It’s the season for surf boats

[Redrebel]

I was hoping to start a discussion on how others deal with the so-called power squadron. I’m not really the guy that just wants to get mad at them. I think they need to have their fun too. I’ve been on surf and wake boats and it’s a lot of fun. I’m more of the guy that wants all of us to make space for each other. With that being said, I was on Willard this memorial day with my family and dogs and it was interesting. How close some of the surf boats think that they can come. One of them shot the gap between two of us trolling and unless you want a very uncomfortable ride, you have to quickly reposition your boat and  possibly tingle lines so you can go into the wake. It is obviously something that is not patrolled because it is constantly complained about on this forum and others. How do you guys handle it?

[RockyRaab2]

First, I never go out on a weekend, and that goes triple for a major holiday.

I wish that the powers that be would declare certain reservoirs to be angling only and others non-angling only. Permanently or on alternate weekends, maybe.

We do need to video the worst of them and make formal complaints. If you are driven off the water due to safety concerns, say so to the ranger. Provide photo proof or hull numbers if you can. Do NOT attempt any revenge acts.

[MrShane]

The more popular and/or smaller reservoirs with problems like this need to go odd/even days wakeless.
Then if you choose to fish on a wake day you brought it on yourself, but at least it is our choice to make.
These surfboats are throwing higher wakes against the shore than Mother Nature does.
It has to be having some negative type effect on shore stabilization integrity, plant life, animal life, etc.
You do know what the down payment is for a surf boat, right?
The down payment is the common sense portion of the operators brain.

[Therapist]

The solution is to go early. When I fish Deer Creek, Jordanelle, and sometime Rockport, I try to be on the water at first light. The "Parks People" don't make that easy because they mostly don't open the gates before 6. I will fish till 10:30 or 11:00 depending on how the "power Squadron" are behaving, then get off before it gets to crazy. We all need to encourage the Parks folks to get barcode readers on all the entrances to the parks so fisherman can get on the water early to avoid the crowd. You can also fish later in the afternoon, 4PM or later, they are worn out by then and you can have a pretty calm late afternoon and evening !!

[smokepoles]

MrShan
These surfboats are throwing higher wakes against the shore than Mother Nature does.
It has to be having some negative type effect on shore stabilization integrity, plant life, animal life, etc.

Indeed, especially a mess in the smaller reservoirs like Hyrum.  We took our grandkids there last summer and they refused to even go into the water so dirty and churned up from all the power squad.  I've put in my kayak from the beach area early morn and had a pleasant paddle until getting almost swamped on take out when those wake board waves come into the shallow beach.

[RockyRaab2]

Hyrum is especially bad. They REALLY need to restrict it to boats of under perhaps 90 hp. Or simply No Wake Boats.

[FishfulThinkin]

The solution is to go early.  When I fish Deer Creek, Jordanelle, and sometime Rockport,  I try to be on the water at first light.  The "Parks People" don't make that easy because they mostly don't open the gates before 6.  I will fish till 10:30 or 11:00 depending on how the "power Squadron" are behaving, then get off before it gets to crazy.  We all need to encourage the Parks folks to get barcode readers on all the entrances to the parks so fisherman can get on the water early to avoid the crowd.  You can also fish later in the afternoon,  4PM or later,  they are worn out by then and you can have a pretty calm late afternoon and evening !!

I use the early morning method and I usually can get a few good hours in before the craziness starts. I was recently fishing for walleye at Deer Creek and had a quiet peaceful morning going until 6:30 when the first power boat arrived. It wasn't the wake that bothered me but music blaring from the stereo that could be heard loud and clear from well over a mile away... and I'm pretty much deaf! I wish they could enforce a noise ordinance. As for evenings after 4:00, forget it, at least at DC. Weekday evenings are even busier than daytime. If you are on the water until sundown at Deer Creek on a summer evening, you will wait for up to 30 minutes to retrieve your boat. The line of boat trailers sometimes stretches from the ramp to the parking lot right before dark.

[MrShane]

I am also amazed at the number of skiers/tubers/surfers out after the sun goes down.
They are not even afraid to ski after dark right in front of the rangers.
It is really bad at Powell, skiing with spotlights and lightbars with music cranked to the max, skiing out at midnight.
I tell you, the brain is the down payment on a surfboat.

[dubob]

The more popular and/or smaller reservoirs with problems like this need to go odd/even days wakeless.

1000% YES!  

[RockyRaab2]

I think alternate weekends or even weeks would be smarter. That way, people who camp to either fish or ski would have several days to do so.

[BYUHunter]

They're establishing an increasing presence at Strawberry as well - a reservoir historically thought of as "Too far and too cold" by the power squadron.

I would really like to see the DWR issue a "no towables and no jet skis" edict for Strawberry. It has long been known as a fisherman's lake, and should remain so.

[SkunkedAgain]

You guys are just trying to make me feel better since I can't go fishing lately... Thanks this is helping remind me of the fun times trying to keep from capsizing when the waves roll by... I actually got a bigger boat to help deal with waves, whether they are natural or man made, and it did help, but you shouldn't have to spend a bunch so you can feel safe... Perhaps they can designate areas or hours of the day for the wake boats, but that probably assumes they would pay attention to rules, so never mind that suggestion... I have also practiced the fish early and leave by 11:00 rule in the summer, it seems to reduce most of the issues... Later J

[TubeDude]

[MrShane]

Unfortunately nothing will change until at least a few people die.
Sadly, that is how the system works.

[Paddler]

Unfortunately nothing will change until at least a few people die.
Sadly, that is how the system works.

I've taken my camera with a telephoto lens to take pictures of bow numbers.  Then you call the ranger to report violations of the proximity rule.  Then the ranger comes out and ruins their day.  One boat last year got fines totaling ~$1000.  Nice.

It's really amazing how apologetic the boat operators get when you tell them you're going to call it in.

[bone8]

They are the reason I just don't fish DC and its on me that I choose no to but my sanity thanks me

[BYUHunter]

They are the reason I just don't fish DC and its on me that I choose no to but my sanity thanks me

I fish Deer Creek October through March, outside of that you are correct - it is not worth it. Even in those cold months, there's a few diehards in wet suits determined to ruin my day.

[chubby chaser]

I definitely avoid the holidays like a plague. I agree with the comments about the music, it really is obnoxious blasting across the whole lake. I try to be on the water early in the summer so I can be off before all the wakeboarders finally crawl out of bed around 10am. I waited for an hour to get off Jordanelle last year, there does need to be some kind of management imo.

[MWScott72]

MrShan
These surfboats are throwing higher wakes against the shore than Mother Nature does.
It has to be having some negative type effect on shore stabilization integrity, plant life, animal life, etc.

Indeed, especially a mess in the smaller reservoirs like Hyrum.  We took our grandkids there last summer and they refused to even go into the water so dirty and churned up from all the power squad.  I've put in my kayak from the beach area early morn and had a pleasant paddle until getting almost swamped on take out when those wake board waves come into the shallow beach.

How spoiled are folks in UT??  The water is ALWAYS stirred up and brown in many parts of the country...including where I grew up in OK.  It's just suspended clay.  That said, I absolutely love being able to see my entire body, and not just the upper half when bobbing in the water.  There were a few lakes back home that had good water clarity, and full disclosure, they were my favorites.

As to people skiing after dark in front of the rangers?  That's a ranger problem.  After legal sunset, they should be enforcing that rule.