Dock fishing etiquette

[BLACKJACK]

When we go camping I like to take my dogs to the local lake for a swim but lots of times its hard to find a spot so I end up at a boat access, I realize its a boat access and if a boat come I get the dogs loaded up and wait. Plus I don't want them in the water when someone roars up with their boat to land.

One time I was an a access up by Long Prairie, pulled up and heres a guy and his wife with five kids fishing off the boat landing dock, about 70 yards away is another young couple fishing, its a hot day, I wanted to get the dogs wet, so I proceeded to throw dummies in-between them. My dogs didn't come anywhere close to their lines but this guy proceeded to read me the riot act, I'm sitting their thinking why don't you take these kids to a spot where they have a chance of catching fish (its shallow and weedy) but I saw the case of beer sitting by their truck so I just let it go - but instead of throwing just a few to get the dogs wet I proceeded to throw for 1/2 an hour, the wife was giving me the evil eye the whole time - I just smiled at her.

Thought it was ironic, he wasn't supposed to be there either but could give me he11 for what I was doing.

[erikwells]

Yup, public access is going to be a wide range of activities. Blackjack maybe you should have given them the old stinkeye and said "what kind of people would throw hooks in the water when your dogs are trying to swim"?

[Old Dewjabber]

Have a big daredevil ready to cast toward any id!ot that repeatedly gets too close. After all it's public property and you have as much right to it as they do.

If anyone bounced a daredevil off my boat at a landing dock, I'd practice casting a 6 oz bell sinker on their windshield or their head! Now as for private or fishing dock we would have no issues because I have other places to go! I also respect their right to enjoy fishing but on a landing I just want to launch or load and leave period. No tripping over water toys, coolers, fishing poles or anything!

I'm also sure my boat sticker pays more for the ramps than your fishing license does. Just as your fishing license pays more for the fish platform than my boat does.

Not to worry I wont be tying my boat up to your fish platform either!

[Old Dewjabber]

Oh I forgot to mention! If I'm out and I see a boat to close to a fishing pier or platform for the handicap I will blow a gasket! That is plain old wrong and rude!!

[Wanderer]

erik,

Good idea on posting a reminder for boaters to think of others using their private docks near public accesses. I too try to give a wide berth to people on their docks but have come up on some without realizing it until the last minute. This is more while fishing than just navigating.

I'm thinking it might not be a bad idea to call the Sheriff if you're seeing a safety risk. Maybe they can place a no wake buoy or hand out some tickets.

Just don't start tossing heavy metal objects or you might guarantee a visit.

[Craigums]

Goes both ways in my opinion. Here is an encounter I had last year.

I was on Big Marine fishing a row of docks, didn't see anybody on any docks (if I do, I go way around them and skip the docks before and after were they are fishing). Anyways I get to one dock and a guy comes running out of his cabin yelling at me telling me to watch out because I just ran over his line. Turns out he had a little bobber cast out about 30 yards and the rod just sitting on his dock unattended. He blew up on me and I blew up on him because now his line was all wrapped up in my $1000 trolling motor.

[hockeybc69]

Quote:

Goes both ways in my opinion.

It does, but that guy was fishing illegally with an unattended line....

[jac714]

Have a big daredevil ready to cast toward any id!ot that repeatedly gets too close. After all it's public property and you have as much right to it as they do. Just make sure to have a knife ready to cut the line and know you probably aren't going to get the lure back.

Keep in mind that throwing a heavy object with hooks on it at someone can get you arrested for the crime of assault. Recommending this course of action is rather silly because, at the least if you do it to me you are going to loose your lure and I will probably call the cops adn press charges for assault.

Whether the launch docks are legal to fish from is a matter of local policy. If you look at any Three Rivers parks launch dock it will have a sign stating that no fishing is allowed from the launch dock.

I personally don't have a problem with people fishing off the boat launch dock if they keep in mind that I am going to use the dock for what it is intended and of they choose not to respect that I will run over their lines if necessary for the safety of my boat and self.

[jac714]

x2. Just for common sense and to show most of us aren't trying to physically hurt others make sure to pull the treble off that daredevil before chucking it. A good whack on their precious boat will get them to go around you next time. They might have some choice words but they wouldn't be able to do anything to you. Plus you don't have to waste a lure to prove a point....

Again, recommending that someone commit a felony is a little silly.

[RumRiverRat]

Nice to see the internet tough guys have shown up in this thread.

Last guy that talked about slinging daredevils at people in boats no longer posts here.

[Stick in Mud]

Nice to see the internet tough guys have shown up in this thread.

LOL.

[Pherris]

I was fishing a dock on Tonka and this comes out of the house and right from the moment he opened his door he started yelling "get away from my dock. I am sick of people on my property" I at first just completley ignored him until he proceeded to get a rake and came to the end of his dock with a yard rake and started splashing it in the water while yelling like a maniac. I looked at him and smiled the said. You better knock that off or I am going to tell the owner of that house that his gardener is harassing fisherman. Oh boy did that set him off. So I just moved down the line laughing my tail off.

As others have mentioned if I am dock fishing from my boat and there are people on or around their dock I just swing wide and go to the next. I do get a bit bothered when it is a launch dock at a public access and people act like I am the bad guy for using it to launch. I have always found it best to kill them with kindness rather then argue.

As far as casting at anybody or a boat I think that is childish and dangerous. Life is to short. Take a breath count to 10 and remember every minute you are angry is one less minute you get to enjoy life!

Good Fishing!

[merkman]

At a dock like that people should be able to fish off of, but should be courteous of the boaters and get their lines in quick and out of their way.

....

Not everyone can afford a boat, it should be mutual respect and everything will flow nicely.

+1

Anything we can do to get more people fishing (especially those new to the sport without all the proper equipment yet) we should support.

No need to get angry and yell at people or give them the "stink eye" these people (namely the kids fishing off the dock) are the future of fishing.... please treat them nice.... they are the ones that will be taking us fishing when we are too old and crippled up and living in nursing homes

.

[Markula]

2 yrs ago, I was fishing Shields Lake in Faribault. As I was bring my boat into the dock to load it up, I saw a man and his young son set up on the dock, fishing pan fish. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, beached my boat far to one side, not to interrupt their fishing. I backed my trailer in at an angle, not to interfere with their fishing, loaded the boat quietly, not to interfere with their fishing, from a public boat dock. As I jumped from the boat to the back of my truck(because I was far enough away I could not reach the boat dock), I slipped, fell in the water, knocked myself unconscious. As I came to, another boater had run over to pull me out of the water and help me. I had actually broken my leg and had a severe concussion. But as all this was going on, the fisherman that was so kindly sitting on a public dock, fishing with his 10 year old son, got up, packed up and left, walking right past me as I was still getting help to my truck. No words, no concern.

So here is my point. If this was a public fishing pier, then what I did would have been just plain old Minnesota nice. With that being said, I am not so Minnesota nice any more. If you are fishing on a boat launch dock, I am not going to go out of my way to be nice to you. It is a boat dock, not a fishing pier.

That's talk the guy never came to your aide! Considering it had to be a train wreck of a fall, and a serious one at that!

And I agree...I don't like people fishing from docks at public boat accesses. When I fish with my dad and drop him off to get the truck...they'll rarely show him any courtesy and allow him room, and he's handicapped. People should learn the difference between access docks and fishing piers!! If your fishing from a boat ramp...give the boaters the courtesy you'd expect...and keep your kids from running around like animals when people are launching.