JET SLED OPINIONS

[SLEDDER]

What is everybodys opinion on sleds and the people who own them?? I own one and I am wondering if fellow fisherpersons feel as though they are tools for inconsiderate fishing techniques, or are they harmful to the environment and fish spawning grounds. I always put myself in the bank fishermans shoes when I approach his water. I have a feeling that this is a rare thing among sledders, am I right, or wrong?? I still fish from the bank more than the sled, so I know how the bankie feels. What have been your experiences??

[Jeffhead]

I've had a sled for 2 1/2 years and wouldn't think about not owning one. I had a glass prop boat before and was limited to where I could go. Sled's get ya to a lot more fishable water than being stuck to the bank and allows ya to boondog, which to me is THE way to fish for steelhead and silvers. I always try to be considerate of other fisherman whether it is a banker, drift boater or fellow sledhead.
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff

[QwikSticks]

I own a driftboat, The only problem i ever have with them is when I am plugging a slot and they are boon dogging. Just about every time they will toss their bait 5 - 10 feet in front if not right on top of my plugs. Its nots just sledders but its also guys in other driftboats floating by. I havent had any hook a fish in front of me but I know its bound to happen sooner or later. If they would wait till they were 100ft past my boat which is 50ft past my plugs they would not disturb the fish I am pushing. Does this bother the rest of you like it does me?

As far as when I bank it I occasionally pray that a jed sled will come ripping up a hole i am fishing to stir things up. When their is heavy sled traffic on the river then i am praying they all sink because I am sure those fish have to be freaked out by constantly have motors zipping by them.

[SLEDDER]

Phish_on- I would be miffed myself if some pumpkin headed SOB purposedly hit me with the wake. Surprised you're attitude isn't real sour towards sleds. I would have been waiting for them to come back down, with a bucket of descent sized rocks. Thanks for your input!!!

[This message has been edited by SLEDDER (edited 09-07-2000).]

[THE REEL HEY_YALL]

MORE LIKE DECENT-SIZED GRENADES....lol lol lol

[Doubletake]

Sledder, nice to talk to ya. I do own a sled and it seems like there has been a major run on sleds driven by idiots talked about on the BB's lately. Please remember we don't all run our boats that way.

I agree that they can be damaging in too shallow of water and have heard many stories of inconsiderate fishing techniques because they have a sled.

I figure what ever info.( boat number, description, lic. number, etc.) I can get on the boats I see doing things against the law or against the etiquette I read about on these BB's, I will turn in to enforcement and/or an attempt to explain to those boaters what they are doing wrong. They might try to give me a black eye or they might listen. Hopefully it will make a difference, we can only try.

Take care, good fishing

Doubletake

[Ed]

What is boon-dogging? Thanks

[Jeffhead]

Boondoggin' is free (side) driftin' your bait of choice (eggs, shrimp,etc.) down the river with your sled, keepin' the sled and the bait movin' down the river at the same pace as the river to give as natural a presentation of the bait as you can. A highly effective way to fish!!!
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff

[Fish4Fun]

SLEDDER, we have had a jet boat in the family for almost 30 years. Over time I have noticed that the guy's who are now running sleds are a lot less curtious than when we started. Used to be the guy's that ran sleds were the more serious fisherman but as they got bigger and nicer the fad of having one really picked up. Now they have turned into family boats and the folks running them are not as knowledgable about being on the rivers. I think this is where the running over lines and frustration comes into play. I too, wouldn't run anything but a sled. It took a long time,but I finally worked my way up from an 18' Duckworth outbaord to a 20' Weldcraft inboard, I feel with this boat I can go every place the props can go but they can't go every place the jets can go. But, I am aware of what this thing is able to do. It really is up to the guy's who are running the 300+ horse boats to show the bankies and other sledders that we do have some common sense running the rivers. My Weldcraft is a big jump from the 14 foot outboard jet that we started with back in the 60's.


