Thread: I know it sound like I am crying but.....

I've never seen a TWRA agent while fishing in TN. Guess they know I'm legal and don't come my way. I'll put my 2 cents in to them when I see them.
Coles ferry ramp has room for about 4 trailer rigs. hard to use ramp when 10 cars are parked in the way. People with little kids won't move out of your way there either. 10 minutes to launch a boat, hour and a half to get it on the trailer.

Originally Posted by crappietime

I was wondering why dont all us boaters try and get something done with all these people parking at the boat ramps taking up spaces with single vehicles.Anymore it has become a headache to go to any ramp on Percy Priest to launch.There is people playing in the water on the ramps not wanting to move out of the way.Then the ones that has the little pier to load/unload onto the boats always got people laying out on it.The parking lots are taken up by single cars parked where boaters normally park the vehicle and trailers at.That leads us to have to cross medians and park in the grass or park on the entrance way into the ramp area making it real difficult to get the rigs in and out without hitting another.Wonder if we notified TWRA if they would help us out.Just my 2 cents worth.Please respond on this and let me know what yall feel.

I know what you mean CT . My blood boils when I see some idiot pullin a car without a trailor into a trailer parking slot or I see a bunch of skinny punks in their saggy pants hanging out around on the ramps trying to intimidate and look tough. I can actually tolerate the fools in the trailer parking better than I can handle the punks.

I got to thinking about the same thing a little while back about why the TWRA doesn't do anything about the parking lot situations and about the punks that like to loiter down there in the evenings. I would think that they could at least put up a sign at the ramp saying something along the lines of:

Parking lot for vehicles with trailors only. Violators will be ticketed.
No loitering.
No rap music.
No jack*ssing on the ramp.

Although I hate paying the launch fee of $5, Elm Hill has done a great job in the last couple years of cleaning up their scene. They have 24 hr security and good lighting at night.

Anyway, if you know of anything we can do let us know. The TWRA has open meetings once a year - I think - to hear suggestions from hunters and fishers about game laws and regs. Maybe we could get a few guys and go to a meeting and tell them about how frustrating this is.

What about the people like myself who don't own a truck/boat and just want to do some bank fishing? Many people like to fish the attractors which maybe located in an area nearby the launching ramps. Where do you suggest they park? Many times I'll park in a lot and hike a mile or more to one of bank spots. Usually when I do that, the parking lot is the closest place for me to park. We all have the same right to utilize the resources. I guess the fair solution would be to designate 50% for boat trailers only and the other 50% for cars/motorcycles. If the lot is full, either park on the side or just go somewhere else.

Sorry to disagree with you, Fisher01. If a space is clearly long enough to park a combo rig (car and trailer), it should be used by one. I don't have the answer as to how to get everyone a place to park. I have seen 3 non boaters pull in to a ramp and park side by side in boat parking stalls. That's not right either. In my younger days I used to park and walk with a backpack to carry my gear. Designated trailer parking that is enforced with added car parking seems to be what is needed. Overcrowding is always a problem near any big city.

Skeetbum, I guess with your rules the only people who would be able to enjoy the lake would be those who own a truck/boat. I disagree with your opinion there. Lets look at a couple of boat ramps. Stewart Creek for example, has a pier for people to fish, including those in wheel chairs. The whole lot has lines for trucks/trailers. Where are those who want to fish off the pier go to park? How about those that fish off the bluffs over there, where do they park? Now lets go over to Hamilton Creek. TWRA has set a large section of fish attractors over, right by the ramp/lot. Where are these bank fishing people supposed to park under your rules? I totally disagree with the idea of letting those only who are rich enough to own a truck/boat be able to utilize the lake for recreational purposes.

Lets look at this further. Where do we draw the line as to who/what can use the lake? I'm sure at one time or another a jet skier or water skier has come running by you without any regard to your fishing area. Since this happens frequently during the summer months, maybe TWRA should ban all water/jet skiers from using the boat ramps. Next it should be that one has to own at least an 18 foot bass boat with 150hp motor. You know those 14 foot fishing boats with small motors are dangerous out there. Guess I'm saying equal access to all on the lake. We all know there's not enough money to enlarge the parking lots and saying a lot is designated for trailers only would limit the rights of many people.

After reading all the posts and being an outsider, let me say that there should be a happy compromise as for parking for ALL fishermen, whether they own a boat or not. Sounds like the post started off by saying that the loiters and swimmers/sunbathers were the issues taking most of the spaces and blocking the ramps and piers, not just the bank fishermen. Atleast for those, I agree you guys should attend the meetings to have your voices heard. If the ramps are corp owned or state owned then complaints should be made by MULTIPLE phonecalls/letters until something is done about the issues.

It sounds like a problem that has been there for a long time and one that isnt easily remedied. If enough people would persist with phone calls, letters, local newspaper complaints, etc., until it's becomes a real thorn in someone's side, eventually something would get done. We have public ramps here where I live and fish too. I havent noticed the problems you talk about as quite as bad a situation as you guys have YET, but we'll have 'em too. One plus for us is the sherriff deputies usually stops by the boat ramps to check for trouble at night. Still, I pay an annual pass to use the state park boat ramps, to aviod those situations and a little more satisfaction that I wont be valdalized as quickly when night fishing. Loiters dont wanna pay to sit around boat ramps. The swimmers usually use the desinated beaches around our 3 lakes so that generally isnt that bad of a problem either. Look out during bass tourney days though....if youre late to the ramps you gonna have to walk.

What use to crank my tractor is they have signs that state "No Fishing"," No Swiming","No Sun Batheing" from peir. you pull up to load or uunload & they have the whole peir full of people fishing I,ve got to where now when i get ready to load i just run over their lines then clip them out of my prop then when they start whineing just tell them to move their cooler & look down at the sign carved into the peir.