Every angler is thrilled that daylight savings time has finally arrived and we have an extra hour to fish every day. But with improving weather and extended opportunity come the crowds.
Everyone seems to want to go fishing just when you do. And so comes the chaos at the boat ramp. We are certainly blessed with great access with many parks and public boat ramps, but those are largely unsupervised leaving us all at the mercy at the folks in front of you on any given day.
So let’s all agree to be thoughtful and considerate of the boaters behind us and adopt a few ground rules that every civilized boater should observe.
- Most ramps have staging areas… a place to park and unload all the gear from your vehicle and transfer it to your vessel. Tie the ropes to the cleats, if you are going to use them to launch your vessel. All of this should be done before you get in line to launch!
- If you are next in line, make sure everyone has all their belongings together that they intend to take for the day and get out of the vehicle, and use the restroom if needed, so only those involved with actually launching the vessel are on the boat ramp.
- Pull up and back down onto the ramp, as close as possible to the side of the ramp, allowing ample space for others to utilize the ramp. I’ve even pulled in the middle of two boats launching on either side of me when there is room. Launch your vessel and pull completely away from the boat ramp area. Move quickly to the appropriate parking area and secure your vehicle.
- If you are lucky enough to have someone drive the vessel off of the trailer, take it to a vacant dock staging area, and away from the boat ramp, to wait for the additional members of your party. If you have to walk the vessel back with ropes, move it far enough back to allow others to use the boat ramp.
- The reverse is true when you are returning. Use the dock staging areas to unload passengers. Do not pull up to the boat ramp and block the area until your trailer arrives. If you have to get the trailer, secure the vessel in the staging area with a member of your party and fetch the trailer. Once in place you can quickly get the vessel to the trailer.
If all of us make an effort to be considerate of those behind us, we will all be smiling all the way to our favorite fishing grounds!