Some guys just cant be helped..

Cuba Libre

Cuba Libre

Well-Known Member
[xx(]
While cleaning a bunch of salmon and a respectable halibut at the Port Hardy ramp , my partner and myself were approached by a fishermen from Montana. he was asking for advice on where to go to get a halibut.... he and his wife had not been doing well, in spite of this being his 6th year visiting the area. ( said that he had no trouble loading the coolers in the past)
I recognized his boat from the Quatse campground where we were staying, so I invited him over and offered to help him out.
Later that evening I talked to his wife ( nice lady) and attempted to help him. What a waste of time. He gave me his life history that he worked in marine law enforcement in the DEA. He also told me all about the years he sent fishing out the Columbia River and that he knew all about how to handle a boat.

So OK... show me your charts and I will give you a few places that produce butts on a regular basis. Well-- he didnt need charts he told me.. What?? [:0] So how about your GPS, maybe I can give you some coodinates-- well he didnt even have a GPS. Guess what -- no GPS either! So I asked him where he was fishing in the area for the past 6 years. Well-- the dork didnt have any idea of the local geography. Didnt know the Gordon group or the Deserters. I asked him how he would be able to call for help if he needed it. He told me again how good a sailor he was. and he would not get into trouble.
About that time I said-- Sorry , I cant help you. and left .BTW this guy was no puppy either- he was well into his 60s.


Intruder2-2.jpg


20ft Alumaweld Intruder
 
Kinda blows your mind doesn't it. I wouldn't even consider fishing an area with heavy fog without GPS, Charts, sounder, compass, and VHF radio. Preferably with backup units on board as well.
 
salmon is one thing, but halibut fishing becomes pretty hard without a chart to look at. At least you tried to help him.
 
Kinda like the guy with his young son on a new Campion Explorer who shouted at me out of the fog at Pill Point on Saturday...seems he needed directions back to Alberni. Literally 100' from Pill Point and had no idea where he was or which way land was...$35,000 boat with no GPS and apparently no charts. Hope his wife doesn't find out.
 
The lack of respect people have for the ocean is endless, its scarry and humorous at the same time. Recently had a fellow from washington ask me while launching his verry nice whaler from the port hardy boat ramp " when i leave the ramp and clear the breakwater, do i turn left or right to get to rivers inlet?"!!!!!!!
 
got a chuckle out of this tale. but, as a total novice halibut angler i was left scratching my head. i have heard this 'read your chart' at the local PSA chapter meeting on halibut fishing. i did find the plot pretty thin and the story line impossible to follow.

so, help a guy out here, just what are you experienced halibut fishermen looking for on your charts, flats, dropoffs?? (any chart reading hints are greatly appreciated, i am not looking to invade anyone's secret drop spots)
 
Look for gravelly flats in 150 - 300' depth and then find some sort of structure within eg. humps, holes, rocks... Try on the current lee-side of the structure.
 
Here's another beauty. This has happened to me 3 times and it's almost the same every time.

The fog is thick in Barkley in August, and every once in a while when it cools off the fog starts to break up and you get mornings where it's foggy, and afternoons where it clears and vice versa, just depends on the wind and how warm it gets. Regardless, if you are fishing regularly in August out here in Bamfield it doesn't matter, and radar and GPS are often the only ways you can fish consistently and safely when it's foggy.

So off we head to the Big Bank with our guests early one morning, mid-August at least a week into a foggy spell, but on a clear morning...totally flat, and just looking like it's going to be a beauty day. Half way into our day the fog rolls in and there we are fishing 25 miles offshore in 50ft visibility. No big deal if you have electronics, pretty normal for that place and time.

About 2 hours into the fog, on one of those days where after a slow start, the fishing just turned right on. Bang bang, bang, bang, people are excited and jumping around and wondering how you can do this when you can't even see. After I passed spring #7 off I glance up to the console and see on the radar, a little blip. This blip is small and not going really fast, but I watch it for a while and it's getting closer and closer and I'm not liking it. So I tell the guests and I pull up the gear and I start the main just so I can get out of there fast if this guy that's approaching me can't see me like I can see him. The blip approaches the Grady.

