post was perfectly fine, and a good conversation and good post. He didn't mention any names.... Also, if you read my post, you will see that I commended you for telling your story with a boat name when you knew exactly who it was, and said that it was perfectly fine when you know what happened and who did it. I was not calling into question your account and have no problems with it.

I don't own this site and don't have any right to tell anyone how to respond. However, there are enough of us who have been in here for years and we all truly appreciate keeping the drama that is so common on other sites out of Walleye.com.

I was merely asking that everyone not jump to conclusions on the OP's run in on the Lake with a specific boat when we don't know who it was. In your personal case, obviously you know. So tell your story. No problems there.

Thanks for explaining yourself further but I apologize that is not how I took your post. You clearly stated you were not defending anyone but followed that up with numerous points of view on the type of person/charter you perceive Gary to be. AND mentioned not to throw out Sara J's boat name if you were unsure. The OP never mentioned a boat name till Jules named 3 cats that she knew of. I was the only person that confirmed Sara J with my experience from last season other than one other poster. So i hope you can see where I could interpret your post the way I did. I have no issues or beef with you. Just don't use me to make a point when I did the opposite of what your trying to make a point about.

I agree with you about this site compared to others and hope it stays that way. Anyone that knows me I'd hope they would say I do all I can to help others out so we go home having a great time and enjoying this great lake. With an added bonus of catching a fish or 2 or maybe learning something new.

Good luck and good fishing this season!