whos spot is it anaways?

[Raider4ever]

One to the chest and two to the forehead works every time.

[itchmesir]

I have this happen to me every year with the same guy. Some years he is the first one out on the ice and some years I am the first one out on the ice. Regardless, he thinks he owns the lake. First off, we are the only two that fish the south side of a 1500 acre lake in the winter. I can be 150 yards from him and it's too close. We have had our words back and forth a few times. This year, I asked permission to access the lake closer to "his spot". The landowner was very impressed that I asked and she informed me that the last couple of years someone else is just trespassing and accessing the lake from their land. It was early ice and she said nobody has been on the ice yet. I fished that evening and the next day I came back to fish the evening bite and low and behold a truck pulls up behind me laying on his horn. It is the same guy I always had problems with. I moved out of his way and proceeded to the same spot I was the previous night. He continued to the same spot and when he got there, he was furious that I was fishing in his holes from the night before. The night before I was the only one on the lake and the only one who has been on that side of the lake. I know this is going to continue to happen year after year and I have a pretty good idea this guy is over his possession limit on numerous occassions. I don't want to call him in without knowing for sure because that would only fuel things further and I don't know what to do anymore. Any suggestions?

if you're going through private land to get to the lake.. notify the land owners about this guy.. obviously you are on good terms with them since you were nice enough to ask... and maybe when they see this other a-hole they will call the locals to report someone trespassing on their property

[Jakesbuds]

I cant even count the times I've been fishing and have had guys yell at us for casting around their docks. As far as I knew I could fish anywhere I wanted to on a public lake and your dock is also in the public lake so therefore I can fish around it. You almost always get the, "I'm gonna call the cops on you" and I tell them go right ahead and I'll wait here for them too. No one ever has called them just threw cusses and remarks. When they get rude

Just tell them to fly a kite with holes in it and see how far that gets them. I dont know why but that never gets them to smile lol.

[CJH]

I am all for fishing docks, but if there are people on it, especially if they are fishing themselves or swimming, best just to avoid it out of courtesy. If nobody's there, cast away!!!

[Jakesbuds]

I am all for fishing docks, but if there are people on it, especially if they are fishing themselves or swimming, best just to avoid it out of courtesy. If nobody's there, cast away!!!

I should've mentioned that as well. I dont cast if they are on the dock either, the people I have had issues with either come running down to the dock or just yell out the window. 99.9% of the time most just ask how the fishing is and are very nice.

[Cast A Way]

I'm sure every year it's the same for most of us. Many polite anglers, but always some that think they own the lake, deserve fish if they buy a license, are jealous if you catch fish and very impaitient at the boat landings.

In the winter, the only rule I see is that you can't put your house within 10 feet of another. I have had people try to drill holes right outside my house while I was inside fishing.

On opening I sometimes feel like I'm in rush hour in downtown Mpls.

Had one boat last year Memorial weekend, near swamp my small boat with me and the grandkids in on the Mississippi going by near wide open in a slow zone. After a little chat, I doubt they will do it again as the CO was not far away. Put a real scare into the kids and me.

I had a little smile on my face as the driver was driven off in the back of the Sheriffs car for DWI and had his boat impounded.

Best thing is to smile and relax - the fish will wait for your bait.

[The Grebe]

My brother doesn't mind sidling up on someone, especially if they are catching fish. He sometimes uses binoculars to see who is doing what and then inches in on em.

One day years ago, we were on lake Osakis fishing panfish. A pontoon moved a little ways off from us, in no way affecting our fishing, which wasn't going so hot. The fella and his dad I assumed, started catching crappies. Brother wanted me to move in on em and I said "Nope, let em fish."

You could see that it galled him, every fish they brought in and he started casting closer and closer to their pontoon. Finally, his bobber and bait landed right IN the pontoon!

"Hey, can you throw my line back in the water?" No response....this went on for a few minutes. "Hey, buddy, can you unhook me?" Finally the guy turns around, picks up my brothers line and burns it with his stogey. Upon throwing the burned off line back into the water, the guy says, "One, I'm not your buddy and two, you have a whole dam lake to fish in, you don't have to fish in my pontoon!" I got a pretty good kick out of that, in my opinion, he had it comming.

I forgot to add...they'er my spots! All of em! Mine and all mine and I don't want anybody fishing em! Mine I tell you, mine! All the good spots are mine and I'll be watching and waiting in all my spots.

[Set n Hooks]

haha thats good!

[titelines]

My last trip out a couple weeks ago, I planned ahead, got out early and had the whole lake to myself. Starting catching fish almost immediately, and this went one for a few hours.

I heard some voices and saw a group coming onto the ice, straight towards me. Knowing I was on a popular spot, I thought "Oh great - Conflict time."

As they approached I heard one of them say "Is that the spot?". The other guy says "Yep, he's right on it".

I thought "Here we go".

Long story short, although they drilled a lot of holes, they never got within 30 yards of me. I could tell they were just waiting for me to leave, but they didn't crowd me or encroach at all on "my" spot. I even heard a couple of them say "I knew we should've gotten here earlier."

A couple of them came over and talked, they moved around, but didn't have too much luck. Very nice guys, and seemed to understand that I had earned the right to fish that spot as long as I wanted without being hassled.

