There was about 16 of you windsurfing, offshore winds, youngies windsurfing, women windsurfing, kids swimming, and apart from that empty beach in each direction, when two fishermen rock up and cast in right where you are all gybing. Bad enough, but then pour tuna oil into the ocean right where you are gybing. Slick all the way out to sea and the bottle left a foot away from the shore. Sharky water. So what would YOU do?

Unbelievable!

They are either completely clueless or relying on you doing nothing about it. Don't dismiss the first reason!

Make a plan for the next time it happens:

Get everyone to go in at once. Call everyone in. Place yourselves, all the 16 boards and sails right around the fishermen and crowd out every inch of their space.

Tell them, "Sorry, but we all have to wait here on the beach until that oil clears."

You can vent within earshot of the fishos when you have to explain to the disappointed kids and others why have they had to come in and stopped having fun.

wespyyl said...

go and put a straight fin on and everytime they cast out, ride over their lines and rip them off.

Hopefully pulling out heaps of line at the same time.

if you don't have a straight fin put your curved fin in backwards, perfect line graber

Hamsta said...

Land your craft, approach them in a non aggressive manner and have a calm chat with them and then try and explain how the beach is largely empty and ask why they chose to cast and burley up the water where you are winsurfing?

Worst that can happen is they tell you to go away. Some people are creatures of habit. Attempting to be assertive with them may make them think about fishing further away from other beach users next time.

If your attempt is met with hostility then move up the beach yourself.

I've done this before, they simply didn't realise that casting their lines right where everyone was gybing would cause issues.

If you explain that our boards frighten the fish away then it tends to work better as well

I've had a similar experience, although flip-side. My dad was visiting for the day & decided to take him fishing at one of the local beaches off the main drag. He doesn't get a chance to come to the beach that often & fishing's his main passion.

Was there about 20mins & we were getting some good sized salmon, a few mullet & even had bagged a good king george whiting. A car pulls up with a father/son booger combo, and they entered the water just up from us, so didn't worry too much. They were both reasonable boogers, although crap conditions (waves minimal, dropping & wash) . About 5 mins in, the dad rode a wave (if you'd call it that) right into my line. Instead of him waving apologetically as I'd expect him to, he grabbed the line and snapped it, gave me a glaring look, waved his hand as if to say "p!ss off" and paddled back out. After about 10 more mins of him & his son deliberately boogering in front of us we decided to pack up & go home, although the fish were still biting.

My father taught me to respect other's space & give right of way to who's in first, also to walk away...to a point! I often wonder what sort of life lessons some dads teach their their kids.

It happened to me one day while surfing at Club Capricorn in Yanchep WA.

Some clown was tipping guts and blood into the water from the groyne.

I paddled over and pointed out in no uncertain terms the stupidity of his actions.

I finished my communication with the statement that his behaviour could attract sharks.

On cue a shark rose to the surface between myself and the fisherman.

OK it was only a wobbegong but I'm sure my point was made.

Back in the UK we had a great little surf break off boscombe pier that was extremely popular with fishos.
They would refer to us surfers as floating turds and we would return the favour by paddling out and biting their lines off.
One fisho comedian started casting straight into the pack with huge leads.
My slightly psycotic mate laurence climbed up the pier and offered all 5 of them a choice of broken jaw or broken legs.
They all backed down!! (and these are guys with knives!) packed up and left. (probably because there was 20 of us blokes cheering laurence on, and just 5 of them fishos)

If it were sharky water and oil was being used, it woulda got real nasty on that pier!!