# Idiots and Boat Ramps



## FISHNNUTT (Oct 27, 2007)

I know this is a well discussed subject but its been awhile since I
tried to fish Conroe on a sat. IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!!
Launched at the public ramp on Fm 830 around 7pm came in about 1000 because of the wind. To make a short story if this was the only place 
to launch on Conroe I'd sell my boat and quit fishing..
There I feel better


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

Sometimes we just need to vent, and that is okay. Supposedly it is much healthier to get it out than to hold it in.


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## 9121SS (Jun 28, 2009)

LOL! That's about the worst place to launch on Conroe. Next time try Stow-a-Way on the weekends.


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## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

Conroe can be the "three ring circus" of boat launches. It's your fair weather boaters, with 7 kids, 3 tubes, 2 families, and one dude that can't back a trailer.


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## nikki (Apr 14, 2011)

*conroe ain't the only one*

First several years we had to launch out of road ditches by jack knife ing but I haven't been back in 20 years. But even at Somerville you have those that block the ramp while unloading the vehicle, leaving head lights on at early morn, getting bait off ramp but that's life. Grit your teeth and live on.:hairout:


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## Lonestar Proud (Oct 26, 2010)

I feel your pain FN! 
Unloading the vehicle and getting the boat ready on a busy ramp is unacceptable in my books, if the ramp is busy there should have been plenty of time to do that stuff while they were in the waiting line. What really pizzes me off is people leaving their headlights on while on the ramp in the pre-dawn, I can't see chit trying to back down into shining headlights! It also irks my butt when people are swimming on the ramp, and don't have sense enough to move their dumb azzes when you're trying to load or unload. 

I feel better now too..........

-LP


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## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

Lonestar Proud said:


> I feel your pain FN!
> Unloading the vehicle and getting the boat ready on a busy ramp is unacceptable in my books, if the ramp is busy there should have been plenty of time to do that stuff while they were in the waiting line. What really pizzes me off is people leaving their headlights on whole on the ramp in the pre-dawn, I can't see chit trying to back down into shining headlights! It also irks my butt when people are swimming on the ramp, and don't have sense enough to move their dumb azzes when you're trying to load or unload.
> 
> I feel better now too..........
> ...


 Wow, Russ, a little built up frustration, LOL. Venting is a great thing... I had forgot about the headlight thing... so true.


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## SetDaHook (Oct 21, 2010)

tbone2374 said:


> Wow, Russ, a little built up frustration, LOL. Venting is a great thing... I had forgot about the headlight thing... so true.


I ticked a guy off on Fayette County Lake early one morning about the headlight thing, but I didn't do it on purpose. My truck has the auto headlight switch and I've never figured out the over ride to turn them off at night. Anyway, by the time he chewed me out and by the time I explained that I didn't know how to turn the *&&%^$ things off, I could have launched the dang boat. It was a bad start to an otherwise good day...


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## Jeff G (May 18, 2010)

I think every lake has it's share of "idiots" at the ramps . I have gotten a little irritated a few times too When I would be trying to launch my jet ski or small boat and some guy using the center of the double boat lane so only he can launch . 

I usually try to help people who appear to be idiots, having problems and slowing things down Because I have had many help me in the past when I didn't know or just was having problems . I think people like this will learn and listen to you better if your helping and showing them then if they are getting screamed at from awfare . Some may appear just to be idiots just because they don't know. 

The 83o ramp can get crazy . To top things off , having alot of people fishing on the launch ramp and having multiple lines out right near where you are trying to maneuver your boat around is hard too . On the otherhand , I'm sure some would say that because we are using a free ramp ... Well we are just getting what we paid for !! Lol 

We gotten where we pretty much go after 9:00 or 10:00 a clock with the jug boat and fish throughout the night to help to avoid ramp and things that cause drama .


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Rod Sterling should have done a "Twilight Zone" show at a free launch ramp.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

SetDaHook said:


> My truck has the auto headlight switch and I've never figured out the over ride to turn them off at night.


