While steelhead fishing the Wynoochee River this past week I had the pleasure of seeing the infamous Mr. Borgeman in action in his jet boat(olive color with an electric motor off the back). He low-balled me once and had the audacity to motor back up and do it again. I tried to strike up a conversation with him but he only muttered something about not hooking any fish. Other fishermen say he doesn't talk to anybody so I guess my fishing buddy was previleged to be able to converse with him for a couple of minutes. On his way back up to his truck at Black Creek he blasted right through the slot that I was fishing. Be warned that Mr. Borgeman and his jet boat rule on the Wynoochee River.

A jet boat has no place being on such a small river especially when it was only flowing approximately 500 cfs. As a first step they should banned on small streams like the Wynoochee River during the low flow months of June through Sept./Oct. Who or what agency should be contacted to address this situation?

My buddy and I did not hook any fish thanks in part to Mr. Borgeman. Other fishermen said that some steelhead had been caught in the last couple of days but that there are not many fish in the river yet.

Hey, its the bi-monthly "Damn sleds on the 'Nooch" thread.

wow! i thought i was seeing things today i know this guy by living here all my life. i can't believe he would try to get around with the water that low.

He's not the only one. There's another "local" who fishes it weekends and evenings in his sled. Selfish *******s!

Sparky, Maybe you should come over and experience the serenity as one of these yahoos goes blasting through your low, clear summer water. Then you might understand why more and more guys are getting chapped over this issue and why it keeps getting brought up.

As to the sledder refered to in the original message....if it's who I think it is, he pulled this crap last summer on a friend of mine and the sledder found his tires flattened when he got back to black creek. They had words and the sledder backed down because he knew he was wrong. I don't condone tire flattening but it did get the message accross. He wasn't seen much after that.

As to changing regs. WDFW won't touch the issue because they are afraid offending the sledders (so I was told by an inside source).
Too much of a hotbed issue. Apparently, the county has the authority to determine hazardous/unethical boating conditions and act accordingly. I wish they would......but then, they are probably sledders too.

[ 06-13-2001: Message edited by: Eric ]

you're right Rpetzold,

R Stevens, Slashing tires doesn't do a lot of good, Call up Les Schaubs they bring out new tires and the insurance company pays for them, besides you get caught slashing tires could be bad for your health.

Fishhead5

Eric, you may not like it but sleders have the same rights as drift boaters, and that is why the WDFW will not touch this. If you talk safty that is one thing. And from that point of view I agree with you. But if you just don't want them there because it disterbs your quiet spot in the world,oh well.

They get to play too.
I have a sled and driftboat and my sled is never on the nooch..and while it may seam like it every sledder is not a jerk.

By the way.........what happened to the spell check we used to have here,,I could use it.

I should interject here again regarding fishhead's reply.

I am not saying to r. stephens that slashing tires is the way to solve this problem....it's not. In fact, it's cowardly and lame. I was making reference to the fact that a certain local sledder last summer came upon my friend bank fishing below black creek and when this sledder went thought he middle of the hole, my friend ask nicely if the guy would please skirt the edge and not run over the fish. Aapparently aggravated that a bankie was in the hole that this guy wanted to fish, the sledder turned the ass-end of his boat towards my friend and blasted him with his jet thus soaking him. This was all my friend could take so he went up to the guy's trailer and let the air out of 2 tires (not slashed)

My friend and I had some difference of opinion over how to handle the situation. I explained he should have gotten the guy's license # and reported him....he saw it differently.

Again, the story was only in reference to what r. stephens had to put up with.....not a suggested solution.

BW,

Your right, sledders do have rights too. In fact I fish out of sleds often......on bigger rivers.

It comes down to asking yourself where you draw the line. I believe that at low summer flows, the wynoochee is not the best place for sleds.

Eric, on that I absolutly agree with you.

BW ... the site that provided spell check for the UBB software in the past pulled out because the scripts became so popular that it was overwhelming their servers.

The newext version of the UBB did not include a spell check ... the authors say they are looking to put it back in place in the near future ...

PS ... I'd say way too small for sleds too on this one!

I agree Bob, My sled is a little 14 ft flat bottom thing that will go almost every where. Except the Nooch or Satsop.

But you cannot legeslate common sence.

Eric, if someone would have sprayed me, I would have done a lot more than let the air out of his tires!!!!. I don't know what it is with some people. I guess its the same with driving in seattle.

The Wynoochee is a navigable (sp) waterway the wdfw has no authority over it. I have talked to the county comm. and it would be discrimination to ban sleds.

Fishhead5

I own both a sled and a drift boat.I'd never
take my sled on the nooch.I use the drift boat on that river.But if I was to bank it for a
day and ran across some A-hole sledder that
showed the kind of disrespect as the one your talking about and sprayied me with the pump it would had gotten a lot worse then two
flattened tires.Some one would have been hurtin and it wouldn't have been myself.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

Just my 2 cents here.... I'm a motor head and there are places you should be with a sled and places that are not so kewl to take a sled (even know the law allows). Attitudes always come about wether your in a sled or on the bank....kinda like the grass is greener thing.... Aholes come in many different forms and I hope you all have the common sense not to become one.... I carry golf balls myself.... Ever heard a golf ball bounce off a sled....lol.. How about one bouncing off a rock next to ya..... NOBODY owns the rivers....we all do......

FH5 you say banning sleds would be discrimintory...(I own both a small sled and a driftboat.

Have you checked the regs. Motors are banned in some lakes, on the Kalama past Modrow bridge and on the E. Fork Lewis.

Safety has to be the deciding issue.

Giz..

guys,we are talking about a river that is running at 451 cubic feet a second.i have made a couple drifts in the last week and had to push my drift boat over some riffles not too far above where this guy is trying to motor around.so you know this guy can't have any respect for fellow fishers or the river he is fishing.