As we are watching off the port side, we start to see the boat. An 18 footer I would guess, an open boat (maybe a Lund) with four big guys in it, and judging by their pasty white faces 3 of them are not too comfortable with the situation that they are in. The skipper pipes up "Hey guys, do you know which way Bamfield is? We can't really tell in this fog, Sure was nice out here when we came out this morning, but now we can't see bugger-all". I look at this guy and see that here is someone who's obviously trying to maintain some dignity with his buddies-making it sound like it was an act of god that got him into this situation, hardly a fault of his own. But inside he surely must have known that up until he found me, he was completely ****ed.

Instantly the questions just start jumping into my mind as I begin to wonder the extent of how badly this guy has just ruined my day. I shut off the main and I put the salmon gear back in thinking to myself hey hoss, how about your decision to run 25 miles offshore with 4 other fat ******s in your 18ft boat because it looked good a couple of hours ago...was that a good idea? Fog in August, it'll never happen out here, just go for it man, you've got a weather window.

How about the radar and GPS that you obviously don't have and are obviously too cheap to buy, how's that decision sitting right about now? I bet if the Harbour Chandler was floating around out here right now you'd be trading your truck and your dog for electronics.

"Anyone else out fishing with you", I say, "called your buddies on the radio". No buddies. They do have a VHF on board though, and thought about calling the coast guard but weren't sure if pan-pan was the coast guard channel or not.

"How about a compass, got one of those"? Nope. Seriously, no compass on the boat. Apart from the one in buddy's pocket that has a mirror on the other side (and they all think it's reading funny anyway so they don't trust it) these guys are completely lost and without anything to tell them where they are, or how to ever get back.

See I wanted to tell them that if they had a compass they could pay attention to the bearing that they came out here on (about 210) and then take 180 degrees off and head back at about 30.
I also wanted to tell them to go **** themselves.
No such valuable navigational information would register though. In that group 3 out of 4 of them were already gone someplace else, and I'm guessing that in their minds it was some place closer to land.

"Where are you guys from" I ask as I'm putting my line in the clip and sending my hootchy down. "Lower mainland" they say, named someplace specific but it's all the same **** to me so I didn't really listen. "Staying in Bamfield", but I didn't want to know where.

"Well guys I can tell you how to get back, but unless you use that compass in your pocket you aren't going to have much luck finding the coast. And even if you do hit the coast, chances are you are not going to know where you are anyways, and getting back to the habour would be unlikely. So why don't you hang out here for a bit and see what the weather does and if the fog lifts make a run for it. Otherwise you can follow me in at the end of the day".

I hated myself for saying this, but it's the law of the sea I thought. Maybe the law of the sea has an exemption clause for stupid ****s that don't know what the hell they are doing, but I didn't know that for sure.

Sounds good, they say. You guys been catching any springs".
"Yup" I say
"What are you using and how deep..."

Seriously.
 
thanks calmsea, that makes much more sense than 'read the chart!'

back in '70 when i started fishing out of depot bay, OR, LORAN costs were beyond reach and a VHF was pushing a grand. so the open boat, 20', had a marine compass, depth sounder and a CB. because fog was always an issue along the OR coast, i had run the bearing to the bell and from there to the horn multiple times. not ever trusting myself, i made labels and pasted them to the dash, out and in.

normally it would take <2 hours to get our 6 fish and we would be running in for breakfast. we had fished N which put us into a bottom structure that was rocky, with no clear depth contour, it wanders. if i had run S, it's a sand bottom that gradually drops and at 60F you are out of site of land. easy to find the horn following the 18F coutour from the S, not so from the N.

so i get a radio call from a friend who had limited and was running in, i spot him just in time for the fog to slam down. so i start trolling S on a compass bearing. we are in oily flat seas so i get about 50' from the horn buoy before i actually see it!

there is a guy in a 12' cartopper running slowly around the buoy in circles, '...hey you know where depot bay is????...' i set up on the compass heading and he droped in behind, rule of the open water, no questions asked as i would hope someone would be as considerate should i have the same issues develop.

with all the electronics i have on the boat today, i am still spooked in the fog primarily because people in fiberglass hulls don't realize how invisable they are to radar. maybe if they did, they would get a radar reflector on their boats. i only hope those folks don't hang out in the shipping lanes too frequently.
 
quote:What an idiot...is it that Trophy from Montana? I saw 2 boats from MT in the marina....
Click to expand...