They packed up and left just before I was planning on leaving. To show my appreciation I offered to haul some of their stuff out on the ATV, but they thanked me and declined.

If only it happened like this every time.

[thedeadsea]

Grebe, funny story, both the close casting and line burning definitely could have caused a heated confrontation depending on the parties involved.

As a whole I have been pretty lucky up in NE MN with people respecting other's space. Vermilion is the notable exception where people will block you in on both sides if you are successfully working a shoreline.

I agree with previous poster's on casting near docks. If no one is around, cast away. But I can't stand when I am sitting on the dock with the kids swimming right next to it and people are casting right at you though. If someone is blatantly casting too close for comfort I will toss a few softball sized rocks in the lake to make sure all the fish skee-dadle.

Also not a big fan of people trolling so close to my boat/dock that they can reach out and touch it. If I am at the cabin, most likely there are some goods in the boat that shouldn't be messed with. Everything that could "walk" is locked up in the shed when I am not around.

Steve

[crothmeier]

To add to my previous post about casting docks, i didnt state that we stay away if someone is there. Most the people that yell and throw things come out of their cabin. Theres a level of respect and plain old courtesy that needs to be given even if "their" dock is in the "publics" lake.

[thedeadsea]

I don't care if I am in the cabin or yard, but if we are on the dock/beach they are casting close enough to hit us with an errant cast, that's too close.

Steve

[upnorth]

I don't care if I am in the cabin or yard, but if we are on the dock/beach they are casting close enough to hit us with an errant cast, that's too close.

Steve

Yep that is rude!

[Bottle Fish]

It is usually not the people fishing that bug me. It is all the people on Jet Skis that don't even realize how close they are to people fishing or simply don't care. If you are on your dock fishing and could cast further than where the guy is riding next to your dock is what really gets my blood boiling. Especially on a lake that is more than 2600 acres. There is plenty of water with no one there where you can do whatever you want. Just stay away from where people are fishing.

[titelines]

It is usually not the people fishing that bug me. It is all the people on Jet Skis that don't even realize how close they are to people fishing or simply don't care. If you are on your dock fishing and could cast further than where the guy is riding next to your dock is what really gets my blood boiling. Especially on a lake that is more than 2600 acres. There is plenty of water with no one there where you can do whatever you want. Just stay away from where people are fishing.

Very true. We were in the canoe on a 2000+ acre lake, tucked into a little back bay catching smallmouth and got forced off the lake by a boat/waterskier. Almost swamped us twice.

[thedeadsea]

They have plenty of distance rules (i.e must stay 100' from a boat, dock, or other pwc while on plane) for PWC's but nobody follows them. I guess until the DNR starts using PWC's to be able to catch the offending PWC users they will just keep getting away with it.

Steve

[Raider4ever]

It should be legal to make PWCers KIA.

[Bottle Fish]

That is what the huge bobbers and treble hooks are used for.

Cast away boys. I caught a bird in mid flight once I think a PWCer would be easy.

The bird was by accident by the way. It flew by right as I was casting must of been in mid flap I got him under both wings with my line. I am glad it was not the hook. By far the weirdest thing I have ever caught fishing. And yes he was released.

[thedeadsea]

A friend of mine was anchored fishing once and a PWC'er came along and sprayed him several times. My buddy started casting at the PWC'er with a spoon. The PWC'er then had the nerve to stop a safe distance away to ask my buddy to stop casting at him.

Steve

[Raider4ever]

A prerequisite for owning a PWC should be sterilization. Those one brain celled mega-morons should not be allowed to breed.

When I am elected Governor (after a long, protracted court battle over absentee ballots) I promise to make PW-Skeeting a legal activity as well as unauthorized nocturnal modification of said craft. I am not worried about the pro-PWC demographic, they think election day is on a Wednesday.

[JeffB]

PWC = mosquitoes We always call them mosquitoes cause they are like that mozquitoe that keeps buzzing around your ear but wont land so you can swat it.

[CarpKing921]

Theres a bay on Whiteface Res.. I fished this area many times. Then some one leased the the point that creates the bay and all of a sudden she owned the water. I was in the bay fishing one of the creeks that feeds the resivoir with my family. This dog comes out on a new dock and starts barking. Thinking the owner who wasn't far behind was gonna calm the dog, that wasn't the case. She provoked the dog more and proceded to yell profanitys at me and the kids. I kept my cool and smiled and kept on fishing sensing no real danger. She left only to emerge from around the point in a kayak screaming even louder about how she paid so much for the property and that she owns the water and the creek we were fishing. She started slapping the water at our direction. I threw a couple casts at her and decided to move since I'm just a visitor and not a property owner up there. My relatives are across the way from her didn't want any problems for them. At the next road [PoorWordUsage]. meeting it was brought up to the other members of her family how her attitude was. Now, I fish this area with no harassment due to the fact that she's gone got bought out I guess. What fun

[mainbutter]

lol carpking.. I can't believe these idiots who don't know the laws about public use of lakes and rivers in MN.

[JeffB]

carpking you handled it well, I would have had a hard time not trimmed up the big motor shooting a large fountain of H2O and joining the water fight. Everyone enjoys a good waterfight.