In this 2.5-minute YouTube video, the host of “Outside With Tom” is shore fishing for carp with two other anglers. It’s a nice, quiet Iowa day in early May.
As you’ll see below, two walleye fishermen in a boat are trolling along the same shoreline, but instead of swinging wide to avoid the set lines from Tom’s group, they continue on their trolling path, which eventually causes a mess.
The two walleye anglers are using four planer boards, two on each side of the boat, which pull their lines and lures far to the side of the boat. This makes it easier for them to cover more water with a trolling pass. That said, they fail to realize — or care — that Tom’s group is already set up with lines in the water. You’ll hear Tom say, “See that yellow . . .”, he’s referring to one of the yellow planer boards.
I give Tom a lot of credit for not losing his mind. Sure, he gets angry, but I think it’s safe to say that 90-plus percent of other anglers would have been swearing like a sailor.
The boat anglers offered no apology, no "my bad,” no nothing.
Sadly, you can never assume other anglers understand simple boating rules and common courtesy. Example: One time many years ago in Manitoba, a buddy and I were anchored and fishing for catfish, when two walleye anglers trolled right into the side of our boat. They at least said, “sorry, man.”
Crazy!
