Folks, Don't Be This Guy

[D3FT]

Great points OCdockskipper.  I just hate to see confrontations like this story. Don't let it get this far.

[haggard]

If someone's on the property (on the dock or not), I just wave and move to the next one. There are plenty docks on the lake. If I really want to fish it I'd simply ask them if they mind if I cast around their dock.

 

[Rahlow]

Had a guy take issue with me fishing in front of his dock, he never said a word, just disappeared around to the opposite side of his house and started throwing rocks at me OVER his house,  This was on a private lake I had permission to fish as a member of the HOA, when I finished for the day, returned to my truck, it was spray painted down the side KEEP OUT. 

This turned into a major deal, This was 30 years ago when I didn’t give a d**n. Let’s just say he regrets his actions to this very day.

[fissure_man]

On 6/13/2018 at 7:41 PM, NHBull said:

If a man on a dock pours gas on me, that puts him at 3-4 meters........I wouldn’t miss!

9 hours ago, Glaucus said:

Wouldn't be hard to justify shooting the jerk at all. 

These comments are more disturbing than an old guy splashing gas around.  Kill him? Really?

[NHBull]

5 minutes ago, fissure_man said:

These comments are more disturbing than an old guy splashing gas around.  Kill him? Really?

Talk to me after you’ve had someone try to kill you......you never look at things the same!

[YaknBassn]

I had an older fella blow up on me for fishing too close to his dock.  I simply apologized, told him I meant no harm, and would move on.  As I moved away, he got my attention and apologized to me for acting the way he did.  Come to find out, he found a jig stuck in one of his boat seats with a sizeable tear.  

 

Maybe the property owner was being completely unreasonable, but I figure the fishermen didn't help the situation.  If someone causes a stink, it's easier to just move on.  There's plenty of water to fish.  

[Glaucus]

51 minutes ago, fissure_man said:

These comments are more disturbing than an old guy splashing gas around.  Kill him? Really?

You know how many people are too late to retaliate before they are killed themselves because they didn't want to react? Gasoline can be deadly and painful. Who knows what the next move would have been. 

[Armtx77]

We have some odd ball water laws amd who owns said watet down here. There are waterways, that have been fenced off by their owners.

 

I have bared witness to landowners, running people off of waterways, that they claimed to own and moat times, did in fact own.

 

Im talking about stuff, that requires a boat to get to.

 

Crazy

[fissure_man]

1 hour ago, Glaucus said:

You know how many people are too late to retaliate before they are killed themselves because they didn't want to react?

And how many are killed after hotheads whip out their guns and escalate situations that have obvious, peaceful solutions?

 

These guys should have left before this crazed old guy even got to the point of throwing gas. I get that they're fishing legally, but does that warrant turning it into a gun fight? Call the cops and let them talk to him. Somebody that's concerned with preserving their own safety would have left before it got ugly.  A fish ain't worth the confrontation, let alone murdering the guy.

[NHBull]

7 hours ago, fissure_man said:

And how many are killed after hotheads whip out their guns and escalate situations that have obvious, peaceful solutions?

 

These guys should have left before this crazed old guy even got to the point of throwing gas. I get that they're fishing legally, but does that warrant turning it into a gun fight? Call the cops and let them talk to him. Somebody that's concerned with preserving their own safety would have left before it got ugly.  A fish ain't worth the confrontation, let alone murdering the guy.

The trouble with this stuff on forums is that we all read the same news or article and bring our own assumptions and experience to the discussion. Truth be told we don’t know about the timing.  If someone is intent on doing you harm you usually have a couple seconds to act/react.  

Since gas made it to the boat, moving the boat, calling the police and discussing the issue ....takes more than 2 seconds, you loose.  Had the outcome been different and the anger killer, would you still think calling the police was the answer?  Again, just brining life experience to the discussion and to that End I move on.

[soflabasser]

On 6/13/2018 at 10:29 PM, OCdockskipper said:

The thing that caught my eye is that the guilty party is 64 years old.  How in the world do you live this long on this planet and still 1) Get mad at other people fishing near your dock & 2) Think it is a good idea to throw gasoline on anyone?  If a 20-something had done it, I could have understood and chalked it up to stupid youthful bravado.  But 64?!?  C'Mon man...

Pouring gasoline on somebody while they are legally fishing is unforgivable at any age! This man needs to go to jail for a very long time since he could of killed these fishermen. 

[soflabasser]

23 hours ago, NYWayfarer said:

Sounds like Dementia to me.

Maybe. He could also have low testosterone which makes some old men very grumpy. Regardless what he has he doesn't have a free pass to throw gasoline on people who are legally fishing a dock. 

[the reel ess]

People throw around "I'd shoot that guy" like it's all justified and no one else would be affected. Nice and clean, one less idiot in the world. When someone is killed, it affects their entire family, your entire family and you. You'd never stop thinking about the life you took even if justifiable. Not to mention, shooting someone you didn't absolutely have to in most states will get you charged with some kind of manslaughter and you'll need a good lawyer and most of your savings to stay free. You could end up taking a plea to a lesser felony and lose your gun rights. I have a concealed carry permit and I do carry often. But with that right comes a great deal of restraint. You'd better know you're in grave danger before you pull a trigger on a human being.

 

He is happy whom circumstances suit his temper; but he Is more excellent who suits his temper to any circumstance. David Hume
 

[NYWayfarer]

40 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

Maybe. He could also have low testosterone which makes some old men very grumpy. Regardless what he has he doesn't have a free pass to throw gasoline on people who are legally fishing a dock. 

No one said he has a free pass to throw gasoline on people.

 

I said he sounds like he has dementia, which means he needs treatment not a bullet.

