Boaters and Docks

[Hossienda]

A very simple plea:

As a boater, please respect the people you see fishing off their docks. I can understand that boaters want to troll in where they think they have the best chance of catching fish, but to have a total lack of respect for the people on the docks is just ridiculous.

At my family cabin, the Opener is spent fishing only from the dock. For years we have had good success with walleyes and northerns. The problem we encounter is the people fishing in boats who get in so close that they repeatedly snag our lines. This year it happened several times, with one boater doing it twice. You would think these boaters would at least have the courtesy to apologize or something, instead all they do is get their stuff free, and continue on their merry little way.

If you want to troll out front of my dock, I wish you luck. But please, have the respect to swing out when you encounter a dock full of rods. If not, please keep an eye out for flying sinkers...you'd be surprised how far some of them can fly.

-Hossienda

[eyemaster]

I agree with that, ppl should have more respect than that

[united jigsticker]

Also see "Etiquette" by Crappie Tom in the Crappie/Sunfish forum.

Here is the link: http://fishingminnesota.com/ubb/Forum50/HTML/000400.html

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Good fishing,
UJ
[email protected]

[Hoyter]

Hoss,

Build yourself a simple "floating dock" that can be anchored out in front of your dock. You should be able to easily cast around it but they won't be able to troll around it without making a wide swing. Just be sure to follow the regs for an unattached structure such as reflectors.

Just a thought.

[Animal]

Everyone should be considerate of fisherman. If some guy is fishing on the dock then then the boater should give way and allow for adequate room. This is no different than passing a boat on the water.

I am sure you are a law abiding fisherman, but many cabin owners leave unattended lines out. I feel these should get no respect. I have a couple of really nice lighted bobbers that I've found just floating in the water attached to baited hooks.

[Hossienda]

Animal,

That's the kicker, we pretty much are always on the dock and these people still come right off the front. I bet one guy was a max of 30 ft. At least he only caught our lines and not a fish. I guess they were saving themselves for us!

-Hossienda

[Farley]

Not only docks, I was wader fishing last night and caught one and missed one while this boat with 3 guys sat out in the lake a ways away from me. I went back to my truck to change lures and when I come back those 3 @ssholes moved in right on top of where I was fishing (I was standing in less than 2 feet of water). I had a dock 5 feet away on my right with weeds out in front of it and the boat 10 to 12 feet to my left. So I get two more fish in two casts and those jerks started casting right out in front of me. So I sat and tried to time my casts so as not to snag lines, but I really had nowhere to cast so I bounced one right off their boat in hopes they'd give me a little more room but the jerk casts one right back at me. I said "You have the whole lake" and they said nothing. So after listeng to them drop tackle boxes and pliers and whatever on the floor of the boat (after I already made them turn their lights off) for about a half hour I said screw it and left. The fishing was good untill those jerks moved in. It was all I could do to not pick up a rock or two and chuck it at them. But I guess that's just something you have to deal with even though it's not right.
I wanted to kick their @sses but there were 3 of them and I didnt want to end up in jail either.

Inconsiderate A-holes

[EBass]

Man that bites! I've been a shore fisher for years and had that happen to me. Now that I have a little boat I avoid people or skip the dock that those people are on.

It's plain common sense, but I guess not everyone has it.

Sorry to hear about the mis-haps - I'm sure there will be more to come.

[IFallsRon]

I like the ones who drive between me and shore when I'm barely 15 yards out.

[Bill-E-Bazz]

This is a little bit different but last week a buddy and I went out to tonka' and I'm cruisin' pretty good and all of a sudden we look to our right and thers another bass boat crusin' right past me at about 60 mph less than 30 yards away! How did he know I wasn't going to turn right it could have been a very,very bad situation. Sorry had to vent it was a shocker when we saw how close he was. Anyways...

Good Fishin'...

[Gissert]

I have experienced similar situations on my dock. While fishing for gills, or even just swimming , I have had people troll across my lines, or cast plugs close enough to splash me.

It sometimes seems like people just have no common sense.

