They already have signs similar to this up at many boat ramps around the state- doesn't seem to do much good.
The worst lake of all is Lake Geneva. :head I used to work for a shop that ran a charter boat out there. We would throw out a dozen flags all around our boat, plus more for the divers, and people would still drive through them to ask for directions!:rcard
Other times I've had boaters (fisherman) come right up on me and claim I was fishing their spot and refuse to move. It was one of the reasons I mounted a camera on my speargun- I always video tape their registration numbers so my widow knows who to go after. :martial
Best defense is a bigger float. On busy lakes I prefer to drag my dive kayak along- more area, higher out of the water, easier to see from a distance, and able to get on and paddle away when it gets too crazy.
Out on Lake Michigan I've even seen other dive boats drive up and ask what the
Alpha flag was for that we were flying- which is needed by law when diving off of a boat in Lake Michigan.
Aside from spearfishing, I plan on spending a bit of time in Devil's Lake this summer playing around with the new monofin- no motor boats allowed! there's some more lakes up north that have similar laws that I can hardly wait to get into. They don't allow spearfishing, but they also don't allow motors so it's worth it (for me) to dive them.
In the end it comes down to the fact that you need a driver's license to drive a car, but only a checkbook to drive a boat. :head
Jon
