Inconsiderate Snowmobiles and ATV'S

[Guest]

Right off I need to say that I am not against snowmobiles and atv's.I ride myself.What I am sick of are the inconsiderate jerks that feel the need to buzz by ice shacks so close.I was out saturday with my daughter and this one-who-thinks-I-am-silly on a snowmobile felt it necessary to cruise by within 15 feet of the shack and narrowly missed a tip-up though the flag popped because the snow spray hit it!!!!!!I'm a pretty low key guy but I admit I spent more time after that looking for him than I did looking at the flasher and fishing.I don't get it!I'm just out there minding my own business and they have a huge lake on which to ride and they have to do that.If I had a snowmobile with me I would have tracked him down and I would not have been nice.I was wondering if anyone had any similar stories or better yet,stories in which someone caught these jerks after they came too close or hit a tip-up.I realize at night someone on a snowmobile that's not familiar with the lake might get too close or hit a tip-up.Or I would understand if a kid accidentally did it but it's these cowboys in the middle of the day that do it on purpose that really [PoorWordUsage] me off.Maybe some are just real stupid.

[SpikeRoberts]

It's even more amazing that they still haven't learned from the very tragic accident in Chisago this past week how dangerous such reckless activity can be.

[Dan97]

How about cars? This evening out on Waconia, there were two joy riders running laps around a small group of fish houses. Yes that's right two cars playing ice racer. I guess some of those houses were occupied because I could hear the swearing from over 1/4 mile away. The local police said I was the sixth person to report the boneheads.

Staggers the mind......Dan

[Guest]

Spike Roberts and Dan97,both great points.I didn't mention Sunday evening I was on a different lake and some yahoo was out there driving a pickup out where nobody else would drive.Spinning around and such.What a moron.It's seriously getting to the point where I might just say heck with it and drive the 1 1/2 to 2 hours north to do all my fishing on the smaller,less popular lakes.Like I said,it would sure do me good to see these idiots caught and punished.Either by authorities or by fisherman,if that's what it takes.Later.

[cwmn]

It's a moron chip thing. The only thing you can do is get a good description, and license number if possible, and call a cop or a county sheriff.
I have the same problem with jet skiers in the summer, I am sure it's probably the same people.

[doubleUcubed]

I'm a pretty low keyed guy too, but a week ago Sunday I couldn't take the two sleds running the 1/4 mile drag between my house and all the others to the west of me. After I got them to stop by flashing my headlights at them I proceeded to tell them "that on behalf of all the other fishermen out here and myself, what the #$%*@& !!!!! are you thinking and doing"? I kinda went on a little more than that! Needless to say the "kids" and they were just kids, shut em down, loaded em up and left the lake!! Ah, I felt good and so did the other guy's that thanked me for speaking our minds!!

[say_der]

The people who buzz ice shacks in the winter are probably the same jerks who fly by on jet skis and water skis in the summer. My buddy, who's actions and attitudes usually border on the criminally insane almost snagged a water skier last summer with a Bass-oreno. You should have seen the look on the skiers face as that 6" turd shaped chunk of wood with 3 treble hooks flew a few feet from his head. He wiped out and we had a good laugh. They also started skiing on the other side of the lake where no one was fishing.

[Guest]

Yesterday on Forest Lake was no different. These jackasses had the entire lake to goof off on, and they chose to skirt our tip-ups. Three- and four-wheelers were the same. Being from KS originally and having moved here just three years ago(mostly for the fishing), I have yet to experience this so-called "minnesota nice". It's enough to make me sick. What a disrespectful and discourteous bunch of NiceGuys. From this point on, I would not recommend driving your toys near the black 2000 F-150. You will have bottles, snowballs, etc. thrown at your head. Out.

[Guest]

All you dudes are 100% right and it looks like I'm not the only one who attracts these idiots.It does me good to hear some solutions to the problem and results.What I meant when I said I would understand if a kid ran over a tip-up or came too close was a real "little" kid.Teenagers are the main source of these problems.Any adult doing it would have to be a complete moron.Again,the lake is open to anybody but it boggles my mind to no end why they choose to screw with people like us.I guess it has to be dealt with in a case by case manner.Later.

[OLY]

I had a kid buzzing by my portable all night on a lake near annandale, and he ran over my brand new polar therm tip up. The **** thing is bright orange and was only about ten yards from my shack. I watched him go to the access and started to load up the sled, so I went and had some words with his old man and the guy told me to f*ck myself when I asked him for twenty bucks to replace my tipup. I could not belive it some people are just plain worthless, and then they have to go and have kids!!

[Guest]

I was out on Saturday and had the great pleasure of the guy next to me with his son and son's friend. . .shooting off bottle rockets. That gets annoying after awhile.

[hunt4food]

I feel your pain!! I too ave experienced all of this at one time or another. I have only one "got even" story to tell. A few years ago, a friend from work was fishing a Musky lake in Wisconsin with a buddy of his. They were constantly being harassed that morning by a teenager on a jet-ski. The jet-ski was actually running top speed between their boat and the shore whick was about 100 yards or so. Needless to say their tempers finally took over. The buddy timed the cast of his large Suick wooden topwater bait just right!! The bait hit this kid so hard it actually broke his femur!! Obviously chages were filed against the fisherman and a court appearance was necessary. When the judge heard the case, he threw it out and told the kid that if he could be reached with a fishing lure from a boater, then he was the one breaking the law by operating his jet-ski too close. Unfortunately the fisherman spent a few bucks on legal representation and therefore it still cost him some $$$. I am not reccommending this sort of action nor do I claim to approve if it, but let it be known....every man has a boiling point!!! If you are riding your snowmobile, ATV or any other motorized vehicle on a lake, you are enjoying your sport. Please respect others enjoying their sport as well.