The incident that really took the cake remember happend about 5 years ago. We were skiing and tubing from our dock. We had been at it about 45 minutes when a 14 footer with a couple of guys anchored their boat not 50 feet in front of where we were taking off and landing. I asked them if they realized they were in a bad spot at the moment. "So what, we want to fish here" was the reply.

We tried to work around them, but it was just too unsafe and they would not move, so we quit. 20 minutes later they were gone. Go figure.....

There always seems to be someone like that no matter what you do. There's the guy who skybusts to keep birds out of your decoys, the guy who augers a hole 20 feet from you just as dusk is falling, etc.

[climbmda]

I agree that many people need to have some lessons taught about common courtesy. I grew up on a metro lake, and always had issues with people who were boat fishing coming right up an casting to our dock, while I was fishing on it. I love to work the docks for bass and northerns, but I SKIP THE ONES THAT PEOPLE ARE ON!!

Also, I used to fish from the canoe a lot. I would be working a shoreline, slow and quiet, and someone would come roaring in with a bass boat, ahead of me, within 25 yards. They would then proceed to work the shoreline that I was fishing. This happened so often that I used to wonder if the word was spreading to just fish where the guy in the red canoe was at.

The lakes are big. It never fails, though, that people will drop right in, within casting distance, of where someone else is anchored. If you like the spot I'm in, either get there first, or wait until I leave. Is it really that tough??????

[shortfatguy]

i have had this happen while fishing on lake vermilion. fishing off a public dock with the kids and some jerk pulls up and parks his boat within 2 feet of our bobbers. after i hit the side of their boat and even casted into it i grabbed my pike rod with 80 lb braid and threw it out and snagged a line. after a quick yank a rod came flying out of the boat. i reeled it into the dock and the guy came in to get it all [PoorWordUsage]ed off but he didnt fish on top of our bobbers anymore!

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a bad day at the lake is better than a good day at work

[the olde man]

short fat guy,i like the tackle boxes myself i think you`ll find it`s more fun to rummage through them ,rapalas work great

[woodyjdh]

SOmething quite similar happened to me many a time. Now I carry my "dikes" (diagonal cutters)in my back pocket...and when they snag my line...I politely tell them I will have it untangled in a minute...as I snip off there line. Then I sit there and take care of the mess. Mean as it sounds...they usually don't stick around to do it again. My grandfather used to have his lead depth finder (from ice fishing) handy...when someone got too close..he hooked it on his line and cast right where he always had...usually hitting the side of their boat. Some people just don't take a hint though...and it is unfortunate to those of us who use common courtesy. And regretfully we have to take matters in our own hands.

[tadpole]

Have to agree. Hate stupid people!

Tad

[196thDLR]

One of the lakes I fish you must pass under a bridge to get into the main lake. Many people fish the bridge pilings and the boat channel from shore. There is also a fishing pier not far from the boat channel which juts out into the main lake. I make every effort to respect these shore fishermans' rights. I know it is frustrating to them to just get their bait out where they want it, and here comes a *&%#*%& boat. {I did not always own a boat.} I have had these people look directly at me as I am passing under the bridge and cast directly into the path of my boat, or bounce the bobber and weight off the hull of my boat. Respect for other peoples property and rights is really what this is about, and it really makes me wonder what has caused all of the disrespect that seems so prevalent these days.

[pikerliker]

In my opinion the lack of respect comes from the sense of entitelment that is so prevelant today. "It's my right" to fish here. "You can't stop me from fishing this spot because it's my right", etc, etc. Respect comes from being able to put yourself in somebody elses shoes and relating to that. Not just thinking about how "my rights" are being violated by somebody else. I just do what I can and try to pass it on to my kids. I don't have enough time or energy to educate all the morons who don't have time to think about anybody else but themselves. There's too many of them!! But there are also a lot of decent sportsmen and women out there too. In fact the vast majority are. We can't lose sight of that. It's just that the morons stand out more because to those of us who do give a **** it's insulting and frustrating. If most of us werent' decent sportsmen we wouldn't be venting in this forum about those who don't!!

~piker