Dock Talk!!

[bassNspear]

I know we have all had them, some more then others, but what was your best/worse experience this year when it came to dock fishing. I know there has to be some good ones out there, so lets here what everyone has??

[Deitz Dittrich]

First off let me say that I go out of my way to be ULTRA respectfull of dock owners... I usually will not fish a dock if anybody is anywhere near it... and if someone is either on shore or on the dock and I have to need to fish the dock (tournament) I always ask if its alright if I do.. more often than not, people are awesome about it and welcome you to fish their dock.. I have even got stuck a time or two and they helped me get my lure back...

My worst...I had a dude take a couple of shots at me with a BB gun... Neither shot came within 50 feet of me, but I knew what he was getting at...

[Fluker]

I dunno Deitz, the guy coming down saying he was gonna "whup your ....." was pretty funny.

And Spear, now docks in 20 feet, so I got no stories. ha ha

[bassNspear]

i was thinking of you when i wrote this fluke.

[Deitz Dittrich]

oops. forgot about that one Fluke!!!

[ocf1]

My best was in Wis. fishing senkos under docks in a very very little pressured bass lake withsome good size.

[Mr. Pike1]

I like Deitz stated try to be very respectful as well. Keeping in mind the one simple fact the water is "public" and that the land owner has chose to extend a dock into a "public" water way. I like fishing mornings and evenings so that in an of itself will limit the issues and if I see anyone on their property I generally go on to the next area.

One that stands out happened to my father on a metro lake we will call lake X. There is a very nice point with dock that drops off and hold good fishing population. My father was fishing area and the elderly property owner cried out to him to that he could not fish there. He ignored her and she proceeded to take a garden hose rush down to the dock and give him a little shower. He went on his way without saying a word. Shortly there after she was served a summons to appear in court on assualt charges. She denied any wrong doing. Unfortunatly for her a picture/video camera is worth a thousand words.

[Central Bassman]

I think it’s funny when a land owner tries to tell me that he “owns” the water. There have been a few times that they have tried to tell me that before. I’m not the type of guy that can just sit there and have someone yell at me over something that really shouldn’t be an issue. But it is and you just have to deal with it. If it’s a really big deal just move on and keep fishing. I make sure to put in my .02 cents on the issue before I leave and try to really make him understand our point of view. Most time they really don’t know what to say back because they are used to people just leaving. Make your point and move on, don’t make it into a confutation. There is no need for that.

With that being said… I agree with what Deitz said, I can’t remember all the time I have been fishing docks and had someone on shore or on the dock and have asked them if its ok to fish there docks. A lot of times they look at you like “did he really just ask that” and are shocked. I have never had anyone that I have asked said NO.

My .02 on that

[bassNspear]

There is always going to be the gesters that all bass fisherman get when it comes to dock fishing. Some people out there could care less about a situation that might occur by a dock, when others dont want you close at all to there dock.

All in all, if were nice to all the people when we are around there docks, there is no reason there should be any bad words throw when we are fishing them.

[RK]

Hiya -

Ohh my...

I have an annual debate with a guy who has a cabin on the same lake as I do near Pelican Rapids. I swear, every year, we discuss whether or not I'm allowed to fish near his dock.

This guy's dock is THE dock on this lake. It's the first dock in a fairly major bay, closest to deep water, pontoon in the water on one side, covered boat lift on the other side, little patch of rushes right next to it... It's a beauty.

So every year early in the bass season, I fish his dock, and he comes roaring out of his cabin to try to chase me away. I'm polite, let him know I'm not harming anything, and usually I just hope I can pick off a fish before he stomps out on the dock and spooks them. Then the summer before this past one, he finally set me off.

So I'm fishing his dock, and he comes stomping out to holler at me. In the midst of his rant, he says "You people from out of town have to come here and fish our lake..."

SO I said: "Oh. Are you from Pelican Rapids?"

dock owner: "I'm from St. Cloud."

Me: "How long have you had this cabin?"

dock owner: "Six years!"

Me: "OK. (pointing northwest). I grew up 13 miles that way. I went to school (pointing southwest) 6 miles that way. My grandparents are buried (pointing west) right over that *** hill. My family's had a cabin over there (pointing to the opposite shore) since 1962. Now who, exactly, is from out of town?"

This year, he came stomping out of his house, saw it was me, and turned back around...

One of the worst stories I've ever heard was a guy I know who was prefishing a tournament with his dad when he was 13 or so. He was casting a T-rigged worm, overshot a little, and snagged the corner of the carpet on a dock. He saw the dock owner coming out to chase them off, so he was hauling back on the line (12# mono) to try to either pull it loose or break it off before the owner got there. When the line was stretched to the max, and just about to the breaking point, the hook popped free, and came rocketing back at his head. He put his hand up to block it, and the bullet sinker on the Texas rig hit him in the back of the hand. The doctor took the bullet sinker out through an incision in his palm - it had gone almost completely through his hand.

Owie...