No Dave-- he and his wife were fishing from a tinny, about 18ft.

BTW- Gerry and I got a awesome whale show in Goletas. A humpback using a 35ft log for a scratching post! And the whale had not read the Fisheries Notice that said he must keep 100 meters away from boats :D

Intruder2-2.jpg


20ft Alumaweld Intruder
 
quote:Originally posted by reelfast

with all the electronics i have on the boat today, i am still spooked in the fog primarily because people in fiberglass hulls don't realize how invisable they are to radar. maybe if they did, they would get a radar reflector on their boats. i only hope those folks don't hang out in the shipping lanes too frequently.
Click to expand...
Boy, how I can relate to that statement!

What amazes me more is that one of those 50' cattle boats out of Ucluelet doesn't hit one of them in the fog? Everytime I see one on radar, it looks like they are cruising about 25/30 knots and they don't ever seem to turn? [?]
 
Here's one I had told to me about 30 years ago.Apoligies to our neighbours down south...well the smart ones any how.We were working in the Kootneays and one of the guys I worked with came in to work one summer morning and said, My buddy was working the border crossing and two guys in a pickup truck pulled up to clear customs,so he looks at the truck its got some camping gear etc.and a couple of ski doos on a trailer.Where you guys going he says? Reply "We're going to Alaska for the weekend"Do you know how far that is? We Should, we own the god damn thing!Right go ahead.Don't know if it was true but we had a good laugh.Dan
 
One of the greatest quotes I know (and I am paraphrasing here as I do not know the auther or the exact quote)

"The sea is a beautiful and seductive mistress and I love her with all my heart, but she is also cruel and vindictive and she does not love me back nor care for me at all"
If anyone knows the author or the exact quote I would love to have that posted:)
 
quote:Originally posted by millsy

Here's another beauty. This has happened to me 3 times and it's almost the same every time.

The fog is thick in Barkley in August, and every once in a while when it cools off the fog starts to break up and you get mornings where it's foggy, and afternoons where it clears and vice versa, just depends on the wind and how warm it gets. Regardless, if you are fishing regularly in August out here in Bamfield it doesn't matter, and radar and GPS are often the only ways you can fish consistently and safely when it's foggy.

So off we head to the Big Bank with our guests early one morning, mid-August at least a week into a foggy spell, but on a clear morning...totally flat, and just looking like it's going to be a beauty day. Half way into our day the fog rolls in and there we are fishing 25 miles offshore in 50ft visibility. No big deal if you have electronics, pretty normal for that place and time.

About 2 hours into the fog, on one of those days where after a slow start, the fishing just turned right on. Bang bang, bang, bang, people are excited and jumping around and wondering how you can do this when you can't even see. After I passed spring #7 off I glance up to the console and see on the radar, a little blip. This blip is small and not going really fast, but I watch it for a while and it's getting closer and closer and I'm not liking it. So I tell the guests and I pull up the gear and I start the main just so I can get out of there fast if this guy that's approaching me can't see me like I can see him. The blip approaches the Grady.

As we are watching off the port side, we start to see the boat. An 18 footer I would guess, an open boat (maybe a Lund) with four big guys in it, and judging by their pasty white faces 3 of them are not too comfortable with the situation that they are in. The skipper pipes up "Hey guys, do you know which way Bamfield is? We can't really tell in this fog, Sure was nice out here when we came out this morning, but now we can't see bugger-all". I look at this guy and see that here is someone who's obviously trying to maintain some dignity with his buddies-making it sound like it was an act of god that got him into this situation, hardly a fault of his own. But inside he surely must have known that up until he found me, he was completely ****ed.

Instantly the questions just start jumping into my mind as I begin to wonder the extent of how badly this guy has just ruined my day. I shut off the main and I put the salmon gear back in thinking to myself hey hoss, how about your decision to run 25 miles offshore with 4 other fat ******s in your 18ft boat because it looked good a couple of hours ago...was that a good idea? Fog in August, it'll never happen out here, just go for it man, you've got a weather window.