[huskminn]

You know what, folks? There are simply too many people in this place.

Really makes me want to speed up my 5 year plan to get the heck out of this place and go somewhere a lot less crowded.

[Borch]

It's not the machines but rather the fools who rife them. I rember a few years back one of my wife's coworkers told her he was getting a new speed boat. He then went on to say he couldn't wait to buzz some fishermen and piss them off. She then told me about this jerk. I had her tell him that he probably would get to drive very long if this was his attitude about how to use it. Also that I carry my cell phone with me and would take less than 1 minutes to have his liscense number called in with a full description of the driver.

He responded with a "uhmmph.....ummmm... well... I was just kidding"

Like I mentioned in an earlier post. I've lost several tip ups in the past couple of years. Most at night. I know they can't see them then. But I have them very close to my fishhouse which is totally lit up. Still they have to buzz me.

On a positive note it hasn't been as bad this year. Not many sleds on the lakes I fish. No snow for them to get there unless they trailer the sleds to the lake or live right on it.

[Guest]

Heres a good one for you... a few years ago me and a friend had our house set up 50 yards off of a point. some jackass kept buzzing back and forth between the point and our house. he was on his 3rd or 4th pass and we were ready to go out and ask himm what the hell he was doing when right in front of our window he hit a rock at about 40 mph. he flew off and the sled kept going. dont remember if we caught any fish that day but we got a good laugh

[Guest]

A number of years back i was ice fishing on the Mississippi,for northerns.My buddies and were standing around when we noticed a ultra light airplane. It circled and commenced to make a landing.Upon landing he promply ran over one of our parties tip ups. Needless to say he gave the pilot a ear full. The guy was flying down the river from the cities selling the plane as a kit. He would see a group of fisherman then land and give the details about the plane.He did,nt stick around very long by our group. gunny

[Guest]

You all have had similar stories,be it on ice or open water.I'll tell you the only way to get this dump under control is to do something about it.Whether that's a matter of calling authorities on the cell phone or banding together with fellow fisherman on the lake who have had just about enough.We can do it over time,incident by incident.I'll stand by anyone who wants to take a stand on any lake,any day!Thanks for all the responses.Nice to vent,isn't it?

[SportFishin']

Here is little tidbit we were informed of the "LAW" on Sat. nite while moving our Ice Shacks by the Hennipen Co. Sheriff Dept. We had moved one shack over to point across the bay in the dark and on the way back we were clocked doing 33mph. Well just happens to be "Any vehicle may only travel at 30mph at night 40mph during the Daylight hours on the lake & when within 150ft of an Ice Shelter or Persons on the Lake the Speed limit is 15mph no matter what time of the day it is." So these people are breaking the law & if you can call & give the numbers to local authorities. They told us they will make contact with these people and warn them that they were reported.

Good luck out there & Stay away from the crowds that's where the fish & peace has been.

SportFishin'

[Guest]

What??? They're only going to "warn" them? A warning isn't going to stop these "A-holes".
Maybe they should start sending these people tickets with stiff fines and a day in traffic court, ie: speeding, reckless driving, endangerment, etc. (At least it's better than us fishermen killing them and stuffing their carcasses down an ice-hole!)((Probably kill the fish though!!)) LOL

[Guest]

That speed limit info is a good tidbit of information I didn't know.I'll get numbers and descriptions in the future.If that doesn't work then it's plan "B",as described in the previous post.Good Luck Fishing!!!

[Guest]

i heard a similar story about a friend of a friend who had been out on the ice and a snowmobiler ran one of his tip ups over. This guy flipped out and threatened to kick his one-just-like-silly-me or be paid for his destroyed tip up. The raging sled head paid up.

[TNT4ME]

Alright already enough is enough.Hope you all got in a big enough vent. I ride atv's year round and also fish year round, been there and experienced all of that, but fighting back the wrong way only hurts the sportsman. Trying to talk to the morons peacefully is one way, calling law enforcement is another way, but throwing snowballs and bottles at their heads like mwchiefs wants to do is only lowering yourself to their level or lower. Most of you if not all are better than that,. Like some of you have said now and then you even get a good laugh in when they crash.As far as hunt4foods buddies friend, I'll bet he didn't have big enough balls to tell the judge he put on the biggest lure he had with the intent of trying to hit the rider, if he had I'm sure the judges decision would have been different. I'll agree it is more than annoying and shouldn't have to be tolerated but fighting back the wrong way isn't the answer. Bite your tongue and take a chill pill.

[Guest]

Yeah, nothing like standing by idly while these idiots wreck your day, especially when you've spent a lot of time and money to travel a good distance to enjoy your time on a lake. As far as taking a chill pill goes, no thanks. The people partaking in these juvenile activities are not only teenagers, but grown adults who know better. If we don't take a stand against their childish behaviour, they'll never stop.

[Rick]

I'll say it just like my dad told me:
Two wrongs never make a "RIGHT".

So, please, do it right. Doing things when you're out fishing that can potentially harm someone is not right.

Take the high road, and be a true sportsman.