# How close is too close?



## sully (Jul 25, 2010)

Hi all!

I'm relatively new to salt water fishing and on the long weekend I travelled up to Mooney Mooney to try my luck. I've sen quite a few fishing dvd's where it has been suggested that casting close to moored boats is one way of netting a few bream. After a few uneventful hours of fishing the flats on a run out tide, I headed over to the moored boats in Brooklyn to give it a go. Now, after bouncing my SP's off the side of moored boats, I discovered that it was quite an effective way of fishing. However, I did feel incredibly guilty about the close proximity of my casts. Granted, I generally cast just in front of the boat and let the current drag the SP under the boat before working it out, I still felt like I was.....intruding.

Yes, I did target crusty old boats, but never the less I couldn't help but think I might be breaking some unwritten rule on this.

Any thoughts? How close is too close? Will the fishing karma gods come after me with vengeance?

thanks,


----------



## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Maybe just try to not actually hit the boats. If I owned one one of those boats I wouldn't care how close to them someone cast so long as they weren't hitting it. When you're trying to get THAT close though you're bound to hit one sometime....and that's not likely to make you any friends around moorings.

I've seen little hb lures hanging off the astro-turf of some pontoons....I've resisted the temptation to swipe them but have thought how I'd feel if I stood on one while admiring my boat.

Fisherman have the potential to make a really bad impression on non-fishers, just look at jetties where some leave bait and bait packets, fishguts, discarded hooks, undersized fish. I think hitting people's prides and joys with lumps of lead might be more towards the "bad" side of middle but maybe I'm just too sensitive.


----------



## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

Generally sully I try not to hit the boats bit as a bit of added protection try to use a hidden weight system so if I do cock the cast up I dont do any damage.

There are people that use the hull as a basket ball backboard to help there casting, personally if I was a boaty with a 500k crusier and somebody chucked lumps of lead at it I would be rigth pissed off so I avoid this sort of casting.

Hope this helps some.

Cheers Dave

PS dont get out of the yak at Mooney the mud has claimed many a victim over the years


----------



## john316 (Jan 15, 2009)

lately I have been fishing almost exclusively in out of the way places where there is little to no population but in the past have used the boats as a targeted fishing area. I have found that good bream, trevally etc will come out from under the hull when a bait/lure is presented a short distance away from the vessel. I have also found that in that scenario an unweighted bait or sp can be lobbed at the waterline of a moored boat and if it does hit the hull there is no hard substance to do any damage - no harm, no foul.

As a side note, when I used this method on a regular basis was when I learned the truth that less weight equals more fish...

cheers

John


----------



## imnotoriginal (Jan 13, 2008)

If you're worried about hitting the boat use a TT Hidden Weight jighead. All the lead's in the soft plastic so you can't hit the boat with any lead when you cast.
Joel


----------



## gonetroppo (Jan 29, 2011)

Well I look at it as if it was me, If someone threw a lure at my kayak, id come over and beat them with the paddle..... if it was my million dollar yatch, Id be chasing after them and running them down with it :lol:


----------



## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

kraley said:


> I wouldnt worry about it too much - you are not gonna damage gelcoat with a bream jig.
> 
> Its no big deal.


It's not a big deal unless of course the overzealous and half whacked owner decides it is.


----------



## jokinna (Mar 2, 2010)

in answer to your question...

if you hit the boat, its too close :lol:


----------



## mrwalker (Feb 23, 2009)

I would have to say that as a boatowner and kayak fisherman no one should go around hitting the hulls of boats with jigheads or lures. Not all of us have money to burn, and we are not all full of self importance. I worked long and hard to get my boat in the water. If fish lived on land would we tolerate people throwing lures at our cars and houses? Don't think so Kraley!
Cheers, Dave.


----------



## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Maybe my trying to relate the situation to hitting a local pro-fishos boat with a sinker isn't really comparing apples with apples.

You're right kraley, most likely no-one at Mooney Mooney is going to come out and take pot-shots at your kayak or jump in a tender and try and run you over and beat the crap out of you.


----------



## bluezooky (Apr 17, 2006)

Here's the view from the other side,maybe harmless but not good PR, I tend to cast parallel myself or stick to the floating hulks.

"We were recently anchored in blackwattle bay, Sydney. I was down in the galley making a morning coffee when I heard a "CLACK" from the hull somewhere forward. While i was still thinking "what was that" there was another "CLACK", this time closer to me.

I went upstairs, and saw these two guys in a boat nearby fishing, but I couldn't work out what could have made the noise, then while I was watching, one of them cast his lure INTO THE SIDE OF MY BOAT! As I'm heading out, the other guy did the same thing! These guys were DELIBERATELY casting AT MY BOAT! I couldn't believe it!

After a short conversation where I have to admit I ight have a bit less than polite, I invited them to come aboard and continue the "discussion" - they declined, so I decided I'd go visit them in my tender instead. Turned out they weren't all that keen on that either, so they took off at high speed. (In a 4 knot zone)

Later I told a keen fisherman mate about this, and he wasn't in the least surprised - apparently some fishing show had been advising anglers to do exactly that - cast lures into the sides of people's boats! Supposedly fish hang around under them.

I was amazed - are people really becoming so inconsiderate of other people?"


