#1714051 - 05/09/1710:15 AM
Re: West Hill motor restriction
[Re: Tom59]
Bass addict
Member
Registered: 08/06/07
Posts: 2482
Loc: Wethersfield, CT
I have fished bass tournaments there and never had an issue, except for the crappy launch and parking. The residents have always been super cool and would watch our weigh ins. That was over 10 years ago so maybe things have changed.
"There is nothing--absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." - Kenneth Grahame
My 14 foot boat has a 40 HP on it and I've "bagged" the prop MANY times on West Hill and never had an issue with even some of the locals knowing what I was doing and not having a problem with it. Now, I have a nearly 19 foot bass boat with a 175 and am certain the bagging procedure will not fly. Why? It is all about perception. Living nearly my whole life in the area, I've heard all the stories. The most common one: "Your boat is too big and ruins the beauty of our little pond." Another common one: "I've lived here my whole life and we will do anything neccasary to keep this pond looking like it was in the 1950's".
ENCON is well aware of the many boating issues on that pond yet enforcement is lacking.
Quote:
In a perfect world everyone would obey all the rules and I'd be driving a truck for a living but it's not a perfect world. Like you said, we can't be everywhere at once and there has to be some sort of regulation for public safety. Without a HP limit I can just about guarantee that the usual 20% would be operating above the speed limit and that presents a potential for really bad things to happen when you have a lake full of summer campers
I dont know if speeding would be as high as 20% BUT I can say that PFD violations by kayakers and paddleboarders are likely 40 to 50%. But, those are nice passive uses of West Hill that are encouraged by the town.
We will see what will happen when I put my boat into West Hill this summer. I expect I'll be needing my cell phone with Encon, Boating, and resident troopers number on speed dial.
Jon, whenever you, or anyone else on the site that sees this, goes to WH during the summer, and observe lake residents using their big, above 8hp motor..take a picture. Get the reg number also in the pic..
If non lake residents 'need' to comply with the hp limit, so do the lake residents.
Does anyone for a second believe the boats that are docked at WH, with large motors, are not used??
If the DEEP enforces the hp rule, it's for everyone.
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