Officials warn boaters to slow down on St. Croix

Tom Sawvell wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:</div>
Or your just not thinking of the responsible many who aren’t 80 and enjoy a beer on the water.

Oh I’m thinking of the responsible ones….they wait until they’re off the water. And age has nothing to do with it. Zero tolerance only affects those who CAN’T have a cold pop or water instead while they’re on the water.

I consider myself to be one of the responsible ones. But at the same time, ….I do enjoy a cold beer while I am fishing sometimes, and so do my passengers. If we happen to enjoy a can of suds while we are boating, I hope we don’t sully the view you’re enjoying from your high horse.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

If there was a universal zero-tolerance for alcohol/drugs on all boats, things would likely improve. I’d support such a measure for operators and all passengers. Wanna drink? Stay on the dock.

You reeled me in. I love a beer or three when out cruising on a warm summer day. Drunk no, but I’d suspect there would be a total of 2 boats on the croix or minnetonka if it was zero tolerance…and one would be the sherif.

Wake thread turns into drinking thread.

Dutchboy wrote:

Put a 30 mph speed limit on the river.

This would fix nothing. Tuna boats going 30mph toss huge wakes. (The kind of wakes in this article.) My Ranger running 50 tosses a very small wake compared to running it is at 20-25.

-J.

Jon Jordan wrote:

This would fix nothing. Tuna boats going 30mph toss huge wakes.

We wakesurf at about 10 mph and create waves that started a whole ‘nother IDO thread.

Yup my biggest wake is 13 mph trimmed up.

Also the speed I go when busting waffle waves

Just curious, you guys that drink beer while fishing do you drink while driving down the road?

Just asking because the difference in the two escapes me.

Dutch. We need to go for a short cruise up to the dam and back at 15 mph!

I’m extra careful about my wake. I’ve been on both sides.

I also assume every boater has been drinking. Personally I have too much to lose so I wait until I’m moored, but that’s me.

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The difference escapes me too, Dutch. I cannot see the reasoning that makes sipping a beer illegal while in a vehicle. The legally intoxicated limit is .08, and it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle while intoxicated, so as long as a person is not legally intoxicated, why the ban on open containers while on the road? Especially for the passengers? Makes no sense to me.

But to answer your question, no, I do not, but I would be a liar to say that I have never had a road beer in the past. And it would be a bigger lie to say I have never had PLENTY of them as a passenger.

Dutchboy wrote:

Just asking because the difference in the two escapes me.

Super simple to explain, one activity is legal, the other is not. I occasionally have a beer while driving around on the ice during ice fishing season. From my understanding, doing so is a legal activity if not intoxicated.

Timmy wrote:

bigger lie to say I have never had PLENTY of them as a passenger.

“Plenty” as in 5 gallon bucket between the legs going up nort bc to stop and go pee on a 12er up to Red would take away from fishing time??

Dutchboy wrote:

Just curious, you guys that drink beer while fishing do you drink while driving down the road?

Nope. And all my friends know Roadies are strictly forbidden.

Texas you can drink and drive as long as you are under the limit.

It is weird that it’s legal on the water, where crashed can be so much more dangerous. There’s no restraints, plus you have the added danger of drowning on top of physical/blunt trauma from a crash.

Because of that, I try to limit my consumption to one beer per fish caught. Which keeps me extremely safe and dry.

Living in Hudson I think it’s safe to say there can be some 2 footers out there. I’ve kayaked in the Atlantic in legitimate 4 ft waves. In that case you can’t see over the top of the wave so everything around you disappears when you’re in the trough. I remember watching the land disappear every time I went over the top of a wave. If one was sitting in a boat (depending on the arrangement) you may not be able to see over the top of a 4 ft wave either. Certainly not at 6 feet.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

Dutch. We need to go for a short cruise up to the dam and back at 15 mph!

I’m extra careful about my wake. I’ve been on both sides.

I also assume every boater has been drinking. Personally I have too much to lose so I wait until I’m moored, but that’s me.

Dutch doesn’t ride in those yachts. Way out of his class.

Back when I used to drink, many years ago….

I’d open a beer and take a sip. Then set it down and get back to fishing. Two hours later I’d think “Man I’m thirsty; where’s that beer?” and take a swig. Of course it’s now stale and 92 degrees and tastes like crap. I’d end up drinking 5% of the beer I went through.