On some trucks, just one click down on the emergency brake does it. It is not enough to actually apply the brakes. What make and model you have? I bet a 2Cooler can tell you how to over ride it.


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## johnmyjohn (Aug 6, 2006)

I have to admit I've been backing boats on the ramps for just a few years and still leave the lights on. Not intentional but just forget. I'm also one of those that goes fishing at the last moment so I go by myself. Once again people have to wait for me to get out the truck and unload the boat and get back in and park. I use paid and public ramps so you can't get away from me. I'm not here to defend lack of common sense but understanding when I was a teenager and trying to get all my duckies in a row the first couple of times. I have a friend that can out fish just about anybody I know fresh or salt and has trailers of all kinds but still can't back a boat decently if his life depended on it. Some people just started , don't know the ropes and just forget like me, never go enough to know boat ramp etiquette and finally just plain ole dumb. The most dangerous person at a ramp is the one who knows what to do and everything just isn't going right for them. A smart comment from someone looking at their watch or a keen eye can lead to an exchange of words or even a bloody situation for both sides. I'm always amazed at the vocal people thinking someone won't swing back. When we leave our driveways we should of been in the water 30 minutes ago, maybe we should leave earlier and miss the show? At 55 I and most people I know regardless of age don't take too well to being yelled at. Even if we're doing something dumb, especially from someone who's never paid any of your bills. Please be patient and smile while you remind me to turn off my lights instead of yelling, I'm sensitive. :biggrin:


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## SetDaHook (Oct 21, 2010)

Whitebassfisher said:


> On some trucks, just one click down on the emergency brake does it. It is not enough to actually apply the brakes. What make and model you have? I bet a 2Cooler can tell you how to over ride it.


It's an '02 GMC Sierra


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

SetDaHook said:


> It's an '02 GMC Sierra


Push dome override button until you hear a "ding" or lights turn off. Repeat until lights come back on. If you don't fix (lights off), your interior lights will not come on either.


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## SetDaHook (Oct 21, 2010)

spurgersalty said:


> Push dome override button until you hear a "ding" or lights turn off. Repeat until lights come back on. If you don't fix (lights off), your interior lights will not come on either.


Thanks. I figured it was something simple, but when you have someone yelling in your face at 6;00 in the morning on the boat ramp, it's hard to concentrate, much less, find the solution!!


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

AlwYs nice to help, but imagine that scenarioo at 4:00am with my benelli in my hand..........short conversation.
Some folks over run their mouth "gauge", most only need a retort from their prey.


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## SetDaHook (Oct 21, 2010)

spurgersalty said:


> AlwYs nice to help, but imagine that scenarioo at 4:00am with my benelli in my hand..........short conversation.
> Some folks over run their mouth "gauge", most only need a retort from their prey.


I know what you mean. The whole time this was happening, I was thinking how different it would be if that guy had done that when I was in my twenties or thirties even....back before I had any sense and had a non-stop bad temper on a hair trigger. Oh well, it turned out fine. Thanks again for the info....


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## Lonestar Proud (Oct 26, 2010)

johnmyjohn said:


> I have to admit I've been backing boats on the ramps for just a few years and still leave the lights on. Not intentional but just forget. I'm also one of those that goes fishing at the last moment so I go by myself. Once again people have to wait for me to get out the truck and unload the boat and get back in and park. I use paid and public ramps so you can't get away from me. I'm not here to defend lack of common sense but understanding when I was a teenager and trying to get all my duckies in a row the first couple of times. I have a friend that can out fish just about anybody I know fresh or salt and has trailers of all kinds but still can't back a boat decently if his life depended on it. Some people just started , don't know the ropes and just forget like me, never go enough to know boat ramp etiquette and finally just plain ole dumb. The most dangerous person at a ramp is the one who knows what to do and everything just isn't going right for them. A smart comment from someone looking at their watch or a keen eye can lead to an exchange of words or even a bloody situation for both sides. I'm always amazed at the vocal people thinking someone won't swing back. When we leave our driveways we should of been in the water 30 minutes ago, maybe we should leave earlier and miss the show? At 55 I and most people I know regardless of age don't take too well to being yelled at. Even if we're doing something dumb, especially from someone who's never paid any of your bills. Please be patient and smile while you remind me to turn off my lights instead of yelling, I'm sensitive. :biggrin:


