Looks like this is one of those situations where a few bad apples spoil the whole bushel. I too have experienced the "me first" attitude of some guys in sleds while on the Cow in my drift boat as they go blasting by at a distance of 20 or 30 feet. On the other hand, while I was on the Cow this past weekend, there were several sleds who dropped down to idle speed to go by. To those of you who eased by the silver/red diamondback with the cowboy on the oars, thanks. To those who went by full bore, this proposal is the result of your (and others like you) lack of courtesy.
Now if we could just all play nice, we wouldn't have more regulations...

They can do power boat bans because they did it on the yakima. My .02.

I have to disagree with you Bankwalker.The upper Sky is big enough to share.I really don't see how boondogging really should upset anyone.I don't think you will ever see a sled ban here,nor should you.
I've never fished the Nooch,I'll bet the area in question is much smaller than the Sultan to Monroe section of the Sky.

Yep its the old sled vers drifboat vers bankie thread
bankies want to ban all boats
drift boaters want to ban all motor boats
sled owners just want to roar up and down the river
waa waa waa you want some chease with that wine?
ben there done that .Get over it.

Well said Mr. Crowder!

Piss off, wankers. :p

moto-ban........kiiiiiiiick ass.

RT: it makes no sense to me either. My comment was to show goose that dispite what he may have found in RCW re WDFD scope of authority over the use of motors in rivers to look at the Kalama as an example of how they do control them through regs.

In Or. certain forms of motors are restricted once you leave tide water. In Wa many lakes are also controlled by either horsepower limits or the ban of a gas and in some lakes no motors at all.

So to say WDFD cannot by authority limit the use of motors does not reflect in actual practice.

On the Kalama, I feel that the use of an electric motor should be allowed as it does no harm and as many of us are getting older and some with diabilites. The use of an electric motor will help us continue to fish.

Several years ago, when the Kalama was closed to the taking of spring chinook. There were a few old timers who would slip down to their favorite hole, catch a few nooks and then return upstream via the help of an electric motor. The gamies were told of this practice repeatedly.

One morning they finally staked out the hole and the only ticket the guy in his late 70's got was for using his electric motor. Forget the fact that he had been keeping spring chinook but that morning he had no fish.

Giz....

I fish all the rivers mentioned above. I also own a driftboat but the sky in more than big enough to fish a sled in it and have not problem with most. But I think the fustration is coming from guys who instist on low holeing you and even give you that glance before they do it. Which tells me they know better. It was nice in the low water when they couldn't get up there but can't see a ban though. And anyway I love pulling fish from behind them "HEY YOU MISSED ONE!!!!"

Tight lines

Kevin

Leadslinger, I could deal with a deadline at sultan or even below the Wallace for sleds, I feel this would be a good compromise. But a few bad apples are changing my attitude in the upper river. Last Winter and Summer I would hike into spots between high bridge & Sultan and be in a run first only to have a sled run up and boondog over the run I am fishing a dozen times, casting right below me. At least with a drift boat, if they are rude and low hole you it's one shot deal. If this type of behavior continues it will impact my tolorance.

I do understand the sentiments to ban sleds.I just don't agree with it when the river is big enough to share.The upper Sky is as sled friendly as the lower Sky.There are some pretty tight spots right off the bat as you head up the lower river.I don't go up much further than that because the bankies have the area upriver fairly well covered.Fair enough,they can have it.
The area above the Wallace is self limiting.I fish above there when I can,not many bankies up there.Not too many boaters will go there either,for good reason.Plenty of room to share the river,just give the other guy a little consideration.
We all impact each other,so unless we all want to take up fly fishing(dry flies,of course) I think you need to have the mindset that you share the river and accomidate when possible.Believe it or not bankies impact boaters too.It's part of the sport.It is no big deal.
I have people boondog through areas I fish,from the bank, all the time.I've never had a problem with it.I let them drift through and then I cast again.Was I supposed to get pissed off about missing one cast?
Also,you are not taking anyones line out of the river with a ban.They will end up competing with you for limited bank access to the section of river that you both like.That's why they are in your way.They like the same spot you do.
Nor is there anything to the there are less fish in your hole/river theory,simply because a sled goes by.For every fish that supposedly gets spooked out of your hole,another one, theoretically, gets spooked into your hole from the hole just down river.
Plenty of Sky for all of us.

Now if I could just find a way to get a spooked fish to bite.

Gizmo your right about the Kalama...thanks...don't mind being corrected at all. Still think that there may be a jurisdiction problem.Can't believe I missed that in onlya 120 plus pages.