For the most part the people on the lakes I fish are pretty reasonable about fishing around docks. Frankly, the biggest problem I usually have is getting away from the ones who want to chit-chat all morning. Always a few though who think owning lakeshore means owning lake. When they tthreaten to call the sherriff, I say "Go ahead. I'll wait."

best experience this year was catching a 4 pounder out from under a dock where a gal was sunbathing. I think she'd fallen asleep because she never moved when I skipped a cast under the pontoon right next to her. She must have heard the splash though, cuz when the fish ran out from under the pontoon and jumped, she opened her eyes to see a fish at eye level in mid-air. Kinda scared her I guess because she sat up and sort of screamed a little - and didn't remember right at first that she'd untied the strings to her bathing suit top... I'd have felt bad, but I think she laughed harder than I did...and I laughed pretty hard (and said I was sorry.)

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Central Bassman]

LOL

[ocf1]

LOL RK!

[bassNspear]

I LOVE IT!!!

[polarsusd81]

Quote:

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best experience this year was catching a 4 pounder out from under a dock where a gal was sunbathing. I think she'd fallen asleep because she never moved when I skipped a cast under the pontoon right next to her. She must have heard the splash though, cuz when the fish ran out from under the pontoon and jumped, she opened her eyes to see a fish at eye level in mid-air. Kinda scared her I guess because she sat up and sort of screamed a little - and didn't remember right at first that she'd untied the strings to her bathing suit top... I'd have felt bad, but I think she laughed harder than I did...and I laughed pretty hard (and said I was sorry.)

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

---

I need to fish these kind of docks. I have had a few good experiences and not really any bad ones. I always like pitching a senko up in between the boat lift and the dock, seems that if a fish is there, it will always bite for me. Caught many nice bass off the docks and will continue to do so. Hopefully next fall I will have some better stories though.

[Central Bassman]

Confrontation isn’t something that we go out and look for but sometime as bass fisherman we are just put into situations where we have to defend ourselves. (ok sometimes we do ) Bass N Spear remember the time on Twin and Syliva??

[bassNspear]

the time that you were ready to jump into that guys boat?

[olski]

I must say I've had both good and bad experiences with docks and for the most part I think people are OK if you talk with them. I have had people nicely unhook a bait and drop it in the water and also had ones I thought were going to throw it back at me. I think one thing to remember is to not be on the offensive right off the bat. I do have to laugh though every time I have a "non fishermen" or someone that is just starting to fish docks and we go by a dock with people by it I try not to fish that one and scoot by. But it never fails I will always hear a big "CLANK" from the back of the boat.

[polarsusd81]

Gotta love the "Clank". I try to avoid that, but it sometimes happens. The best part of fishing this summer, one time out with a buddy, we were casting up to the docks and on three or four consecutive casts, my buddy got hung up on seperate docks. I couldn't stop laughing and or giving him dump about it. He had an off night that time out.

[insomniYAK]

Had someone from a lakefront house send out about a 12y/o on a jet-ski that circled and buzzed past me several times. I was about 30 yards off the end fishing brush I suspect he planed for crappie. What a class act? I reported it via my cell phone to the TX Game Warden. I continued to fish for about fifteen minutes longer just for spite with no reaction. Biy, he was really upset. Yeah, he was flipping me off when I finally idled away.

[MNBassGuy]

My favorite dock story was on World's Greatest Fishing Show this past season. For those who didn't catch it, Zona is basically doing a whole segment on skip casting under docks. This shirtless dude comes walking out of his cabin/house and starts yelling down to Zona. He's saying things like "Oh goodie, it's a professional bass fisherman" then tells him that there are no fish uner the docks and that he should go out and try the drop off. Zona plays along with him and, in typical Zona style, is pointing and asking if the drop off is behind him out farther in the lake (smirking all the while). Then, as he's still talking with the guy, he skips up under a dock and hooks a nice 3-4 pounder. After catching it he starts pointing and showing the guy which dock and being a real smart arse about it. It was magical!

My personal best was flipping a jig under a couple of people sitting on their dock who then asked me if I ever actually catch anything under docks. I proceeded to catch a 5 pounder directly underneath them as they finished their question.

My personal worst was a guy screaming at me to get off his lake (can you believe this one was on Tonka) and that he was sick and tired of fishermen. He then sent his dog out and his profanity-laced tyraid continued for ten minutes or so (yeah, I slowed down for it). After petting his dog and catching two fish I pulled away and told him "Let me know when you are rich enough to buy the whole lake, then I won't fish here anymore".

One more...

The guy I bought my Ranger from this past year move up from Florida and he told me that people down there are nuts about it. He has seen people put barbed wire streched underwater across an inlet to hit people's lower units. But the worst he told me about was getting shot at. His buddy and him were in a 2 or 3 day tourney and the land owner told them that they had better not come back the next day or he'd make them sorry. After catching a few nice fish there, they went back and were met with a pistol. The guy shot two holes in the boat, and shortly there after was arrested.

[bassNspear]

gota love it.

[jermisch]

I don't really like to post much but my son made me proud on a dock this year. He is 9 and I was practicing with a jig'n'pig and he was beggin to go dock skipping, I wanted to stay outside the outer weedline. Finally, I gave in. We got up to the first dock and I let him have the first cast. The worm barely hit the water and it was fishon. He landed that one and we hit the next dock. Samething happened, the worm just hit the water and fishon. Makes a dad proud.