Jim Fish4Fun

[Phish_on]

1) Sleds are fun, I love to ride in them.
2) It seems like a lot of guys who run sleds are "What George W. Bush called that reporter when he didn't know the microphone was on", but once again, those are just the ones that get noticed, I know most of you are good boaters. I've been known to wonder aloud: "Do you have to be an @$$#*!% to buy a jet boat, or does having a jet boat make you into an @$$#*!% ?" I suspect that if you ARE an @$$#*!%, the jet power just magnifies that somehow.
3) Anywhere you are sucking up gravel you might be sucking up fish eggs, please don't! I think it is fair to ban jets above a certain point in a river.
4) My whole opinion is still skewed by some jerk on the Clackamas who quite on purpose threw his wake over the rock I was fishing from, soaking me and washing my bait and gear into the river. By the time I could even flip him off they were laughing their way up the river ...

That's my $.02 since you asked

[SLEDDER]

There is a female guide that runs the Clack, Willamette and possibly other rivers. She runs a Green Northriver Ranger, There has been many complaints regarding her river driving manners. Cutting people off while in a whitewater condition, zipping between two boats with barely enough room between them, flipping people off for getting in her way on accident ect.ect.. Has anybody met up with this person of ill repute? I personally have no qualms with a female guide, pilot astronaut, or bouncer. It is not the sex of the person it is the actions.

[This message has been edited by SLEDDER (edited 09-08-2000).]

[MPT]

Hey Sledder, I think I know who you are talking about. If I'm correct than it's probably the same baseball cap wearing gal I saw running her guide model sled out of the mouth of the Wind last spring for the Chinook run. She didn't seem to acknowledge the fact that there were some smaller boats out there and she would just zip out there from the train trestle to the trolling area as fast as she could go causing alot of big wakes for us car-topper boaters. I wasn't sure if her actions were due to the fact that she was in a hurry or wanted attention(she did look attractive)or she was just blatantly inconsiderate!

[Pilar]

Good idea about getting the numbers. But, I think you'd do better posting them here than calling the man.

Unless you actually get the offender to perform in person, the authorities will not do a thing. They have to actually witness the violation. Yeah they'll probably listen politely but that's it.

Get the numbers and tell the rest of us, I got a fish whacker... what about you?

A friend of mine always says that any inexperienced numbskull with $30K can buy a sled and be King of the Bay. There is no clear connection between $$ and common sense.

The bend is your friend!

One thing I've learned over time is that @$$holes know no financial, gender, ethnic, religious, geographic, or age boundaries. It would make all of our lives much easier if they were simply born with their sphincter square in the center of their forehead, so that we can get them help from an early age and hopefully get them to a point where they can EARN (and I'm not talking money here) the right to have it cosmetically removed.

Of course now that I think about it if their sphincter is on their forehead then it would make much more sense as to why those types generally have ***** for brains.

[SLEDDER]

Fobbman; I about fell out of my chair here at work while I was reading your post!! Nice sense of humor!!

[TheRogue]

Seems to me there's a country-hick comedian who has a routine built around "Here's your sign" Wouldn't that be nice??

T.R.

[Doubletake]

Pilar,

You are right about them not doing anything unless they witness it, have had personal experience with that. I forgot how hard it is to try and get anything done unless the "man" witnesses the violations in person. Hopefully what comes around goes around, though I may be getting a bigger fish thumper soon (LOL). Take care.

Doubletake

One word: camcorders!

So, take your movie pics of intolerable behavior by any user group to "the man" and he will then see it! - Some other comments: As for negative affects on spawning gravel, all user groups impact redds. Jetsleds usually go so fast over shallow areas that impact is minimal. They have more impact when sucking gravel hovering in shallow water playing fish. Most have learned not to do that after having to re-sharpen their impellers a few times. Also, many driftboaters scrape their oartips right thru spawning gravel a lot. Bankies that wade also damage spawning gravel. All of their impacts on redds combined don't have the negative impact of timber cutting contributing to silting river gravel. Or mother nature's heavy floods. Fishing will always have negative impacts; they just need to be minimized and put into proper perspective. - I do think sled use should be curtailed in the upper areas of smaller rivers, such as the 'Nooch or Molalla. - Good take on the many new and uninformed sledders Outlaw. Same holds true for all user groups. Communicate with them. Don't throw rocks or whakers at them (Sledder & Pilar). I hope you were kidding because you guys know better than that. The idiots out there need repeated polite communication of proper etiquette. (If they still don't get it .... then we can just kill them. - jk). But we can all just start to fish over their lines I guess. We are all going to have to deal with a significant percent of @$$holes in all endeavors in life. Loved your take on that Fobbman! LOL. Better communication and education is still the best answer. - RT