How about the radar and GPS that you obviously don't have and are obviously too cheap to buy, how's that decision sitting right about now? I bet if the Harbour Chandler was floating around out here right now you'd be trading your truck and your dog for electronics.

"Anyone else out fishing with you", I say, "called your buddies on the radio". No buddies. They do have a VHF on board though, and thought about calling the coast guard but weren't sure if pan-pan was the coast guard channel or not.

"How about a compass, got one of those"? Nope. Seriously, no compass on the boat. Apart from the one in buddy's pocket that has a mirror on the other side (and they all think it's reading funny anyway so they don't trust it) these guys are completely lost and without anything to tell them where they are, or how to ever get back.

See I wanted to tell them that if they had a compass they could pay attention to the bearing that they came out here on (about 210) and then take 180 degrees off and head back at about 30.
I also wanted to tell them to go **** themselves.
No such valuable navigational information would register though. In that group 3 out of 4 of them were already gone someplace else, and I'm guessing that in their minds it was some place closer to land.

"Where are you guys from" I ask as I'm putting my line in the clip and sending my hootchy down. "Lower mainland" they say, named someplace specific but it's all the same **** to me so I didn't really listen. "Staying in Bamfield", but I didn't want to know where.

"Well guys I can tell you how to get back, but unless you use that compass in your pocket you aren't going to have much luck finding the coast. And even if you do hit the coast, chances are you are not going to know where you are anyways, and getting back to the habour would be unlikely. So why don't you hang out here for a bit and see what the weather does and if the fog lifts make a run for it. Otherwise you can follow me in at the end of the day".

I hated myself for saying this, but it's the law of the sea I thought. Maybe the law of the sea has an exemption clause for stupid ****s that don't know what the hell they are doing, but I didn't know that for sure.

Sounds good, they say. You guys been catching any springs".
"Yup" I say
"What are you using and how deep..."

Seriously.
Click to expand...
 
quote:Originally posted by phnapa

quote:Originally posted by millsy

Here's another beauty. This has happened to me 3 times and it's almost the same every time.

The fog is thick in Barkley in August, and every once in a while when it cools off the fog starts to break up and you get mornings where it's foggy, and afternoons where it clears and vice versa, just depends on the wind and how warm it gets. Regardless, if you are fishing regularly in August out here in Bamfield it doesn't matter, and radar and GPS are often the only ways you can fish consistently and safely when it's foggy.

So off we head to the Big Bank with our guests early one morning, mid-August at least a week into a foggy spell, but on a clear morning...totally flat, and just looking like it's going to be a beauty day. Half way into our day the fog rolls in and there we are fishing 25 miles offshore in 50ft visibility. No big deal if you have electronics, pretty normal for that place and time.

About 2 hours into the fog, on one of those days where after a slow start, the fishing just turned right on. Bang bang, bang, bang, people are excited and jumping around and wondering how you can do this when you can't even see. After I passed spring #7 off I glance up to the console and see on the radar, a little blip. This blip is small and not going really fast, but I watch it for a while and it's getting closer and closer and I'm not liking it. So I tell the guests and I pull up the gear and I start the main just so I can get out of there fast if this guy that's approaching me can't see me like I can see him. The blip approaches the Grady.

As we are watching off the port side, we start to see the boat. An 18 footer I would guess, an open boat (maybe a Lund) with four big guys in it, and judging by their pasty white faces 3 of them are not too comfortable with the situation that they are in. The skipper pipes up "Hey guys, do you know which way Bamfield is? We can't really tell in this fog, Sure was nice out here when we came out this morning, but now we can't see bugger-all". I look at this guy and see that here is someone who's obviously trying to maintain some dignity with his buddies-making it sound like it was an act of god that got him into this situation, hardly a fault of his own. But inside he surely must have known that up until he found me, he was completely ****ed.

Instantly the questions just start jumping into my mind as I begin to wonder the extent of how badly this guy has just ruined my day. I shut off the main and I put the salmon gear back in thinking to myself hey hoss, how about your decision to run 25 miles offshore with 4 other fat ******s in your 18ft boat because it looked good a couple of hours ago...was that a good idea? Fog in August, it'll never happen out here, just go for it man, you've got a weather window.