 

As far as legally fishing a dock. Sure it's legal and we have a lot of respectful anglers on this forum. But for every respectful angler here there are dozens that don't give a flying fig about what they hit when they fish a dock. Those anglers give dock owners all the ammunition they need to fuel their stereotypes of us.

 

 

[fissure_man]

2 hours ago, NHBull said:

 Since gas made it to the boat, moving the boat, calling the police and discussing the issue ....takes more than 2 seconds, you loose.  Had the outcome been different and the anger killer, would you still think calling the police was the answer? 

But that’s not what happened, nor is it what has happened in essentially 100% of all other encounters with dock owners. These confrontations happen all the time, and the point that needs to be emphasized is that they can always be defused by moving on and not escalating the situation.  In this case, how likely is it that the OP scenario developed in 2 seconds, with no opportunity to be the bigger man and move on?

 

This thread has 1000+ views and counting, probably lots of kids.  I hope folks aren’t taking seriously the view that the correct way to handle these situations is to state your rights, stand your ground, whip out your gun, and shoot first when things get ugly.  That 'macho' mindset and disregard of human life is disturbing. 

[Russ E]

3 hours ago, the reel ess said:

People throw around "I'd shoot that guy" like it's all justified and no one else would be affected. Nice and clean, one less idiot in the world. When someone is killed, it affects their entire family, your entire family and you. You'd never stop thinking about the life you took even if justifiable. Not to mention, shooting someone you didn't absolutely have to in most states will get you charged with some kind of manslaughter and you'll need a good lawyer and most of your savings to stay free. You could end up taking a plea to a lesser felony and lose your gun rights. I have a concealed carry permit and I do carry often. But with that right comes a great deal of restraint. You'd better know you're in grave danger before you pull a trigger on a human being.

 

He is happy whom circumstances suit his temper; but he Is more excellent who suits his temper to any circumstance. David Hume
 

I agree. 

 I am a concealed carry permit holder. I also had someone try to stab me in my younger years.

For me to draw my gun, would take a life or death situation. I would always try to avoid the confrontation first.

 Talking about shooting someone on an open forum is a little scary . To say the least. 

While I do not in anyway defend this man, we do not know what happened before the incident.

[Chance_Taker4]

Although there was no confrontation I was fishing as a back seater in an event when my boater completely passed up on a couple nice docks. Out of curiosity I asked why and he said that the home owner wrapped the dock in galvanized barbed wire to cut lines. I didn't believe it so I skipped a senko under the dock and sure enough when reeling in line was cut and I lost my stuff. The boater laughed a little and told me it has been like that for years. Also said the home owner went to the county and tried to buy the section of the lake that his docks on.

 

Some people just don't understand. 

[toni63]

Reading all the responses I don't know who to be more afraid of; overly territorial dock owners or the Johnny Rambo anglers who think shooting everyone they have a problem with is the one size fits all answer to disagreements.

 

Makes me very thankful I have places to go fish that aren't heavily populated with either.

[OCdockskipper]

4 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Pouring gasoline on somebody while they are legally fishing is unforgivable at any age! This man needs to go to jail for a very long time since he could of killed these fishermen. 

Agreed that it is unforgivable at any age.  My age comment was about how I expected this to be the act of a 20 year old, not someone who has decades of life experience and still chooses to throw gasoline on someone. 

[toni63]

Just a thought but if he has dementia how did he remember where he put the gas can??

[Bass Turd]

An unfortunate but very real symptom of Alzheimer is an irrational fixation that someone (in a particular specific instance) is trying to steal from you. In other words, it's not that everyone is trying to steal everything from him (overall paranoia) but that for instance those fishermen down there are trying to steal all "my fish" under my dock. It can become a fixation and  probably repeated. 

 

Watch the movie about Glenn Campbell "I'll be me." It is both beautiful and sad. It will give you a new perspective on dementia. 

 

After loosing my wife to cancer at 33 (I'm 50 now) I learned and remind myself of the phrase.... Who knows what battles that person in front of me is facing. Who knows what pain cuts him to the bone. I honestly don't remember the first three months after her passing. I'm sure I had a short fuse. All my emotions were exhausting  and overwhelming. Grief is a terrible cold wet blanket. God bless those that have to go thru it.

 

I've never been in a situation that I can't back out of and say I'm sorry. I did not mean to offend you. Even if I did nothing wrong. I say a silent prayer for the person and move on.

 

In this case we just don't know all the facts. What he did to the fishermen is indefensible and wrong on every level. Maybe the fishermen didn't even see it coming. Many docks in my part of the world are two story with a large flat deck on top with a rail that has a break in it so people can jump off the dock. He could have easily walked up there without causing alarm and slung gas from the can on them. I doubt they saw it coming but did the right thing and reported it.

 

We just don't know and will never know the whole situation.

[Mobasser]

This guy needs help!! Things like this can get WAY out of control quick!! Best thing to do is move on, although I have buddies who would stomp this guy. Me? Not worth it

[scaleface]

My dad had dementia and was paranoid and unpredictable . He did have enough wits   about him that one day he called and told me to come get his guns . He had a real scumbag neighbor and I imagine dad was contemplating shooting him .

[the reel ess]

2 hours ago, scaleface said:

My dad had dementia and was paranoid and unpredictable . He did have enough wits   about him that one day he called and told me to come get his guns . He had a real scumbag neighbor and I imagine dad was contemplating shooting him .

I worried about that with my dad. He was displaying some rather poor decision making and he accidentally discharged his pistol through an exterior wall and into his Honda. He had several handguns at his disposal. But as it would turn out, he died suddenly from a GI bleed.

[soflabasser]

Here's a article about this situation;

 

http://www.magnoliareporter.com/news_and_business/north_louisiana/article_b09dceba-6da3-11e8-9e5c-6fce4454338c.html