One dock owner on Lake Arlington that has rope tied around his dock's pilings to keep anyone from casting under his dock...he has a few trees suspended on ropes, and tries to block it off from any boater access. He tries to run people off all the time.

Only other dock owner I have been confronted by was on Lake Fork during the middle of a thunderstorm. They has a bass boat and a pontoon boat suspended by lifts up high in their stalls. We simply went up under the pontoon to get out of the lightning as I had my wife and daughter with me. A lady started yelling something at their house and here comes a guy on an ATV hauling tail down to their dock to run us off in the middle of the storm. I simply told him we were just trying to get out of the weather for a bit until it clears. He didn't care. He wanted us to leave, so we did. I could see it if we just went there for no reason, but when a storm pops up on you, I don't like being a lightning rod when you don't have to be.

The dock owners I've ran into on Athens have always been very nice. That being said, I've always kind of gone by the rule that if there is someone on a dock or fishing from their land, i typically will swing it wide and pass on by trying not to interrupt them. I just always thought if i were the one in the boat, i have unlimited options on where to fish while someone on a dock has limited options. Just my take but has worked out so far.

I bank fished a long time before I could afford any kind of boat. I feel very blessed now to have kayaks and a nice older boat. I still remember very well my bank fishing days and wishing I had a boat and I try to be very respectful of anyone who is fishing from the bank or a dock. I figure I can go anywhere I want to on the lake and they can't so I let them have their spot every time!

I paid for this dock. It's mine. Stay the hell away from it!

Have no problems with guys fishing my dock (especially kids, in fact, sometimes I have a bag of lures that I no longer use and take out and give to them) , but not to happy when guys bounce lures off of my boat or hang up and break off hooks where we walk...I fish docks but use lures like a weightless senko around anyone's boat, and go way around if someone is fishing..many guys fishing the dock think they are pro's and try to 'cast" between the dock and the boat and don't have the ability, they could motor around to the other side and fish the same water and not bang off the boat...a little courtesy and care of other peoples property goes a long way..

I can understand some dock owner's frustrations. I have a co-worker with a place on Lake Livingston. Folks kept breaking their fishing lights while casting under the dock. So her hubby put mesh wire all the way around where the lights are. Last weekend some sorry son of a gun hung their lure in the wire. Instead of cutting his line or untangling the lure from the wire, this fisherman cut a 6" diameter hole in the mesh wire to retrieve his lure.

Some dock owners go overboard, but it's things like above that gives them more ammunition. I just can't imagine how someone thinks it's acceptable to damage someone else's property over a lure.

well the problem is there are morons who do snag lures/hooks on peoples docks, boat seats, covers, ladders, ect. ect. and they break them off instead of getting them out so anyone fishing around their dock is a problem to them, doesn't matter if you can place a jig in the tightest spots and never hit a thing - you are a fisherman...not fair...but not all dock owners are bad guy's either, I have had more tell me about brush piles they have placed around their docks than harass me...

This, I usually make a wide circle around anyone who is fishing from the bank or a dock. It's about courtesy and respect, if you give it you will receive it. From the other persons perspective, how would you like someone on a boat who can cover the entire lake come up on you and fish that little stretch of bank you are limited too.

You do have the right to fish every drop of water in the lake because it is public domain, and there is nothing legally wrong with that. But that doesn't always mean you should.

I usually end up having a conversation with them. I have ran into some that don't like you being there, but courtesy goes a long way.

There is a dock owner on Fork that I'll go see almost every time that I am there and we are on a first name basis now

So far nothing but good responses. I agree with y'all. Courtesy goes a long way.

When I had a place on Cypress Springs I didn't mind at all. Over the course of the time I had my place I only had to lecture 4-5 fishermen about how they went about it (bouncing weights off my boat etc). I usually tried to start up conversation and most of them were friendly. But there were plenty who were "know it alls" with an attitude. You know, the ones with fake sponsorship stickers on their boats and jerseys on. They were too serious to have a friendly conversation. For the friendly ones I would share where the brush piles were along our bank and other info I knew about the lake if they asked.

I agree with moving on if someone is legitimately fishing their dock unless they invite you in to fish. That being said, I have fished the back sides while Somone was fishing from the frog of their dock, and they were more than pleasant. Some bad apples, but some really good folks out there. Make friends in the process, it is just fishing (most of the time)!

Many years ago there was an old woman that reminded me of Granny Clampett in the back of Double Creek on Fork. Double is the first creek to the right as you pass under Birch Creek bridge Hwy 154.

Me and two buddies were fishing near her dock during the spring time. It was a long L-shaped dock and there was a lot of water to fish back behind it. Her house was up on the hill from her dock.

All of a sudden we hear a shotgun blast from the house and here she comes on a riding lawnmower! She walks out on the dock with a pump shotgun and sits down in a lawnchair just glaring at us. She has the shotgun laid across her lap.

I look back at my guys and said, Boy, it's lunch time!

We head into Rainswood Marina and order lunch. While we are there I tell one of the other guides about the woman. He says, "Yep, she did the same thing to us a couple weeks ago." I call Gary Dugan, who was the GW for that part of the lake. He comes to Rainswood to meet us. We tell him the story and Gary says, "Yeah, I've talked to her about doing that to people a couple of times before. She is a mean old bitty."

We stopped fishing her dock that day!

Double Branch, Ken. you're getting forgetful in your old age

Had this happen to me couple spring ago in a working mans on Leon found a 4.5 locked on on the side of a dock after fishing her for about 20 min and about ready to eat this old lady came running out saying that was her daddy fish and that I had no right to catch it, I politely told her I was in a tourney had my other two and needed it to win and that it would be released, she still was persistent saying that if I caught it she would call the law, while all this was going on I was still messing with her, I told her that it was public water and that I was gonna catch her, about 5 min later I caught it and she called the law right there after I boxed it, they told her there was nothing they could do!

Branch....

Creek....

Whatever.....