Proximity law

[Paddler]

Woooohooo it's about time! I have never seen a ranger in their boats at any of the local lakes. Yesterday at Jordanelle, around 10am, I was fishing just north of the arm. There was a boat to my west less than a hundred yards away. This jack wagon in a large wake board boat decides he wants to take the short way to the arm and cuts right between us--mind you we were only 200-300 yards from the bank. As I hold up my arms in a wtf gesture he yells for me to go back to the dock. The one finger salute from me followed.  Mind you, I have a 12 foot, deep-v, aluminum boat that handles rough water well but give me a break. That was the closest call.  I had many others where the boat towing a skier or wake boarder was headed straight for me before the towed person fell and the boat changed directions. I wondered when/if they were were planning to alter course several times. 

All a ranger would have to do is sit in the middle of the lake with a pair of binoculars. They would rack up the tickets.

An alternative--before someone gets hurt or killed (stand your ground comes to mind)--is for them to institute alternate even and odd days for making 3-4 foot waves and fishing, paddle boarding or sailing on all these small lakes where jack wagons like the aforementioned congregate. It is getting even more really ridiculous!

As for the fishing, it was slow. Picked up one Koke on a very shallow hump where another boater was trying to unstick one of his hung up cannon balls.

"A wakeless (defined as 5 mph or less) or idle speed is required when operating in a designated slow-wakeless speed area.  This also applies whenever you are withing 150 feet of another boat, a person in the water, a water skier, shore angler, launch ramp, dock, or other designated swimming areas."  The proximity law specifies closer than 150 feet and you better be wakeless or at idle speed.  You claimed he was closer than 300 feet and you were 600 to 900 feet off shore.  Don't misunderstand, I only fish and I'm not a fan of ANY power squadron watercraft or activities.  But you really haven't shown any evidence that the alleged miscreant violated the well established proximity restriction of maintaining a distance of 150 feet.  Sorry.

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at strawberry on a sat they would give every one a ticket.

ROBERT - even you?  That surprises me.  

Technically, if I and you are both wakeless (as in trolling), I can LEGALLY pass within inches of your boat.  I wouldn't ever do that, but I would be legally within my rights to do so.  I'm comfortable with others being at least 30 feet or more away from me, but I also know some that think 100 feet is WAY too close.

Actually, Dayfish said the boat west of him was not more than 100 yards from him, and the wakeboard boat went between them.  So the probability is that the wakeboard boat was less than 150' from at least one, maybe both boats.  The point is that the proximitry rule is routinely ignored.  I've had precisely one boat slow to wakeless speed when he saw he was going to pass me closer than 150'.  Wakeboard boats and jet skiers seem to be the worst offenders.  I spoke to a ranger the other day about it and he advised I get bow numbers and call it in to Wasatch County dispatch.  That number is (435) 654-1411. I have saved it to my contact list. 

I wouldn't want to be on Jordanelle in a 12' boat.