----------



## eagle4031 (Jan 29, 2010)

the way i cast i would be unlucky to hit the boat


----------



## sarod420 (Sep 25, 2009)

Thats why i prefer the HWS jigs they make more of a dull *THUD* than a *CLACK*

+ i think that *CLACK* is more likely to spook any bream hanging under the hull.

Also bream seem to prefer the neglected, barnacle encrusted mooring minders which quite obviously the owners dont care about anyway.


----------



## mrwalker (Feb 23, 2009)

If only everyone was as virtuous as you Kraley and only threw 1/24 ounce jigheads! Cheers, Dave.


----------



## mrwalker (Feb 23, 2009)

Give us your address Kraley and all the boat owners on the forum can come around early one morning and go clackety clack on your bedroom wall! Cheers, Dave.


----------



## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

> + i think that CLACK is more likely to spook any bream hanging under the hull.


Bingo give that man a cupi doll, Sarod's on the money I wasn't going to say it but its the truth hit the hull and the bream will spook. Land perfectly next to the hull and let it slowly sink they will nail it on the drop.

Cheers Dave


----------



## mrwalker (Feb 23, 2009)

So are you saying Kraley needs to practice his casting? Cheers, Dave.


----------



## colzinho (Aug 6, 2007)

Wouldn't the clack sound scare off the fish anyway...?


----------



## NufinFlash (Oct 8, 2008)

i had some bloke go off at me once when i clipped the side of his yatch saying he would send me the $50K bill to fix the damage , otherwise have gotten the poos saying they are worried about my fishing line getting tangled in their props causing all sorts of damage , id be pretty worried if their prop couldnt handle 4lb line , not that ive ever had my line around their prop.

btw the guy that told me off about 5mins later emptied his full ashtray of ciggy butts into the water so clearly a knob by nature

but like otherwise have said i use hidden weight and skip cast so if it does hit its not very loud or damaging


----------



## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

NufinFlash said:


> i had some bloke go off at me once when i clipped the side of his yatch saying he would send me the $50K bill to fix the damage , otherwise have gotten the poos saying they are worried about my fishing line getting tangled in their props causing all sorts of damage , id be pretty worried if their prop couldnt handle 4lb line , not that ive ever had my line around their prop.
> 
> btw the guy that told me off about 5mins later emptied his full ashtray of ciggy butts into the water so clearly a knob by nature
> 
> but like otherwise have said i use hidden weight and skip cast so if it does hit its not very loud or damaging


Nah, for blokes like that you need to go heavier! ;-)


----------



## OTTO (Aug 22, 2010)

Interesting difference of opinions fellas.
Maybe if you keep hitting someone else' boat you should go fish the snags for a while.
Then after you have learnt to place your cast more carefully you can go back and fish the moorings with the knowlegde you are doing everything in your power NOT to hit someones boat.
I enjoy having my cast land exactly where i aimed, not 2 ft below.
I vote dont hit boats, thats my opinion.


----------



## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

> id be pretty worried if their prop couldnt handle 4lb line , not that ive ever had my line around their prop.


Not sure about inboards but outboards the line wraps tightly in between the prop and the shaft and can degrade the bearings allowing water entry and eventually stuffing the gear box.

Cheers Dave


----------



## eagle4031 (Jan 29, 2010)

justcrusin said:


> > id be pretty worried if their prop couldnt handle 4lb line , not that ive ever had my line around their prop.
> 
> 
> Not sure about inboards but outboards the line wraps tightly in between the prop and the shaft and can degrade the bearings allowing water entry and eventually stuffing the gear box.
> ...


so thats how we solve the boat problem---- right :?


----------



## Dan85 (Oct 27, 2009)

I dont know about others but id be pretty upset if a kid was purposely throwing stones at my 100k+ plus car parked in a public car park. I wouldnt however be to cranky with them if it was parked in said car park and they were playng about as kids do and an accident happened. Ive fished a bit around moored boats and theres no need to hit them deliberatly on the other side accidents happen. im sure we could minimise or eliminate any possible damage by an accidentle hit by using resin heads or hidden weights with in the plastic. I dont think its right to go and purposly hit someone elses property with complete disregard for them whether or not you do any damage. If i owned a liveaboard and heard a clack and went up to find someone casting at my boat a simple please stop that im sure would see an end to the situation and if it doesnt im sure boats have flare guns dont they :lol: to cut a long story short even in a public use area we should respect others property regardless of who they are and what they are in/on/around.


----------



## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

It's of no benefit to hit the side of the boats and if it was mine I would prefer you didn't hit it but would have no problems with people fishing under it.
There may not be a law against it but then I would prefer boats cut me some slack with their wash when they go past so I guess it is just a matter of respecting other peoples property and space.

Chucking a 300g jig would be different


----------



## Dan85 (Oct 27, 2009)

Keza you could catch a bigger boat with a 300g jig might haul yourself in something big enough to live aboard and use the kayak as a tender.


----------



## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

Dan85 said:


> Keza you could catch a bigger boat with a 300g jig might haul yourself in something big enough to live aboard and use the kayak as a tender.


 

I prefer to use a spare rod set up with light line and a spark plug but i'm usually targeting the driver rather than the boat, it's never the boats fault


----------



## Hobieonekanobie (Jan 2, 2011)

kraley said:


> Barrabundy said:
> 
> 
> > kraley said:
> ...


If my boat was being hit by lures I would have a large star sinker to throw back at you. Your in a small yak throwing small lures, I'm in a big boat throwing big sinkers, not a problem for me :lol:


----------