I'm not talking about a guy by himself. I fish by myself a lot also and you can only do it so fast. I have asked guys in line if they would pull my truck/trailer out of the way after I launch, most will do so. I have also had people ask me to do the same and we do it for each other so it saves time.
I also don't gripe about someone having a hard time backing their trailer, if they are really having a tough time I'll offer to do it for them. Some people don't back a trailer down a ramp more than a couple dozen times a year, they aren't gonna be very proficient at it LOL!
What I'm talking about is that the time spent in line waiting to launch could be spent in a little more productive manner by some people on busy mornings. The boat isn't going to fall off the trailer if the tie-downs and transom saver are pulled off while in line, the plug can be put in, the cooler loaded into the boat, and most of the time the running lights can be plugged in all while waiting your turn to launch. I would never yell at someone for it, but it just pizzes me off when people sit in their trucks in line for 10-15 minutes and make no attempt to ready themselves at all, and everything they do has to be done once they are backed up to the edge of the water..... I'm like...Really?

Off my soapbox now.....

-LP


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## Mako-Wish (Jul 10, 2011)

I usually get a kick outta the people at the ramp. I dont ever get mad, I just laugh and shake my head. Grown *** men should know how to back a trailer down.

That said, I had an incident today myself... with someone NOT loading or unloading a boat.... my fiancee, a 21 year old FEMALE backs my trailer down when loading. So today at blanchard park, she was waiting in line, and the SUV in front of her had no trailer. Once the other boats were clear, the SUV pulled around the ramps, and parked right in front of the NO PARKING sign. Those of you that use blanchard know there isnt a lot of room to straighten out, so its easiest to pull forward around the bend and back in. Well this SUV full of illegals (they probably werent illegals) prevented her from cutting the wheel enough to make the turn when backing down, so she had to put the truck in park and wait for them to decide they were done gazing at the water and drive off. All while i'm sitting in the hot sun. 

I told her next time that happens to cut the wheel, jack knife the boat around them, so the truck is in front, and the boat is behind them, with their truck trapped between the jack knifed trailer and fence post on the other side. Then get outta the truck and act like she doesnt know how that happened....

ok, now im done too.


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## Kickapoo Duke (May 15, 2010)

With the water so low, one of our guys from the boat rental backed a trailer too far at the Blanchard ramp and it went off the drop at the end yesterday. So be careful at all the ramps with this low water.


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## wwind3 (Sep 30, 2009)

Personal gripe-when you are by yourself and you launch a boat and have no place to put it while you move your vehicle. Or they build a boat ramp where waves will crash onto it-and you cant even launch by yourself without tearing your stuff up-and dont get me started on bulkheads or giant rock rip rap.


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## fishin_envy (Aug 13, 2010)

IShootSpoonies said:


> Once the other boats were clear, the SUV pulled around the ramps, and parked right in front of the NO PARKING sign. Those of you that use blanchard know there isnt a lot of room to straighten out, so its easiest to pull forward around the bend and back in.


Yep, it amazes me how many times that I use that ramp to find somebody parked right in front of the sign. Nothing against people wanting to fish off the bank in that area, but please drop off your gear and move your car to the parking lot.


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## That Robbie Guy (Aug 11, 2009)

... i'm gettin' better !


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## rocket34 (Jul 7, 2009)

Launching at a boat ramp has a practiced rhythm to it. It is easy to lose that rhythm if you do not launch your boat regularly. I bought my new boat last year with no trailer. I corrected that mistake a few weeks ago. I launched the boat at Blanchard Sunday morning for the first time. Despite having taken the tie downs off, put in the center plug, raised the motor support, and having an abhorrence for embarrassing myself I still spent more time on the ramp than the next guy thought appropriate. The motor support fell back into place, it took my son a minute to realize why the motor would not lower. For the reason Duke noted above, I was tentative about backing too far out on the Blanchard ramp (22.5ft boat on dual axle trailer) so I took a couple of stabs at getting deep enough. In the end, the back of the boat never did fully float and my son had to go to the bow a do a leg press on the wench post to get the boat off the trailer. I don't think we actually qualified as full blown ramp idiots but we did not appear to any onlooker to be geniuses either.