How about the radar and GPS that you obviously don't have and are obviously too cheap to buy, how's that decision sitting right about now? I bet if the Harbour Chandler was floating around out here right now you'd be trading your truck and your dog for electronics.

"Anyone else out fishing with you", I say, "called your buddies on the radio". No buddies. They do have a VHF on board though, and thought about calling the coast guard but weren't sure if pan-pan was the coast guard channel or not.

"How about a compass, got one of those"? Nope. Seriously, no compass on the boat. Apart from the one in buddy's pocket that has a mirror on the other side (and they all think it's reading funny anyway so they don't trust it) these guys are completely lost and without anything to tell them where they are, or how to ever get back.

See I wanted to tell them that if they had a compass they could pay attention to the bearing that they came out here on (about 210) and then take 180 degrees off and head back at about 30.
I also wanted to tell them to go **** themselves.
No such valuable navigational information would register though. In that group 3 out of 4 of them were already gone someplace else, and I'm guessing that in their minds it was some place closer to land.

"Where are you guys from" I ask as I'm putting my line in the clip and sending my hootchy down. "Lower mainland" they say, named someplace specific but it's all the same **** to me so I didn't really listen. "Staying in Bamfield", but I didn't want to know where.

"Well guys I can tell you how to get back, but unless you use that compass in your pocket you aren't going to have much luck finding the coast. And even if you do hit the coast, chances are you are not going to know where you are anyways, and getting back to the habour would be unlikely. So why don't you hang out here for a bit and see what the weather does and if the fog lifts make a run for it. Otherwise you can follow me in at the end of the day".

I hated myself for saying this, but it's the law of the sea I thought. Maybe the law of the sea has an exemption clause for stupid ****s that don't know what the hell they are doing, but I didn't know that for sure.

Sounds good, they say. You guys been catching any springs".
"Yup" I say
"What are you using and how deep..."

Seriously.
great!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
A few years ago we had some fun at the expense of a group of americans who had just arrived in Bamfield. Me and a buddy were having a beer over lunch at the Bamfield Inn. These 4 guys sat down at the table next to us and looked a little haggered. One guy says to the rest, I can't believe they never mentioned all the gravel road to into get here. I never would have brought my new caddy up here had I known. He went on and on about his paint, the dust, the potholes and washboard, the big logging trucks etc etc....my buddy leans over and says I couldn't help but hear your conversation...why didn't you come in on the highway? The guys face drops and says; WHAT HIGHWAY? lol
 
A friend of mine worked at Cluestsie Haven Marina Port Alberni for several years..I don't know How many boats He saw that launched and headed UP THE RIVER looking for the saltwater!
They ran aground and the spend $$$ in Port fixing the boat!

 
A few years back was coming back from fishing otter and this guy waves me down from the sooke bluffs wondering if I could tow him in, I said yes sure just but didnt have time as I had guests on the boat which was making me mad but what do you do you have to help I asked him what the problem was

"welll ummmmmmm do you have and spare gas???"

Im thinking where did you come from ???

he figured he had "enough" for the day he came from sooke marina when they had a launch there!!!

just then the coastguard came around the corner as this clown had put out a mayday.

So they said they would tow them in THANK GOD im thinking to myself.
Wait it gets better!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well about 2 weeks after this incident same thing coming back from otter again look over a guy is waving like crazy this time hes around the trailer park area so I go over ITS THE SAME GUY in his 15 ft yellow boat this time I do not have any spare time as I got to get these people in but said ill call you coastguard and they can tow you in he starts freaking out NO NO NO dont do that they fined me $$$$$$ last time and I havent paid it yet!!!!

So now I have to ask whats the problem this time ummmmmm I ran out of gas!!!!!!!!!!he replied.

I still dont know what happened to the guy as I did see him getting towed once again when I came back out.never saw that boat out after that...

But one would think you might learn a lesson the first time????

Like the title says

Some guys just cant be helped!!!!!

I have a ton of stories about people I have seen, same as profisher as we have seen it all out there and the crazy things they have done if you want some great entertainment go set up a lawn chair with a cooler full of beer of course any weekend and watch people lauch a boat you will **** yourself laughing from the things people do.

Good luck wolf

Blue Wolf Charters
www.bluewolfcharters.com
 
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