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NPFL Tourney Angler Hit Boat Yesterday in North Carolina

Posted on 4/17/25 at 9:03 pm
Posted by captdalton
Member since Feb 2021
20035 posts
Posted on 4/17/25 at 9:03 pm
Both tournament trails, FLW and NPFL, two of the three major bass tournament circuits, had anglers run into other boats yesterday at high rates of speed. Two tournament trails on the same day.

Yeah, it is totally safe running 70 or 80 mph while you have your head buried in $20,000 worth of electronics. Heck, they are blocking the view anyway, might as well look at them instead of what is in front of you.

High Speed Collision on Lake Norman: Tournament Angler Charged

As for the conjecture on the Smith Lake incident, fog was NOT an issue from everyone who witnessed/was around it at the time. It was a case of driving at a very high rate of speed while watching the GPS instead of the actual water. It was distracted/careless operation. The area where it happened is pretty wide open. The striper boat was fishing a long, wide point. It was not a blind curve. And even if it was, it is still a boaters responsibility to maintain a safe speed so he can avoid other boats, regardless. Period. End of story.
This post was edited on 4/18/25 at 3:23 pm
Posted by chrome1007
Toledo Bend
Member since Dec 2023
584 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 7:18 am to
WTH is going on with tournament fishing?
Distracted driving?
Not a good week to be a tournament organization or sponsor.
Posted by DownshiftAndFloorIt
Here
Member since Jan 2011
70950 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 7:22 am to
quote:

WTH is going on with tournament fishing?


Have you never been on the water the same day as a bass tournament? It's a glorified boat race.
Posted by chrome1007
Toledo Bend
Member since Dec 2023
584 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 7:23 am to
True that.
And everyone else be damned.
This post was edited on 4/18/25 at 7:24 am
Posted by captdalton
Member since Feb 2021
20035 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 7:40 am to
Big bass tournaments have always been crazy. Nascar with fishing rods.

But with forward facing sonar now, everyone is running two 12” screens both front and back. The ones on the console obstruct the view. But that isn’t the worst part. Because most of them spend so much time focusing on the screens when fishing on the front deck, it becomes habit. So, when they get behind the wheel and are running 75 down the lake, they instinctively watch their machines instead of the water.

The new generation of electronics are to bass boats what smart phones are to cars. Great tools to have until you focus on them and not what is in front of you.
Posted by DownshiftAndFloorIt
Here
Member since Jan 2011
70950 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 7:58 am to
If tournament and charter fishing weren't a thing, this wouldn't have happened...

Both are terrible. Big Bass and redfish tournaments are the damned worse though.
Posted by The Torch
DFW The Dub
Member since Aug 2014
27537 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 10:33 am to
quote:

WTH is going on with tournament fishing?


Too much power and too much distraction, the younguns can't keep their eyes off the screen even when running.

Posted by DownshiftAndFloorIt
Here
Member since Jan 2011
70950 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 10:41 am to
Whats bad is at those speeds, there's no way you could hear a horn even if someone was blowing it.

Time to start putting radar posts and collision alerts on glitter boats. Might lose 3 or 4 knots. Good thing they make 500hp outboards now, that oughya make up for it.
Posted by WillFerrellisking
Member since Jun 2019
2490 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 1:18 pm to
You sound highly jealous of folks who have bass boats.

Show us where the bass fishermen touched you. Or did a fella in a bass boat frick your ole lady?
Posted by MorningWood
On the coast of North Mexico
Member since May 2009
2787 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 1:40 pm to
You should rephrase your title you have bass all caps like the organization when the story has nothing to do with them.
This post was edited on 4/18/25 at 1:40 pm
Posted by NASA_ISS_Tiger
Huntsville, Al via Sulphur, LA
Member since Sep 2005
8207 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 1:48 pm to
quote:

Have you never been on the water the same day as a bass tournament? It's a glorified boat race.


Even little wildcat tournaments are like that.
Posted by captdalton
Member since Feb 2021
20035 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 3:20 pm to
quote:

Show us where the bass fishermen touched you. Or did a fella in a bass boat frick your ole lady?


I can point you to a center console that a bass fisherman recently touched. He certainly fricked some people. Whole families.

It is all fun and games till they start running into other boats and killing folks.

You are going to see a pretty big backlash against bass tournaments and bass tournament anglers if this keeps up.
Posted by captdalton
Member since Feb 2021
20035 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 3:27 pm to
quote:

You should rephrase your title you have bass all caps like the organization when the story has nothing to do with them.


The initial news stories had it as a B.A.S.S event. It was a NPFL (National Professional Fishing League) event. I have updated my original post just as the news has corrected it.

That doesn’t change the fact that two of the three major bass tournament trails had anglers collide with other boats in high speed accidents on the same day.
Posted by jcdogfish
Member since Apr 2022
113 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 3:30 pm to
Terrible day for boating in general, but, do any of you guys drive on the highway??? Its like nascar, a race to get 1 car ahead, passing on the shoulder, not to mention unless you are going 80+ you get run over on the interstate.Its not just boating. Look at the atv accidents....
Posted by WillFerrellisking
Member since Jun 2019
2490 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 3:30 pm to
Out of the millions of fishing tournaments out there everywhere on all size lakes, how many accidents do you hear about? Yes there have been some deaths before with tournaments but some of you fellas make it sound like every tournament has an accident.

Every aspect of life has accidents where people die. You can be driving down the interstate and a trailer hitch fly off and kill you, should trailer hitches be banned?
Posted by captdalton
Member since Feb 2021
20035 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 4:17 pm to
quote:

Out of the millions of fishing tournaments out there everywhere on all size lakes, how many accidents do you hear about


More than we should. They are not that uncommon. This one just got international attention because of the number of people killed.
Posted by WillFerrellisking
Member since Jun 2019
2490 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 4:40 pm to
Guess we just not hearing about those accidents then.
Posted by captdalton
Member since Feb 2021
20035 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 5:25 pm to
Correct. Would you have heard about that accident in North Carolina if I had not posted it? Most never make it past local news if they make the news at all.
Posted by WillFerrellisking
Member since Jun 2019
2490 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 6:25 pm to
Knew about it when it happened which was same day as Smith Lake accident.

I’m by no means promoting wreckless or careless driving at all. If Flint is found to have been driving carelessly then throw the book at him! Just not a fan of everyone throwing bass boat owners under the bus.

Where’s the outrage when a drunk fella on a ski boat crashes into a party barge and kills people? What about a ski boat cutting a corner and hitting a perch jerker? Where’s the outrage against ski boaters?
Posted by captdalton
Member since Feb 2021
20035 posts
Posted on 4/18/25 at 6:48 pm to
I don’t recall many people ever rationalizing or justifying BUI accidents here. And I don’t recall many people blaming the victims.

But there are a lot who seem to be justifying or at least excusing what happened here and trying to place at least some blame on the victims.

Flint Davis ran into another boat at high speed and killed three people. It was either intentional malice or careless negligence. Those are the two options. Almost certainly it was an accident. But an accident doesn’t absolve someone from consequences.
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