PADDY ETIQUETTE

[Surfdoc]

So, you are getting frustrated as hell, can't find a damn paddie when you see a boat that appears to be stopped on a paddie. What do you do?

Well, what I do is keep my distance and try to see if anyone is hooked up first of all. I might try to get someone's attention and see if they wave me in. I might use my radio and just say "you guys mind if I slide in?"

If I get no one's attention, and don't get waved in, I will make a decision based on just how long I have been looking for a paddie etc and then slide in uninvited. When I say slide in, what I mean is this.

I will have already been throttled down to an idle since I got into the area. Not to hard to figure out which way the drift is going so once I have done that I will motor very slowly and quietly up wind of the paddie although not directly upwind. When I drift I don't want to get anywhere near the paddie or the other boat. I want to drift maybe 100 feet or more off the opposite side of the paddie from way upwind. Thats about it.

I did exactly what I just said on a paddie once and my son and I and C-nut had 12 yellowtail in the boat before we got anywhere near the paddie. There were 5 other boats either right on the paddie or drifted downwind some and none of them caught anything that I could see.

Saw a guy the other day who kept backing right up to the paddie and was throwing bait like crazy and everyone in that boat were so intent on the paddie that they didn't see the Dorado jumping all over the place between my boat and their's. Amazing

I do the same thing to a paddie I find on my own. Sometimes I will pull up down swell of the paddie because it has been my expience that bait swims upswell, and my bait will swim right at the paddie.

If I am on a paddie I found and another boat approaches, I don't even hesitate, they are invited in immediately. If I see them getting to close I might suggest they keep their distance and drift as I am. If they drive right up on the paddie and tie off, I don't hesitate then either, I will tell them quickly how fucked up what they just did was.

An example of what not to do;

182/181 9-5

I think the 2 most important things I have learned from this board and from guys with far more experience than I are;

1. Don't chase radio fish, if is FAR more rewarding to be the guy who
calls others in on a bite that you found yourself.

2. Fish are all around a paddie and at all depths under it. NOT right under
it, although they are right under it from time to time. But right under it
is the last place I look.

I also like to drop some iron down 200 feet or so and YoYo a little. Sometimes 50lb Opah's will just leap onto your jig

Please add all your comments here guys. This is very bare bones and I post it because dshep75 asked for it
__________________

[svue]

Here we go again....
The etiquette thing. Paddy hoping can be very frustrating sometime, depending on who was there first.

I like to share my paddies, no need to ask, but whoever is going to poach my paddy has to know how to drift it.

Maybe we should post a HOW TO POACH A PADDY GUIDE.

[byeye]

I like Patty hopping.

[Cuda/Hoo_Killer]

whos Patty? anyone we know?

[jephs422]

If I'm on Patty, you are all more than welcome to take a turn, must wipe her off when you're done so I can have her back clean.

On a paddy I'm the same way. Slide right in. Just don't ass fuck it and ruin it for everyone.

[Erik]

Originally Posted by jephs422

If I'm on Patty, you are all more than welcome to take a turn, must wipe her off when you're done so I can have her back clean.

On a paddy I'm the same way. Slide right in. Just don't ass fuck it and ruin it for everyone.

Wet wipes..check!
Lube..check

Ok I am ready for paddy!

[BLOCK]

If they made people pass a common sence test before buying a boat...there would be alot less boat owners..

If you're dumb enough to get the paddy stuck on ur prop you are already everyones least favorite person, so do yourself a favor and avoid getting beat up, shot, or bombed by torpedo sinkers, by NOT starting ur motor on it.. If you can't get it off cut a few stringers with ur dikes..

[Darylfw]

It's really cool when you've been driving around all day, have hit a bunch of empty patties and someone lets you slide in on a full patty. It also sucks when some idiot drives through your WFO patty and shuts down the bite without even asking. I always ask if I can slide in and will always share a patty after making sure that they know they don't need to be on top of the patty to get bit.

[Bad Dog]

The pure enjoyment of fishing encompasses being out on the water and sharing the nature experience with your friends on board and find some peace and tranquility away from the hustle bustle of every day life. Finding a successful paddy on your own is the zenith of this experience. I wouldn't want someone knocking on my door and saying that they love the music that I'm playing and if they could come in and enjoy our party and dance with our wives, nor would I want you to find me offshore and approach me to encroach my kelp paddy no matter how big it is. no matter how skillfull you are, no matter whether or not you HAVE TO perform for fare paying passengers and you do this for a living, and no matter how your day is going. No condition warrants your jumping onto my court with your ball and starting a second game while we are playing. Wait your turn and the court or playing field will be yours after we are through playing. That's the way sports are played. I don't care what the score is, what inning we are in, which quarter of the game it is, which hole I am on, or whether or not you have a titanium racket, or the ice is melting, keep off my field of play. You can do like everyone else and sit in the grandstands, on the 50 yard line, behind the catcher, or get a hot dog and watch us play until we get off the field and then it's all yours and you can bring your balls and play. And if you walk into my turkey shoot, line of fire on a grizzly, into my duck blind, or while I'm beading down on a stag.....you're going to get shot. So stop your whining and play by the rules that have been established since they invented boats..........find your own paddy and start your own game. I have found that generally when you find one paddy there is another one in the same general area due to the current. Have some respect for your fellow boater and leave him unmolested......it's a big Ocean.

[ConSeaMate]

I always let other boaters slide up to "The" paddy.....It' not "My" paddy ........But if there are Mola on the paddy I keep it for myself..... ..............

[aclemieux]

Nice, Stan....the proactive approach for the coming season. A refresher. Cool.

Last year there seemed to be alot more paddy poaching & bad ettiquette at the beginning of the season than there was toward the end, and I believe that is due at least in part to the education people were getting on this board and maybe others. Eventually people started to get on the same page with what is acceptable and what is not. At least that was my experience. Good for you for posting this.

Steve...well said.

[Drydocked]

When it's rough, it can be hard from a distance to figure out where the paddy is relative to the people fishing. I've accidentally gotten too close to the paddy trying to pass by someone on a fish because they had drifted a couple of hundred yards off of it, and I didn't allow enough room.

Probably safer to pass down-drift of some obviously fishing a paddy, rather than up-drift.