dock etiquette

[HF229H]

whats the proper etiquette when fishing around docks. was fishing near a dock and a whole family was sitting about 45ft away in front of their cottage on lawn chairs. the looks of intense I don't understand are you doing killed my concentration. how should i handle this situation without resorting to my first instinct, which would be I don't understand are u looking at.

For me, the best thing would be to stay courteous but not intrusive. I would say "hello". If they did not respond then I would ask "do you mind if I try to catch some of your fish?". Most of the time there isnt an issue. If they seem less than friendly then I just move on. I understand that I have the right to fish the dock but why would I start problems when I could just as easy avoid them. They have the right to be fussy and I have the right not to deal with it.

On the otehr hand, in a tournament situation, if I felt like I needed to fish the dock then i would exercise my rights as non obtrusively as possible. 

Remember we represent all of us when out on the water.

[Juicy Joyce]

If it is a public area then you are not doing anything wrong.  Just don't hook anyone on shore! 

I'm not sure why you would want to fish with people around... was it quiet at all? 

Juicy Joyce over and out.

[Taylor Fishin 4 life]

Lol i was nightfishing one time and a couple where making out on the dock. Could have been worse i geuss though.

[CoBass]

People can be strange. Why someone would buy lake front property and expect nobody to fish near their property is beyond me.

On the other side, fishermen need to be respectful and if you damage someones property you should man up and pay for it. If you can't cast accurately enough to not hit someones boat, don't cast near the boat or be ready to pay for the damage if you hit it.

[Barbi]

Just last night my husband and I we're hanging out on our dock enjoying the peace and tranquility of the lake we live on. Two fisherman came over in their boat and proceeded to fish 5 feet off the corner of my dock, 30 feet away from us. Now, I fully realize that it's a free lake to anyone who wants to use it and that they have a right to fish near the dock, but when the homeowners are on their dock enjoying a quiet evening, is it still appropriate? After about 40 minutes they were still there and we decided they weren't leaving any time soon and we left the dock feeling very frustrated that they had absolutely no respect for us. It's a large lake that is not busy and there are plenty of docks to fish that have no one sitting on them. I thought it was extremely rude of them but I didn't say anything because I thought they might get angry and then make a point of coming back more often just to annoy us. There is a respect for other human beings that these two fisherman ignored and now I see fisherman a little differently.

[rickyg]

If someone's on the dock, I'm not fishing it, especially if there are others that are empty.  Same for anyone sitting close to the water trying to enjoy some privacy.  Obviously, other folks don't think the same way as me.    Do unto others....

[deadadrift89]

9yr old Zombie thread comes back to life from a disgruntled dock owner??

 

FWIW Barbi I never fish a dock with homeowner on it? 

[OCdockskipper]

Those guys were just plain rude, but here is an easy solution for next time.  When you go down to the dock, take 3 or 4 rods & reels, each with a sinker on the line (no hook).  Cast them out in different directions & prop the poles up in obvious locations, so that they are easily seen.  If these two return, or anyone else for that matter, you can nicely say "Excuse me, we are fishing here, would you mind moving somewhere else?".  Even the most rude person will most likely understand you have lines in the water, they need to go elsewhere.

 

If by chance they don't leave, then just start casting your sinker over their lines and say "oops, I'm sorry, I'm still learning how to cast".  Do it 100 times if you have to, until they finally leave.  It may be tempting to bean them with the sinker, resist that temptation, it will get you in trouble & they will end up owning the dock.

[N Florida Mike]

I don’t fish docks with people on them either. When I fish docks I mostly skip a t-rig under them for a few times and move on. I’ve only been told to leave once in the last 30 years .I was anchored up at a dock catching bream. ( owner was not out there at first ) He came out and rudely ordered me to leave because his “granddaughter fishes there” I thought “ What does that have to do with me, I’m not on your dock, there is plenty of fish in the lake “ I just disgustedly pulled up anchor and left without saying a word and him still running his mouth. 

