Bass Club Digest

Every fish tale has a beginning and an end. When you think about it, so does every day on the water, and most often, at this start and finish is a boat ramp.

Sure, important sites these boat ramps. But hey, they can be much more than that.

Boat ramps are also center stage for bass anglers. These locales are places where the public can get and up-close and personal look at the critter labeled “bass angler.”

And unfortunately, how we are perceived on this stage/ramp also determines the public’s opinion of bass clubs and those that enjoy them.
Fred Lentz is president of New Jersey’s South Jersey Hawg Hunters (www.geocities.com/sjhhclub). He said there are potential problems at ramps with all the loading, unloading and traffic in general, but it is nothing that cannot be cured.

Lentz said the key is getting the boat in and out of the water as quickly as possible. Don’t do things that slow the process — or more appropriately, ramp access — down.

“For launching, the primary thing to do in order to be a considerate boater is to have your boat prepped for launch before approaching the launch ramp itself,” Lentz told BCD.

“Most larger boat launch facilities have room for this and there's always a place in a parking lot where boaters can pull aside and get everything ready (except for maybe disconnecting the winch strap). If everyone preps their boat before pulling up to the ramp, then there's only the time spent unhooking the winch strap and backing the trailer into the water. (We've all seen inconsiderate boaters who back their boat trailer halfway down a ramp and then start thinking about removing straps, loading things into their boats, etc.)”

Lentz is no stranger to having an inconsiderate person ahead of him at the ramp.

“Every boater has a launch ramp horror story. I can recall one time when I approached the boat ramp at the end of a morning’s fishing at a small pond. I pulled my boat over to the shoreline and went to get my tow vehicle. While I was doing that, another guy pulled up to the launch ramp area, backed his trailer down the ramp (blocking the single lane ramp) and only then began to remove the straps from his small rig.

“He then spent at least another 15 minutes loading all of his fishing tackle, rods, trolling motor, battery, cooler, etc into his boat and then proceeded to install the trolling motor & hook up the battery. I was not in a big hurry that day, so I let it pass.”

In such moments, Lentz pointed that patience is indeed a virtue worthy of much praise and virtue.

One may indeed have to bite his tongue, while he waits, he adds. And remember the delay is most often because of inexperience more than anything else.

“I think the cause of most launch ramp congestion (aside from the volume of boaters launching at certain times) is inexperience. I think they simply do not know they are doing anything wrong and don’t pay enough attention to how other more-experienced boaters do their launching and loading.

“And too, the longest an inexperienced/ignorant boater is going to take to get out of the way is really only going to be a few minutes. A kindly spoken word of advice to the inexperienced boater afterward, may be all it takes to change that person’s behavior in the future. There really isn't any benefit to getting totally irritated and/or telling the inexperienced person off,” he said.

Though club anglers may get a bad rep for hogging ramps, Lentz said for the most part this would be a misconception.

“The most efficient launching and loading you will encounter will be at bass tournaments. I have seen quite a few BFL tournaments where the launching and loading of 150 to 200 boats takes place without a significant incident. Everyone knows where to go and what to do, and they just do it,” he said.

Regardless of how well bass club member can launch and/or load, it is important that members always be aware and set the standard for others.
“Hopefully, non-club members who are at the launch ramp area when clubs launch will see how efficient the process can be and do likewise,” Lentz said.

He also added that based on his 20 years of boating, there really haven’t been that many memorable violations of boat ramp etiquette (relative to his total number of launches).

Still, toeing the line is a good idea for bass club members. Public perception means a lot…and well, doing the right thing helps everybody’s day on the water more enjoyable.

TIPS
With that in mind, here are some added tips from Lentz on boat ramp etiquette.

To improve the launch/load process clubs should consider the locales of their tournaments. What are the ramp facilities like? Does the lake have one ramp that is better suited for multiple launches than others?

“I think the ideal ramp situation is a launch facility with a lot of room for prepping, launching/loading and parking. It’s real nice if the prepping area is an obvious one, where people doing their launch prepping can be passed by others who are already prepped and ready to launch,” Lentz said.

On the other hand, he said the worst situation is a facility with a single-wide ramp and not much room for turning tow vehicles around and backing down the ramp.”
Lentz noted a common (and easily-remedied) problem with pre-dawn launches at wide (multiple-boat) ramps is when anglers leave their vehicle headlights on while backing down the ramp.

“People trying to back down the adjacent ramp will have a very difficult time seeing where they’re backing when they have bright lights shining in their face. So, ideally, people launching at these types of ramps will have their headlights off while on the ramp and there will be overhead lights (street lights) on for improved visibility.”
When loading your boat back on the trailer, the only things the boater should have to do are drive the boat onto the trailer, connect the winch strap and pull away.

“I’ve seen way too many boaters who unload the contents of their boat while it’s either in the water blocking the ramp area or while the boat is still sitting on the trailer in the water before pulling the trailer out,” he said.
Having a launch/load checklist is a good idea.

“You want a reminder of certain things depending upon whether you are launching or loading. This could include: straps off, drain plug in, trolling motor strap off, trolling motor plugged in, key in ignition, main power switch on, livewell drains closed, fuel line & oil reservoir line bulbs pumped up, running lights mounted (if dark out), etc.”
Have one person who volunteers to help with the club members launch and load. This volunteer can make sure everyone is ready to launch before they back down the ramp (and checks their livewells) and help competitors get their boats off the trailer and out of the way quickly. At the end of the tournaments, he can help them quickly get their boats back on the trailer.

Lentz said the club member that volunteers for this assignment in South Jersey Hawg Hunters gets a break on the tournament entry fee.
Clubs shouldn’t hold their weigh-ins a safe distance from the ramp. It decreases traffic and possible problems.
Sure, most bass club members know all about proper boat ramp etiquette. But then, it never hurts to mention a reminder from time to time at a monthly meeting.

“Guys who do things that make launching or loading less convenient for the others will hear about it from them (in a kidding way of course). But really, the worst we’ve ever had is guys having a difficult time driving a boat straight onto a trailer and having to make several attempts before getting the boat straight on their trailer.”

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