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Random Quote: It was nice to meet your wife...by the way you are out of peanut butter.
Sunday me and my wife were 2 1/2 miles off Wiggins Pass drift fishing. Four lines out off the starboard, one out long on 30# power pro heavy spinning setup. Pulled the deck brush out to get the scum line from the river off the sides. Just got done when we noticed a boat headed right for us, 500 yards away. What is this idiot doing? 300 yards...no change in course. Bearing straight down for us at 30 knts or so...directly for the starboard side. I started waving the deck brush in the air trying to motion them off to my bow and port side. Still no change in course. 50 minus yards I was screaming and waving the brush like a madman. Boat was headed dead center of my starboard. 20 Yards to go...about two seconds from jumping overboard the big Mako cut to his port and ran across all my lines. One of his motors caught the 30# power pro and began pulling line off like mad. Got the reel out of the holder and held on as this AZZ HOLE still kept going...pulled all 600 yards off then the line broke with about 10 yards left on the spool. Mako was about 600 yards away and finally came off plane to an idle. (Hopefully with lots of line wrapped in his lower unit. ) Got all my lines in finally....Mako was still dead in the water 600 yards away. Started up the motor and went to greet Captain AZZ HOLE. No remorse...we were changing drivers was his excuse. Report me if you don't like it. (my Florida CCP license was about to be in jeopardy and the Glock 36 a few rounds lighter) I could not belive this guys attitude. He almost killed me and my wife. No remorse, no sorry. He had four old timers in the back on the transom seat...they were quite. Driver was some scumbag, grease stains all over his t-shirt, smoking a cig. Said to me...why don't you pull up and we can talk about it. (meaning do you want to fight) My head was gonna explode...I'm 6'2" and 240 pounds...this guy was maybe 5-7 and 180. I would break him down like a two piece shotgun. The story ends with me not going to jail, four ederly witnesses not being involved in what could have been an ugly situation, my temper still seething and a broken Penn 750SS reel that is smoked. And I know where this boat sits on a lift.
Yep, lowlife scumbag. Ludicrous - congrats on keeping your emotions and actions in check. That must have been tough. The guy was 100% wrong and should have fessed up, apologized and offered to reimburse you.
I certainly does not sound like the man was rational and he could have easily avoidedthe incident with a small course change - at no inconvenience to him.
However, if he was approaching your starboard side, you had the duty to give way.
Actually, it doesn't sound like he was approaching the starboard side, as much as coming head on, and passing to starboard. In a head on situation, both boats should alter course to pass port to port.
glad you avoided the accident.. and are okay...too darn close for comfort.... screw the fishing gear... more importantly that was life threatening...definitely without a doubt shoulda called the Coast Guard and/or 9-1-1.. at least you had the chance of reporting him and maybe having him DWI tested and checked out ..let them give him an attitude adjustment... maybe if he would have had that same attitude with the gendarmes.. they might have hooked him up... you did good by NOT crushing him... then you would have been the 'bad guy'... I believe if it was me I'd still make a complaint on this guy...especially if you know his or his boat's whereabouts.....he might have other of the same type of incidents pending against him... just my thoughts having been in law enforcement and now retired after 20 years
makosteve.. Ludicrous was drift fishing.. not under power.. how can he have the duty to give way..
Mako steve and captain superfly. READ the post. He was DRIFT FISHING NOT under power. The boat under power was required to avoid him. It has nothing to do with passing side to side or approaching your starboard bow. The guy was DRIFTING not under power. The boat under power is reqquired to pass him at a safe distance. Sounds like the guy in the Mako is a reckless total jerk.
Famous sppeedboat builder Don Aronow loved to buzz boats in South Florida at high speed with narrow misses. I read an article about him doing it to sail boats.
Given that you know where the offending boat is kept it should be fun watching him pull it to repair the lower unit. That PP and those seals are not compatible.
I never knew it to so long to change out operators. Glad no one was hurt.
__________________ 2003 Boston Whaler 255 Conquest w/ twin 200 HPDI's
I've never been a racist. I don't like the white half either.
I'm glad you posted this story on 2 accounts. First, it seems like there are more dumbA...'s out just lately, and my own fuse keeps getting shorter and shorter. So thanks for setting a good example I'll try and follow suit. Second comment, however, is I'm gonna make sure that Air-in-A -Can is real close at hand. Four short blasts might have gotten his attention, although I doubt he would have been able to avoid your lines.
makosteve.. Ludicrous was drift fishing.. not under power.. how can he have the duty to give way..
Absolutely! How do you avoid some azzhole while you're drift fishing with no power and lines in the water. My 12yr old daughter fishes with me 75% of the time. If she was with me and that happened to me, I don't think I would have been so nice.
Ludicrous, I'm with you at 6'3" and 245, why is it always the little guys with an attitude.
Yes, you should retrieve your Power Pro from his lower unit. You certainly don't want it to damage his prop shaft seals and it is your line therefore your responsibility. Also while you are there you should drain his lower unit oil to check for water just in case your line did damage his seals.
You wouldn't forget to bring fresh oil along would you? Darn, how could you forget!
Paxfish, I think he was considering shooting someone that came very close to doing him serious bodily harm and then expressed no apology nor any regret just belligerence.
He didn't shoot him did he! I would only consder it a natural emotion to be very angry. Sometimes I think all the a**holes out there are only kept under control by the guys that do shoot a few of them on occasion.
I belive its making way-not underway but who cares? Hes lucky he wasnt killed. This area is dangerous in a boat or car between Feb and June. Thank goodness it wasnt a whole long line of 40' cruising boats all following the leader back from lunch in Marco, those guys will run right over you. Work on Saturday and fish on Wed until summer comes and all the part timers go back north and bother somebody else for 4 months... Glad your safe. How was the fishing? Live bait or cut? Getting some spanish macks or lucking for beach snook? Gotta know cause thats what I do and catching has been slow.
__________________ Baitkiller= Accredited Marine Surveyor
Bait fear me, fish just laugh.....
The little Dutch boy was just buying time...
The most important thing is that you lived another day to tell that story.......
That Jerk probaly wont have the same luck , if he doesnt change his attitude......
I had a similar problem 3or 4 years ago, whgen some guy was flying by me , gave me the finger and yelled a bunch of crap at me for being in HIS way. I knew where he docked, so I walked over to chat with him about it at the end of the day , when he saw me approach ,he told me to get the Fck away from his slip , or he was going to have to get out of his boat onto the dock and make me. I saved him the trouble , hopped in his boat , and politely to his face, asked him to be a more considerate boater, or he was going to be cleaning more than fish from his deck......Its amazing what a nice polite, friendly conversation FACE TO FACE can do.....Problem solved.
I think if you know where he stores his boat you should take a walk over there one day soon when he is there and talk to him about it . Im sure you will find a way to have him see it your way , when its one on one, when his buds arent there and theres no water separating the two of you. Its funny how people trash talk with friends around and they know you cant easily just get into it given the circumstances. I would bet a Captains Wheel, A nice private chat will yield far different results
Almost lost the boat 
Hes lucky he wasnt killed. This area is dangerous in a boat or car between Feb and June. Thank goodness it wasnt a whole long line of 40' cruising boats all following the leader back from lunch in Marco, those guys will run right over you. Work on Saturday and fish on Wed until summer comes and all the part timers go back north and bother somebody else for 4 months... Glad your safe. How was the fishing? Live bait or cut? Getting some spanish macks or lucking for beach snook? Gotta know cause thats what I do and catching has been slow. 
