Light bars and surface drives

To all you idiots with light bars on you boat. It is completely unnecessary to ride in someone's rooster cone with it on for 4 miles downriver. You're blinding the other boaters. Turn that s!@# off! If you can't run in the dark with out your light bar you shouldn't be out there before daylight. Advice: If you turn the light bar off for a minute and let you're eyes adjust you can see just fine. Even if there is no moon. This goes for you Mr. 20' white express with the light bar mounted to grab rail on the console.

For you guys new to hunting and surface drives. It is not acceptable or polite to constantly rev your engine while in the marina. Let it idle.... I understand you sometimes need to rev a little when you first crank up, but man, once it's running don't rev it anymore. Stop trying to show off your custom exhaust. No body sleeping in their camp wants to be rudely waken up before its time because some jackass is revving in the marina. If you're excuse is my boat wont run unless I rev it, put that thing in the shop and get it fixed before you come down. Especially the kid with the new custom camo paint job and the big blaze orange letters on the side. Secondly guys the jump is no place to cut people off. Know where you're going before you leave the marina. One of you dummy's is going to get ran over one day and you're going to try to blame the guy who hit you but you're the dummy swerving back and forth, cutting across bows or turning around in the middle of the jump instead of going to either side. Get out the damn way!

*End Of Rant*

As a boat owner with a light bar, let me say this. I'm 58 years old and have been running around in the Basin all of my adult life. That light bar is the best thing since sliced bread. There are trees that have fallen over and are navigation hazards. Not to mention trees floating in the water and the millions of stumps. If you think it's perfectly fine to run around out there without a light then maybe you are the hazard . I can't count the number of times I have almost hit something with a Q-beam!! The light bars you hate are a no brainer for safety. Now it IS called respect to turn it off when meeting up with another boat in a narrow waterway. But I can just about guarantee that when you hit something because of your 'perfect' night vision, either the local sheriff's dept or the LDWF agents that investigate it will say, 'WHAT WAS THAT IDIOT DOING OUT THERE WITHOUT A LIGHT'!!

Well there you go Top Tagger, you found one of them right off the bat ^^^^

Hey Sherlock, to use a french term, the world is full of Avocat's. If you aren't familiar with term, ask a Cajun. If it isn't against the law to use a light bar then it's a moot point. But basically is comes down to respect and common sense. There are plenty out there who lack both or either. Putting all boater's who have a light bar into the same category shows that you fall into one of the aforementioned categories.

cajun253,Well-spoken and where I hunt,there are tons of underwater obstacles,typically logs embedded in sandy bottom and with the extremely low water conditions past few hunts,Nuck and I have hit quite a few,even though I trim my motor way up and we run very slow in the bayou leading to our trenassses and hunting spots.Shining an extremely bright light on another boater definitely not a cool thing as it blinds the guy in front and we use Q beams and make double-sure to NEVER blind a boater,quite simple thing to do.Common sense and duck hunting do not always go hand-in-hand and I sometimes make dummy mistakes and I am sure you are not who this fella referring to.Hope all end their seasons strong!!Good luck and be safe,especially anyone venturing out tomorrow and Th!!

Mandevillian

Mandevillian, there always those who think that their way is the only way. It's a shame they don't run around with people who do have respect and common sense. Those two qualities would definitely make our world a better place. The only perfect person who ever lived walked on water. I don't think anyone alive today can make that claim. So we are relegated to dealing with the imperfection that is out there and hope that we can make it through everyday without running into those who lack respect and common sense. Have a safe one:)

My rant here is not directed at all boaters with light bars. Only the ones who have no common sense and need some advice. I get running through small bayous and areas where there's fallen timber and stumps with your light on. My problem was with the the dummy running from Tiger pass down past Main Pass in my rooster cone with the damn light in my eyes. I had to stop on the side of Main Pass until my eyes adjusted again so I could continue on. It was ridiculous.

Light bars and mud boats go hand in hand when it comes to WHO is operating both, all boils down to common sense and that's not very common anymore. People have no idea how much a light bar being shined on a boat in front of them hinders the front boats vision. Hunting in Venice as the thread starter is doing is a joke when it comes to people in the river, i'm amazed there aren't more sinkings, wrecks, deaths, etc.

FWIW, I also have bow lights, but only use them when absolutely necessary and that's not very often.

Top Tagger-10-4 and we all know fools with boats and I for one have seen a drowning(years ago-guy had rope probably tied to his ankle)and the sight of a dead person pursuing his passion is one indelibly etched into my memory bank and there was another fellow,much,much younger than me who called me to alert me to boat running in circles and I had another fisher with me,that makes at least three that saw a drowning probably less than hours after it happened(not counting Coasties that were on scene quickly)!!Hope I never ever see a scene like that!!

