The worst-case scenario happened Sunday at Lake Avery, but it is the third time in the last four trips there that similar occurrences have taken place. Sunday’s incident was just so blatantly disrespectful that I figure it finally needed to be mentioned.
Was up fishing on the marina/walkway that boats use to launch from on the east end of the lake. Had been there since about 9:30 a.m. fishing with my chair and tackle box at the end of the pier the entire time.
Boats, small and large, had come and gone, and the correct respect for them was demonstrated each time a boat appeared and there were no problems. Any time a boat used the walkway into the water, it was ascertained that they had enough room to do what they needed to do to get under way in the water.
It was also a fact that each time a boat came in or out, the fishing would stop and the boats would be given their space.
No conflict between fishermen and boats. Just a little bit of respect. The boat launch area, I believe, is there primarily for the boats. The walkway is there primarily for the benefit of the boat launchers and their passengers to get into and out of their boats.
Thirdly, the walkway out into the water, I believe, is OK for fishing from if the boats and the passengers are afforded top rights.
Obviously, all are not in agreement with that silly thought.
From 9:30 a.m. to about 2:30 p.m., no problems.
About 2:30 p.m., after about five hours of sitting at the end of the walkway, two vehicles drive up. They stop literally a few feet past the far side of the boat launching pad, one aiming toward the restroom on the west end of the lake, the other with its back to his friend, pointing the front of his vehicle away from the restroom. If you drew a line from the front of his car, he was actually a few feet into the area width-wise of the boat ramp. No other vehicles on the entire restroom/picnic/parking side of the on ramp.
Out of each vehicle jumped one adult and a couple of kids.
The fishing continued with the casts aiming away from the area between the two walkways. Didn’t give the situation a lot of thought as my back was to the parking lot and there are other ways for people who don’t have a boat to get into the water.
After about five minutes of yelling and laughing and order-giving by the parents, the kids and parents are at the bottom of the launch ramp in the water, now laughing and screaming while all are trying to catch crawfish, crayfish or crawdads – whatever you want to call them. The group was loud, but I don’t think it was bothering the fishing.
It was fishing as normal for about 15 minutes. The first kids to arrive and the parents stayed near the bottom of the launch ramp and there was no problem.
After about 15 minutes, it started sounding like some major event had broken loose and it was easy to hear four more trucks come up around the corner from the road in, just past the other two parked trucks.
Numerous adults and children jumped out of those vehicles and the next thing I know, there are about 30 people in the water at the bottom of the boat ramp, and they were now swimming about 10 feet from where I was perched and where my wife, the person on the other walkway, was perched.
A couple of times, the kids swam past us into the open water, then would turn back toward the boat ramp.
After about 15 more minutes of this, one could hear one of the adults proclaim quite clearly, “I just want to jump off the end of the pier.” Myself and my wife were perched about three feet from the ends of the “piers.”
Nothing happened for a few minutes, then the guy again said, “I’m going to jump off the end of the pier.” With that said, he and five of his adult buddies ran all the full length of the walkway, making the “pier” really sway because it isn‘t solidly anchored. They ran right past my wife, who was fishing on the other walkway, and each one did a cannonball dive right where she was fishing. Right between her and her bobber.
Disbelief set in as I watched the whole group continue one by one right past my wife and continue to jump in right where she was fishing.
Anger set in.
“There are 10 places you could have entered the lake without disturbing us, and we’ve been here for a long time. If you would have asked, we would have gladly moved to where we were both on one of the piers. Did you really have to jump off here right into where she was fishing.”
All I heard from the lead jerk was some expletive followed by an expression that indicated he was looking for a fight – likely since he had about 20 people to back him up.
Both of us got up from our chairs and headed back to our vehicles – me shaking my head.
“What the (expletive) is wrong with you,” I heard and just kept walking, shaking my head.
Unless Colorado has an unwritten rule that says no matter what, the majority rules, I would say that was all pretty rude.
There are dozens of places where this group could have entered the water of Lake Avery where no one would have been bothered. But no, they apparently didn’t think or care either way.
And this isn’t the first time something like that has happened. Not to the extent that happened on Sunday, but there have been families making lots of noise and jumping up and down on the “piers” and entire families swimming near where the fishing is going on. And this was the first time we were on the different piers; usually we are within about five feet of each other on the same side.
If there is something I’m missing or if I am misinterpreting the definition of rude, please let me know. I have only lived in Colorado for a total of 23 years. Maybe I am missing something.
Or, just maybe, a lot of folks’ mamas didn’t teach the kids the meaning of respect. It certainly wasn’t passed on to those younger children present on Sunday.