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## fishin_envy (Aug 13, 2010)

For the most part, I don't think people get upset with someone who is taking a few extra minutes because they can't fly through the process, but rather they they get upset at lack of common sense and courtesy. Like it has been mentioned over and over. If there is a line at the ramp, pull your rig into the parking lot and do all of your loading/unloading of gear, apply/remove tie-downs, pump primer bulb and other last minute checks, then get in line so all you have to do when it is your turn is to back it into the water, unhook the winch, push the boat off and pull the truck/trailer into the parking lot. When it is your turn, if done right shouldn't take more than a few minutes of ramp time.


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## Gofish2day (May 9, 2006)

I never turn the lights off while launching but if you are waiting on me you might better look in front of you. I can back up as fast as most go forward.  I also stop a distance away and load the boat etc.


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## Barbarian (Feb 12, 2009)

I fish by myself mostly and Blanchard is by far not my favorite - may even make my all-time least favorite top 10 list on the weekends. Just no where to tie the boat up while parking after the launch or when I go get my vehicle after fishing. I don't like to tie on the inside because it is so short it affects those launching after me and there ain't no way I'm tieing up to that metal retaining wall. I usually try and tie up to the outside of the south side, but it just takes me too long (IMO) to get my boat tied off at that launch when I am solo before I can get my vehicle and trailer out of the way. 
All that said, great location and even greater price.

***Is there a sign signaling the end of that ramp? I have never noticed it and never knew that was a potential problem. I have a 23.5' cc and better learn that spot before it is too late. Experienced that about 25+ years ago and it made for a long night.


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## rocket34 (Jul 7, 2009)

Barabarian,
I have never given backing off that ramp a thought until Sunday. I didn't know about the rental guys backing one off before I launched. It just looked shallow to me and my new boat/trailer is longer than the last (aren't they always) one, so I was being careful. Those guys at the boat dealer/rental next door to Blanchard ramp launch there daily so it is a surprising they let one slip off. I bet if you ask them they can now tell you exactly where it ends.


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## megafish (Mar 5, 2007)

Wow, I thought my excuse to get upset was bad! I can't get enough time off work to get close enough to a ramp to watch ya'll get upset!!!!! Is what it is! Hang in there I'll join in soon!


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## FISHNNUTT (Oct 27, 2007)

Just to clear up my previous post it really was not the other boaters that created
the most problems. I have some patience with them because some are learning and
others just don't know any better. Its the idiots that let their kids swim in and around
the ramp in the DARK!! As we came back in around 10pm both ramps were tied up I
was going to drop my friend off beside the ramp to get the truck. Easing up to the sand
I shined my spotlight toward the bank not 20 feet in front of me were 5 or 6
kids swimming neck deep in the lake boats were moving everywhere. Scared the
**** out of me almost crashed into a ski rig avoiding them


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## Barbarian (Feb 12, 2009)

rocket34 said:


> Barabarian,
> I have never given backing off that ramp a thought until Sunday. I didn't know about the rental guys backing one off before I launched. It just looked shallow to me and my new boat/trailer is longer than the last (aren't they always) one, so I was being careful. Those guys at the boat dealer/rental next door to Blanchard ramp launch there daily so it is a surprising they let one slip off. I bet if you ask them they can now tell you exactly where it ends.


I think I might bring my swim trunks and a can of white spray paint next trip. If ya'll see a big white line spray painted on the side of the pier, then that was me and that is the end of the launch.


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## Kickapoo Duke (May 15, 2010)

Yeah, it is not marked but needs to be in this low water. I have seen the GW give tickets to people swimming in the Blanchard boat ramps--there are signs telling them not to.


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