Mandevillian

My apologies Top Tagger. I'm not too proud to say so when I stand corrected but your thread did say ' to ALL you idiots with light bars on your boat'. I understand your being frustrated with the lack of respect and common sense but unfortunately society does not allow for the removal from the gene pool or for not allowing to procreate those who lack both. But who knows what the future holds lol

And that Gentlemen is the reason why I have quit fishing and hunting. No one respects the other guy. What works for you may not work for the other. All need to understand the word Sportsman.........

My problem was with the the dummy running from Tiger pass down past Main Pass in my rooster cone with the damn light in my eyes. ...................

How is the dummy's light in your eyes? He's behind you

When it lights up your boat like a Christmas tree, the light reflects off of everything.... The white boat, the T top, the back side of the windshield.... Light reflects it doesn't just go right pass you.... You must be one of those guys alspanky.?

Yes I do have a light bar and run it when needed. The 2 other guys I hunt with also have them, I've been in front and back and never bother me. It may need to be adjusted

Are light bars legal to run with on open water? I think this is a gray area. I have read some places that a constant fixed bow light like a light bar is illegal because it interferes with the presentation of your navigation lights. The same obviously goes for the 'street glow' green light people put in there rooster tails.

Imagine this! A poor country boy goes to Toledo Bend because he heard that the fishing was unbelievable. I drive the 3 plus hours to get there early in the morning. I launch at one of the marinas with my little bateau and my 9.8 Mercury tiller handle. I was one happy Coon Ass because it was so beautiful. I could already smell the grease getting hot. I find myself a little cove to the south of the marina and begin to fish using my paddle for my trolling motor. All of sudden I hear this God awful noise that made me very concerned. Since I was in the pocket behind a cut I could not see that it was a boat. The first thing I see is this huge rooster tail throwing water very high into the air. I said to myself, this poor joker forgot to adjust the trim on that thing or something. Next thing, he breaks through the opening and all I can see is the huge motor on a small boat coming straight at me. The next thing I grabbed was my emergency role of toilet paper because I knew what coming next--a mess in my rear end. The fisherman blew by me with a racing helmet on, a death grip on his steering wheel, and a boat out of control I presumed. After the boat wash I collected myself as best I could. It was unbelievable--three cast and up and running again. Yes to some and I am sure that the fisherman that owned this thing became his idol. Most hope that others envy over the site of what we own. Have a great experience in the outdoors, keep casting, keep hunting, and most of all make me laugh at what I read. At my age it is my only entertainment. One crazy Cajun!

Swamp Lizard,I literally got swamped by basser running the T-Funky probably about a good 60 mph(shoulda kept up on step) as he backed down when he saw me,throwing monster wake that about threw me outta my Chapman pirogue and guy did not have the decency to say he messed up,what a fool and I learned valuable lesson-big boats and common sense are typically divergent and ya can't legislate stupidity.Another time,bass tourney underway and again,I was fishing my Chapman pirogue,this time being ridiculously cautious and turns out just about zero fish caught(wonder why-dem boats spook de heck outta pressured fish big-time)and I came home with very nice stringer of bass and joked with T-Funky homeowner who said everyone he talked to caught NADA!!I no longer fish T-Funky except on week days,preferably mid-week and avoid even evening fishing as 60 plus mph bass jockeys all over dat T-Funky-they can have it in evenings!!

Mandevillian

Mandevillian,

You got to love it. I used to fish from a 12 foot bateau with 9.8 Mercury using my left arm and a wide paddle as my trolling motor. I have filled more ice chest with this and the price per pound of fish drops drastically. Let us look at this way a small boat and motor total investment 1500.00 dollars. An express with a huge motor at about 35,000 dollars. Price per pound of fish ($3.00/lb.) small boat with new huge expense $500 per pound. Price per pound on a large boat and motor $11,666 per pound not counting the expenses and add on electronics. Gee that just hurt pretty bad. At least through the years I still obtained my value and did not lose my wallet. The sticker shock today is enough to kill someone with a week heart. I am now a bank-beater with a pole rod searching for white perch. The Love for it all.

I don't use them, it's illegal to do so if it interfere with navigational lights.

Use the hard-hard seal beam, works really well when needed.

Toby65,Dat's all Nuck and I use and with much later launches,no need for Q beam.Hoping against hope dat I can get out tomorrow,surely will have decent chances Sat/Sun and next Wed and Th.

Mandevillian