[ul412al]

Okay - haven't seen a post yet on this but here goes....Evidently there is a lot of mis-information out there or some people simply don't know how to fish around an oil rig. I have seen just about everything from 50 boats on a rig to crew boats battling there way in. So in true Fishing Forum style.....

Give me your best Oil Rig Fishing Etiquette tip!

I'll start with...don't trollbetween the legs of the Rig!

 

[John B.]

that's a good start...

 

[Downtime2]

Don't cut people off trolling.

Stay out of other peoples lines while they are chunking or livebaiting.

Watch your distance between vessels.

Keep aware of your surroundings.

Stay a safe distance from the rig.

Keep a safe distance from people while trolling. (Had a boat high speeding last November doing circles way too close to everyone else)

Someone has a big fish on, give em' some room if the need it. Courtesy goes a long way.

If you have a green egg on board, you must share your meals with me.

 

[brnbser]

this one is big for me........

I've had some very bad experiences and close calls this year with a specific aggressive Capt in the SKA

I was cut off 6 times in the same day on a rig while trolling and twice while hooked up, he was trolling backwards to every other boat out there and then started a horseshoe pattern on just one side of the rig

finally got tired of it and pulled up under the rig to catch fresh baits before moving on to another rig, I was actually up under the rig between two pylons with my angler off the back jigging for hardtails and completely out of everyones way that was trolling.

next thing I know, here comes this same Capt at me broadside, he and I are looking at each other eye to eye......literally, we were 10' apart about to crash broadside......a 31' Cape and a 36' Contender. I hollered at the guys to hold on and jammed the throttles.

this guy never made any attempt to avoid the collision and did all of this while he still had a full spead out behind the boat. his crew was looking at him like he was crazy just like I was.

since then I found out the guy does this routinely fishing tournaments and is quite noted for his aggressive behavior. sorry, just a bit of a rant there.

give others their room and courtesy and troll in a normal pattern!

 

[bonita dan]

Courtesy and common sense goes a long way,should be handed out with every vessel registration:banghead

 

[JoshH]

never been to the deepwater rigs, just the ones in Mobile Bay, but communicating on the radio is probably smart.....

 

[Chris Couture]

brnbser (11/6/2007)this one is big for me........



I've had some very bad experiences and close calls this year with a specific aggressive Capt in the SKA



I was cut off 6 times in the same day on a rig while trolling and twice while hooked up, he was trolling backwards to every other boat out there and then started a horseshoe pattern on just one side of the rig



finally got tired of it and pulled up under the rig to catch fresh baits before moving on to another rig, I was actually up under the rig between two pylons with my angler off the back jigging for hardtails and completely out of everyones way that was trolling.



next thing I know, here comes this same Capt at me broadside, he and I are looking at each other eye to eye......literally, we were 10' apart about to crash broadside......a 31' Cape and a 36' Contender. I hollered at the guys to hold on and jammed the throttles.



this guy never made any attempt to avoid the collision and did all of this while he still had a full spead out behind the boat. his crew was looking at him like he was crazy just like I was.



since then I found out the guy does this routinely fishing tournaments and is quite noted for his aggressive behavior. sorry, just a bit of a rant there.



give others their room and courtesy and troll in a normal pattern!

Sounds like Neil!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[David Ridenour]

brnbser (11/6/2007)this one is big for me........

I've had some very bad experiences and close calls this year with a specific aggressive Capt in the SKA

I was cut off 6 times in the same day on a rig while trolling and twice while hooked up, he was trolling backwards to every other boat out there and then started a horseshoe pattern on just one side of the rig

finally got tired of it and pulled up under the rig to catch fresh baits before moving on to another rig, I was actually up under the rig between two pylons with my angler off the back jigging for hardtails and completely out of everyones way that was trolling.

next thing I know, here comes this same Capt at me broadside, he and I are looking at each other eye to eye......literally, we were 10' apart about to crash broadside......a 31' Cape and a 36' Contender. I hollered at the guys to hold on and jammed the throttles.

this guy never made any attempt to avoid the collision and did all of this while he still had a full spead out behind the boat. his crew was looking at him like he was crazy just like I was.

since then I found out the guy does this routinely fishing tournaments and is quite noted for his aggressive behavior. sorry, just a bit of a rant there.

give others their room and courtesy and troll in a normal pattern!

I guess since you fish the circuit there are certain behaviors the powers that be wouldn't tolerate, such aswaiting at the weigh in or rampfor this clown and ceremoniously stomping his ass all the while giving him a little common courtesy lecture to boot.

