Here is an article in the Red Wing New Paper about the No Wake Zone. It sounds like it isn’t going to happen, just a few landowners trying to push it through. I suggest if you have strong feelings either way you should attend the meeting on the 30th. The article made it sound like it was all or nothing, there can be no size restriction on a No Wake Zone.
Thanks S.S. 
I don’t fish up there, but I sure hope you guys beat this down. A “few miles” of no wake is like eternity in purgatory. Haven’t these people ever heard of riprap?
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I don’t fish up there, but I sure hope you guys beat this down. A “few miles” of no wake is like eternity in purgatory. Haven’t these people ever heard of riprap?
AMEN
I’m not a defender of the no-wake zone, but I do know what it’s like with my boat tied up to a dock on a weekend. When the lock opens up and a stream of 20 or more (on holiday’s I’ve counted 26) boats flying by a person might as well take baseball bat to the side of a moored boat.
Rip rap won’t help that I’m afraid. Many home owners like the sandy beach they have for their kids and grand kids. Rip rapping that would destroy this.
Some of the folks that live around the MO River should chime in…that WHOLE river is rip rapped and has a different look and feel to the river.
I can really see a home owners point of view…as much as I can see my point of view. What I don’t see is a Win-Win. 
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I’m not a defender of the no-wake zone, but I do know what it’s like with my boat tied up to a dock on a weekend. When the lock opens up and a stream of 20 or more (on holiday’s I’ve counted 26) boats flying by a person might as well take baseball bat to the side of a moored boat.
Rip rap won’t help that I’m afraid. Many home owners like the sandy beach they have for their kids and grand kids. Rip rapping that would destroy this.
Some of the folks that live around the MO River should chime in…that WHOLE river is rip rapped and has a different look and feel to the river.
I can really see a home owners point of view…as much as I can see my point of view. What I don’t see is a Win-Win.
I see both sides as well. I know the problem is with the tuna boats. We as fisherman are caught in the middle. We are not the problem. I think the issue really lies in respect and education. Boat operators need to be educated on wake control for lack of a better term. And also respect, there is no reason to come cruising by Everts with a 6 foot wake behind you. Or coming with 10 feet of a 14 foot fishing boat. Not much useful info in this post I am just venting.
That is the problem Brad.
IF everyone paid attention to their wakes, pretty much the whole river would be no wake for the tuna boats.
Since the fishermen out number tuna boats …at least in spring and fall…maybe we should just get together and have a tuna safe zone…from say the Ford Dam to St Louis? 
All this reminds me I have to buy another wrist rocket…. 
I’m figuring boater education would probably help, maybe a short test each time you renewed your boat license ??
On the other hand, we take a test to drive on the roads and you know how well that’s worked.
Al
The MN DNR has a summary report investigating the adverse impacts of recreation traffic on Pools 2,3,4. I believe Pools 3 and 4 recieve the highest amount of recreation traffic in all of the Upper Mississippi River system. In general, they note that curiser/runabouts comprise 60%+ of boat traffic in this area while fishermen is ~30%.
Within this report they cite a handfull of other studies that look at the effects of boat traffic on the river. Most conclude that non-planing boats that create the largest waves(i.e. cruisers) contribute to the majority of shoreline errosion and loss of vegitation/trees on the shorelines.
Its worth a read: LINK TO DNR
I am all for a size restricted no-wake zone. Unfortunately I forsee it IMPOSSIBLE to enforce. Education is only usefull to those who want to listen… it seems most large-vessel boat drivers already know EVERYTHING and do not need additional reminders.
The river belongs to everyone, not just the largest.
Great post Brian! Thanks for digging that up…
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The river belongs to everyone, not just the largest.
Fortunately for the big boat guys the river doesn’t belong to the smallest either.
I did manage to say a wake while reading that (pun intended).
It’s interesting that the first recommendation is to reduce or control the wakes made by the larger vessels.
Education and voluntary no wake zones haven’t worked.
..and the largest unresolved (to this day) piece is to get all the local, county, state and federal governments to work together.
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“A river belongs to no one. And it belongs to everyone. And no one has the right to
contribute to the desecration of a river by irresponsible and abusive acts, at the expense of his
neighbors and fellow American citizens, near or far removed from the stream itself.” – Richard
J. Dorer 1968
I could weigh in on this, but I’m busy mounting a torpedo launcher…
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I could weigh in on this, but I’m busy mounting a torpedo launcher…
There are already 4 no wake zones from Lock and dam 3 to Lake Pepin. The lower 3 have all been brought into existence by people that own the large boats similar to the ones that make most of the offending wakes. That being said, I see plenty of fishing boats that blatantly disobey, grossly overshoot and push the speed limits of the existing no wake zones. I do not believe we need anymore of these zones, but the behavior of some is not helping the cause.
My mind like normal is going blank.
Redwing, Colleville and where are the other two?
Not to take anything away from the point of your post.
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I see plenty of fishing boats that blatantly disobey
That might be ME!!
There is a no wake in front of the Mr. Sippi. 
That is all 3 of them there is not 4
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That is all 3 of them there is not 4
Unless he is counting the lock and down the wall…???
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Unless he is counting the lock and down the wall…???
That is the 4th and I see it being disobeyed quite a bit. Mostly by the cruisers and speed boats that think that it is the starting line of the Indy 500.
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