Im a dock owner on the same lake and have people come around and fish . It doesn’t bother me a’tall . I look at it as an opportunity to make a friend. 

And I have a granddaughter that fishes there...

 

[diversity210]

I agree.  I wouldn't fish around a dock with people on the dock or in a boat at the dock.  Someone said to ask permission.  I personally would never ask permission to fish public water.  Makes the owner of the dock think that they some how they have authority over the water around the dock or their boat.  Just be courteous and move on if there are people already occupying t he dock.  Now if you are fishing that dock and someone comes trotting along to occupy the dock after have already been there fishing.   Then how well the fishing is going around that dock would dictate my next move.  No matter what they say or the expression on their face.  Know the laws and use common courteous even though courtesy will not always be shown to you as an angler.  

     

[Allaroundfishing]

Last year I was fishing the B.A.S.S Highschool state championship and after I was trying to retrieve my popper off of a boat cover I had a very irate home owner loudly proclaim that he had a concealed carry on him and if I did anything suspicious to his boat he was not afraid to "protect his property" My boat captain was a retired vet who had served 2 tours in Iraq and 1 Afghanistan, he told the owner that not only was he threatening a two minors who were not on his property it was also not advised to make threats like that as he could find him self on the wrong end of a P***** Off vet who didn't take kindly to people with egos that needed to be checked. I should say that we weren't too threatened as he had come out of his house in a bathrobe and bare footed. This occurred on lake Norman in Nc and it was the only time we had an issue with a homeowner, I fish lake Gaston and Kerr lake quite often and have never had a similar issue. People like that gentleman there are the reason fisherman give bad raps to people who simply dont like people fishing around their docks, yes i was in the wrong as I had snagged his boat cover because of a bad cast, however had he asked me what I was doing and why I was messing with his boat I could have explained it to him and he would have had no reason to make such an empty and ignorant threat.

[Choporoz]

Dude was wrong.  But if I get a nice boat cover (or seats...or ropes) snagged by careless fishermen often enough, I'm going to probably exhibit a different personality than I normally project.   Sure, we've established that the water under and around his boat is fair game.  But, you accept the risk of harming another's property, you should be prepared for some consequence.

[J Francho]

Every lake has an owner like that.  Last fall, I had a guy screaming threats at me because I was fishing 20 yards in front of his dock, and he didn't want me messing with "his fish."  I asked him what his address was.  When he asked why, I told him so it would be easier for the police to find his house when I called them if he didn't stop.  I agreed to back off his "area" but he had shut his trap, and let me be.

[FordsnFishin]

On 5/31/2019 at 10:01 AM, J Francho said:

Every lake has an owner like that.  Last fall, I had a guy screaming threats at me because I was fishing 20 yards in front of his dock, and he didn't want me messing with "his fish."  I asked him what his address was.  When he asked why, I told him so it would be easier for the police to find his house when I called them if he didn't stop.  I agreed to back off his "area" but he had shut his trap, and let me be.

Quick way to shut someone up. I like it. 

On 5/25/2019 at 8:41 AM, Barbi said:

Just last night my husband and I we're hanging out on our dock enjoying the peace and tranquility of the lake we live on. Two fisherman came over in their boat and proceeded to fish 5 feet off the corner of my dock, 30 feet away from us. Now, I fully realize that it's a free lake to anyone who wants to use it and that they have a right to fish near the dock, but when the homeowners are on their dock enjoying a quiet evening, is it still appropriate? After about 40 minutes they were still there and we decided they weren't leaving any time soon and we left the dock feeling very frustrated that they had absolutely no respect for us. It's a large lake that is not busy and there are plenty of docks to fish that have no one sitting on them. I thought it was extremely rude of them but I didn't say anything because I thought they might get angry and then make a point of coming back more often just to annoy us. There is a respect for other human beings that these two fisherman ignored and now I see fisherman a little differently.

Did you join this forum just to say that?