Since thats out of the question,for now,I'd suggest as has been suggested on other threads to video tape such escapades and show it to the SKA folks and file a formal complaint. A water balloon slingshot would be another suggestion.Maybe fill the balloons with little notes.

I haven't trolled the rigs too often but its pretty easy to see the direction and speed everyones trolling. I just ease in,join the crowd,zig and zag as close or as far away from therig as I want to try without impeding on others. I definitely give anyone hooked up a wide berth because you never know what they've got. Its really common sense and common courtesy.

 

[brnbser]

wasn't Neil......I'm not going toput out a namebut he is a division 7 (gulf coast)guy. Until I get antics on video tape, it's all just accusations

 

[14offshore]

you guys are alot calmer than i am. i would have him let me hit me if i were the stand on boat. thats is why fl. needs a boaters courses. if a guy is a big dumb ass as to do what you are saying. let him hit you . 1 st then you have evidence of his stupidity. and he will have to fix your boat. 2 nd I amfrom la. lower alabama. and 3rd my boat name is southern accent and if the guy you refer to reads this are you know him call him up tell him my boat name and tell him to try that stupid crap on me. I amnot starting things i just finish them.

the only thing i see being done wrong is when someone ties to a rig they need to take in account for drift and tie off not to take up a whole side of rig where there might have been room for 1 or maybe 2 boats if done right.

 

[ul412al]

Does anybody radio the rigs or crew boats to see what's up?

 

[14offshore]

no they wont answer if you did

althought u do not block their entrance. to rig. its a job not an adventure

 

[FelixH]

14offshore (11/7/2007)thats is why fl. needs a boaters courses.

I disagree. Boater's courses can only fix ignorance, they cannot fix stupidity... there is a difference.

 

[Captain Woody Woods]

14offshore (11/7/2007)no they wont answer if you did

not true. we radio the rigs everytime we get there and ask them if they've seen any action. they are always willing to give us some pointers.

 

[brnbser]

had the same experience with talking with the rigs, I've even had them come out and point out a surface fish to us.

of course I had a group of yahoo's on a rig we were trolling come out on to the cat walk and were drooling over my daughter with bino's while she was laying up on the bow in a bikini with her hiney in the air. they followed us all the way around the rig with the bino's trying to hide behind ladders and corners. it was pretty funny actually and I wish I had a sign for her saying "Hi, my names Katelyn and I'm 11 yrs old"

we've had good luck talking and working with the crew boats also, we had a fish that we were fighting this year that went up under the crew boat and they hung tight on the rig while we played it out going from side to side off their bow

the only time we had a problem was when we were fishing out of Fourchon and saw this huge rig that looked awesome for king, of course we made a bee-line for it and somewhere around 3 miles from it we where quickly greeted by a very large, very fast gunboat with a locked and loaded 50 cal on the bow.......ooops

we now have the coordinates for loop radar should someone need them. (LOOP- La offshore oil platform) a govt protected national offshoreoil depot/asset.

 

[mpmorr]

brnbser (11/7/2007)had the same experience with talking with the rigs, I've even had them come out and point out a surface fish to us.

of course I had a group of yahoo's on a rig we were trolling come out on to the cat walk and were drooling over my daughter with bino's while she was laying up on the bow in a bikini with her hiney in the air. they followed us all the way around the rig with the bino's trying to hide behind ladders and corners. it was pretty funny actually and I wish I had a sign for her saying "Hi, my names Katelyn and I'm 11 yrs old"

we've had good luck talking and working with the crew boats also, we had a fish that we were fighting this year that went up under the crew boat and they hung tight on the rig while we played it out going from side to side off their bow

the only time we had a problem was when we were fishing out of Fourchon and saw this huge rig that looked awesome for king, of course we made a bee-line for it and somewhere around 3 miles from it we where quickly greeted by a very large, very fast gunboat with a locked and loaded 50 cal on the bow.......ooops

we now have the coordinates for loop radar should someone need them. (LOOP- La offshore oil platform) a govt protected national offshoreoil depot/asset.

Yeah Scott I was sound asleep aboard Greg Mckenzies boat when that huge SOB ran us down. Tuna_Man and Bamasam were there too. Very, Very fast boat. Pretty creepy feeling, that is for sure. BTW, you and Lou are a class act, I could never have kept my cool when someone was intentionally trying to ram me. How high can you trim those engines. I would be very tempted to give him an Arkansas River shower. That crap would stop right away when they saw those props spinning just below the surface

 

[daddytime]

I've been runover in a boat-you did the right thing by moving of course. Also, we don't normally haila rig, but we did pull up to devils tower once and they called us to tell us the action was on the other side of the rig. Sure enough, the tuna bite was awesome on the other side. Mighty damn nice of them.