Joel52 said:
Did you specifically pay to launch your inflatable? If so, I would talk to the people that manage/maintain the launch so that launch areas a signed properly - based on their response, you'll have something to work with, or not... but worth a try anyway. Do they even recognize a "hand launch" area, or was it something that a few inflatables created? Boat launches can be busy places, with fishers and all sorts of boats (and cars). I know the launch at Lake Eugenia was a zoo most of the time, but there was a town official there managing it and collecting launch fees. I've never been up to Mountsberg, so can't even comment on that aspect. Not that I'm picking sides here, but I tend to agree with MuskieBait on this issue
good point on the signage. definitely none for the hand launch. basically i think most people have the understanding that it's the best access point for small crafts and like pretty much everywhere i go, anyone who fishes in that kind of spot makes way for people coming on and off the water.
if there was a sign there saying hand launch area then any dispute would be avoided. but then again ken whillans for example has no sign at all but 99% of people, shore anglers and boaters, understand that's where people come on and off.
another example of a place i've been to there is access at two spots. these are for small crafts including those with trollers, one has a dock. the other is mud, which has no signage but you can see how it slopes a little and is a "natural launch". and tonnes of footprints. i have been there 4 times and twice people who were fishing that spot made way for canoes.
as for mountsberg, i went once this summer but brought motor and battery, etc. this time and the trailer launch path was full except one spot near the ramp which was barely wide enough for me to stop the car and then lay down my boat beside the car so i could blow it up with the car pump. actually i was encroaching on the driving path and would have to move it if a car was coming but none did in those 12 minutes or so. i chose to blow up there nice and close to the water because of the battery and troller and mount, etc. if not for those i would have done it in the lot and walked down with the boat to the hand launch.
the problem with mountsberg is that trailer cars/trucks obviously find it easier to back down that long path once, drop the boat in and then drive up a little and park on the side so that when they come off they simply reverse down a little bit and grab the boat. the car and trailer are already in the correct position.
there is also a space on this path near the water where you can come down the path forward and then turn in and reverse the trailer to the water. well i think this is possible with small trailers, not for 30 foot boats if you know what i mean. however, most times i have been there, there were one or two cars parked in that spot. it would be nice if there was no parking sign there.
trailer car drivers would rather not have to drive back up the path and go park in the regular lot and then come reversing down a long, very rocky path to come get their boat when they're done.
anyway, extra signage could be beneficial to a lot of places.
on a related note, i have seen two fishing signs that have been torn down once or more. one was on the rouge. my cousin's friend got a ticket from a CO. him and some others were fishing where there was a sign post but no sign. the CO said regardless, it's in the regs book. so they all got fined.
the other is for a city pond. it has 3 paths leading to it. two of the paths have no fishing signs. the third path has an empty sign post. i think someone removed it so they could say they had no idea there was no fishing allowed.