I guess I was a lot more serious about fishing than I was about drinking.

S.R.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Texas you can drink and drive as long as you are under the limit.

The driver cannot but the passergers can in all but a few counties in Missouri too…

Dutchboy wrote:

Just curious, you guys that drink beer while fishing do you drink while driving down the road?

Just asking because the difference in the two escapes me.

What’s the difference between drinking 1-2 beers at a bar then driving home or just drinking them while driving home? Neither scenario results in being illegally intoxicated. LOTS of people drink and drive and I have never seen a problem. Not to be confused with drunk driving.

I didn’t say drinking a couple beers at the bar and driving home was ok either. But the discussion was driving a car vs driving a boat while drinking.

Dutchboy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Brian Klawitter wrote:</div>
Dutch. We need to go for a short cruise up to the dam and back at 15 mph!

I’m extra careful about my wake. I’ve been on both sides.

I also assume every boater has been drinking. Personally I have too much to lose so I wait until I’m moored, but that’s me.

Dutch doesn’t ride in those yachts. Way out of his class.

It is Brian… Umbrella in a Hamm’s kinda class dutchboy

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Man, I don’t know if you could take a picture that better describes your lifestyle than that Andy :).

One Hamm’s and I had to keep reminding Andy about his wake…

In the last 3 weeks we’ve had 4 near misses at L&D #3 and downstream into Red Wing (that I’m aware of).

Everything from engine failures and new toons going under the dam to 12 year olds falling off kayaks and can’t get into the boat to sail boats running into a moving tow.

Everyone says that won’t happen to me, but it does happen to some people.

Well if the corp would just move the scour hole further away from the dam then people wouldn’t have to get so close for the best fishing.

the saint Croix is not the pacific ocean.., some of the boats that operate on that small river look absolutely ridiculous cruising the strip from stillwater to prescott and do give off a dangerous wake, maybe a size limit for the boats allowed on the river would be something to consider. Do to the size of the river the giant wakes do not have enough distance to dissipate causing shoreline erosion and safety concerns for small boats. All the law enforcement has to do is take a photo of the boats that are not operating safely and send a fine by mail.I have been fishing the saint Croix for 40 years there are many people that own large boats that operate in a responsible manner but their are the idiots that ruin it for everybody and don’t respect the smaller boats on the river and people get hurt

catfishonly wrote:

All the law enforcement has to do is take a photo of the boats that are not operating safely and send a fine by mail.

That doesn’t prove who was driving the boat and wouldn’t fly in court. Same reason that MN outlawed red light cameras.

Good point, maybe they could change that law, its your boat it doesn’t matter who is driving it. It would apply the same principle as driving thru a tollway without paying, they have your licence plate number you get the fine in the mail weather you were driving the vehicle or not. Something needs to be done, it would be an inexpensive solution to consider, the other alternative is more law enforcement on that stretch of river.

catfishonly wrote:

I have been fishing the saint Croix for 40 years there are many people that own large boats that operate in a responsible manner but their are the idiots that ruin it for everybody and don’t respect the smaller boats on the river and people get hurt

Drive per the conditions.
You want to operate a boat with little to no experience on a body with big waves on the busiest days… Well education might be expensive or even hurt.

Plenty of small craft and large craft that tolerate each other just fine.

There’s always Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday… September, October, November, April, may… Without major traffic on the Croix. There’s no wake periods. And anytime before 10 am.

Noobs come out on July 4th and they’re ASKING FOR IT.

You want limitations for a couple idiots (small craft, ignorant) for the few days it is a problem. I don’t support it.

Public water. Everybody go have fun. It is open way more than it is used!

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Noobs come out on July 4th and they’re ASKING FOR IT.

As a person that was in this position at one time…Noobs don’t know any better. No one told them. It’s common sense? I’ll disagree.

It’s a river for all any day/time of the week. Why wouldn’t I go out for the first time on Memorial/4th/Labor Day weekend?

Sometimes we need to think back to when we weren’t as familiar with the waters we now have a lot of experience on. Not picking on you Andy. My question I’ve had for years is “how do you know, if you don’t know”?

I had to find it all out myself. Of course after meeting Bk everything got a lot easier……..