National Fishing and Boating Week

National Fishing and Boating Week is June 4 through June 9 this year.  This week, set aside to recognize the millions of people that love fishing and boating, was started in 1979 a National Fishing Week and Boating was added later to include others.

    Georgia celebrates this event by offering ”Free Fishing Days” from June 4 – 11th.  During this week you can fish on public waters without first buying a fishing license.  You also can fish on WMAs without a Land Pass and do not need a trout stamp to fish for them.

    Based in those relaxed rules, this would be a good week to check out Big Lazer PFA south of Thomaston.  It offers great shore or boat fishing and has good facilities for fishermen and their families.  Although gas is ridiculously expensive to get there, there are no other costs once you arrive with your tackle and bait.

    Also consider trips to High Falls, the Flint River (a public access boat ramp is at the Highway 18 bridge,) Still Branch Reservoir and Jackson Lake.  All are less than an hour from Griffin and give you the chance to enjoy the water and catch some good eating fish for dinner.

    I’m glad this all takes place after Memorial Day weekend. There are already many jokes on social media about the kinds of clueless boat owners that visit the lake on holiday weekends.

Some are just funny, like the pictures of boat ramps with truck underwater with boat trailer still in parking lot, or boat floating in the water with trailer still firmly attached under it. 

But what is scary to me are the folks out there that don’t have a clue on driving a boat safely.  They are apt to cut across in front of you illegally as well as not obeying other laws. They hqave no clue about boating “rules of the road.”

I will be home this weekend.