Personally as a bankie....I would prefer not to see any boats spoil my morning peace of mind when fishin steelhead. But do I have that right or should I even try to impose it? Maybe we should divvy up everything so only one type of fishing is allowed in each certain stretch of each and every river? Ultimately with all the recent goings on this is where this process is heading.
What I guess I'm trying to get at is my concern for divisiveness in the ranks and displays of more and more rudeness by members of all groups within the ranks.

Peace
Gooose

By the way if did have a choice for bankie only...hmmm ....Nah, certain people would never forgive for it.

Hey Gooose, no offense taken and no fight trying to be started on my end. I just know the regs and they way they're enforced. It clearly states in the regs that if "special regs" are in force, then that means that no motorized vessle is allowed unless stated in the special rules column. They have that in force on the Upper Hoh and a few other rivers. As Os had said, you won't see a sledder running full bore up the Nooch to see a Stellar Jay up near the spillway. Usually they're people fishing. It'll be easily enforcable. If the officers look into the boat and see fishing gear, then they're busted. Easy enough since these rules are for fishermen/women anyways.

Now to the others, I own a sled, a cataraft, and I am a bankie too. I do all three. My cat is for upper rivers. My sled is for bigger rivers like the Chehalis and mouths of Sop, Nooch, and Hump (and etc). Then I bank all over the place if there's one hole I want to hit in particular. So I see every point in question. This is a debate that will be more a fight then a discussion. I say just close the thread. We've all been there done that with this topic.

I'm kinda divided on this issue, i have a very good friend who just purchased a sled, 14 ft with a 40hp jet. He is an owner of a drift boat and the sled. We have mainly fished from the drift boat for the past couple of years but he liked the idea of the versatility of a sled. We recently took the sled to one of the rivers mentioned above. We received alot of looks from the bankies, etc. etc., WE DID however make a point to not go hauling ass thru the holes or even disturb the holes. I think it all boils down to just sheer respect of other people trying to fish the river. My friend went way out of his way to stay out of the way of driftboats and slowed down when we passed all of them... I do believe that a couple of idiots will ruin it for a majority of smaller rivers within this state...I also spend alot of time fishing the bank and i know nothing more in this world pisses me off more than a sled that goes roaring by without even taking a look to see if someone has a fish on or anything..my .02.

Steelheader69 gotta agree . Just that I've seen and personally dealt with some other stuff
where the bird watcher stuff almost happened. Myself, family and friends stopped it. My reference was meant to be general rather than specific to the nooche and soppy. Hey guys realize we aren't the only ones trying to divvy up the pie. .

Gooose

I believe there has been alot of good points bought up in this discusion. But I myself am a sled owner. I ve have fished the above mentioned rivers for alot of years. Im probably the most river courtesy some of a b**** you will ever meet!
But i have also come to the understanding you flat can not make EVERY BODY HAPPY!! Ive been cussed at,rocks thrown at, your #1 to death! But you know what?? If you want to get rid of the boats, get rid of all the boats. Me and everyone else I know that has a sled, will be in line to buy a new drift boat the next day!! And you guys think its crowded now. Wait until all the guys with new drift boats plug up you over the bank access!! Jut a thought.

Somehow I don't see Alumaweld and the other manufacturers sitting back and staying quiet for these proposals. They paid Big $$$ to be put on the covers of the regs. in WA and OR.

The one thing I hear is that people want the sleds to slow down when they pass ya. If you pass me in a blue willies stay on plane please. Because your wake is a hell of alot smaller on plane than it is off. And how many of us have caught a fish right after a sled has stired them up? The only thing that gets me is don't low hole me when I'm pullin plugs or side drifting.

Tight lines

Kevin

Hmm,
Seems like every 6 months or so somebody just HAS to bring this up.
Check the archives and look what`s happened with threads like this in the past.
These have caused readers to quit the B.B. among cause much animosity amongst some of the folks.
I think the best thing to do is just drop the thread.

THis thread is pissing me off. How many times have i heard "sleds stir the fish up!" Your damn right they do!!! In perfect green high water if the fish are stale or have been hit hard in the morning you will get a taker right after a sled pass, BUT in low water in 5 or less feet, a constant line of sleds will shut the fish off most if not all day. I have witnessed this umpteen million freakin times on the sky in my favorite drift. I just plane dont like sleds on small to medium size rivers.

Just wait till the second week in december when the river drops in prime shape on a saturday or sunday and you will have an absolute circus at the sultan ramp. Im sick of being corked, cut off, and blasted by waves. THis year instead of being the good guy and letting some a-hole sidedrift two feet infront of me, im gonna end up splitting his sack....I hope its not yours

Enough of my whinning, most of it is justified as some of you understand when out there. No more sled threads...lol Gets me fired up