Although I probably spend more time on the water than 95 percent of the general public, my contact with this particular watercraft has been extremely limited. The majority of my time on the lakes, rivers and coastal waters of Maine is spent searching for trophy fish. They certainly elude me more times than not, but I am persistent. My pleasure boating is limited to an afternoon or two with the wife and a few friends enjoying the sun, and an occasional trip down the Kennebec to the Popham Beach area each year. Other than these few occasions if I am in a boat, I have a fishing line in the water.
Fishing is a little different than pleasure boating where the movement, if any, is very slow.
Peace and quiet is a necessity, and an often-overlooked luxury. Nothing is more aggravating than trolling, or still fishing and having another boat come screaming past you with no regard to your activity. Fortunately, this does not happen to me very often. Most boaters are quite courteous and slow down when approaching a fisherman in a confined space. In large areas, most will steer well clear.