Rudest dock owners /payback a success

I live in the back of a creek on EM. While fishing a dock 100 yards from mine, a gray ski boat approched me telling me the dock I was fishing was his and because of his store bought "Swim Beach" bouy, I had to stay 100' away. After exchanging words with him, I told every fisherman I saw after that to fish his dock, he got the point. He took his bouy out. Brian Clark, while fishing my dock informed me that my neighbor had gotten on to him about touching his sailboat. How many others? What are the masses oppinions on this issue? Respect? or no respect? Play by made up rules? or is there a rule? your stories please

Depends on what your fishing, if it is a dock owners crappie hole that he spent days building and you are camping out on them I dont blame them for being rude. Some people spend a lot of money and time building thier personal holes.

If your a bass fisherman coming through making a few casts to people docks and moving on thats diffrent.

There are no laws in Texas prohibiting you from fishing under, around, or next to his dock. You can do anything you want to as long as you dont actually touch his dock.

On the other hand there are laws in place that do not allow harassment of fishermen.

If you get into a nice discussion with him next, just ask him to call the game warden, or better yet pick up the phone and give him a call yourself. I am sure the warden will be more than happy to explain it to him.

We have some of the same problems at Clear Lake and the Delta.
Courtesy does work most of the time. If it persists then we call the sherriff ourselves.
I had a woman yell at me for fishing in front of her house. I was not even fishing the dock. She said I ruined her view. After a long discussion I decided to call the sheriff. Well the house was red tagged and she was trespassing. She went to Jail.
As long as you are not breaking the rules then the homeowner should not have a problem.
Just don't litter there dock with hooks and don't touch there dock.

I have a dock that we crappie fish from , but I enjoy talking to the bass fishermen coming by.I don't know of anyone in our hood being rude to any of the boats,why should they.

i had a similar experience while fishing a tourney on Richland Chambers, a lady ran down here dock and started yelling at me saying "all you bass fisherman scare my fish" but she had a couple other choice words in there. but that is my only experience like that, I have fished docks on Texoma and the owners are sitting out on the dock and just start talking to me being nice as can be. when the docks are holding good bass i am fishing them even if people yell at me, i just try to avoid it and if it happens just skip that dock

The only dock owner I know of that can't stand fishermen is in the back of Clear Creek on Cedar Creek Lake on the right hand side. I'm sure that several people here know the dock I'm talking about it has an American flag on top and lots of brush under it. I have fished it for years and every time you get near it the guy rushes down to the dock and tells you there’s no fish here and he usually starts throwing out catfish feed and making a bunch of noise. He told me during the recent Bass Champs tournament that he was going to call the game warden because people were taking undersized bass out of the lake. He said the legal limit was 18 inches and up. I always just kill him with kindness and move on.

Most of the dock owners I've encountered are very friendly.

I also live on EM and have saturated my dock and adjacent area with trees and brushpiles. Most of you know where I live and I have never had a problem. Only thing I would ask is that if I'm fishing my dock, let me finish before you move in.

Some of you guys are either a little bit too nice or a little bit gunshy. In the last 2 weeks, I have found a fluke on a jighead and also a catfish rig that had some high priced swivels, weights, etc. on it just lying on my plastic floating dock. As long as it's not imbedded in the carpeting or upholstery of the boat or jet ski, go ahead and retrieve it. I guess since in both cases my beat up old bass buster was about 2' away maybe they didn't want to appear to be to close to it.

Anybody that lives on the water and disses fishermen is a jerk. About 1 1/2 years ago on the TFF, this subject came up about fishing water next to docks or marinas. Somebody printed a letter from, I think the TPW that stated specifically that it was public water and you could fish it. I made a copy of it and keep it in both my little boat and the pontoon boat. I am just waiting for some "ignorant old grouch" to open his mouth and try and run me off, so that I can read it verbatim to him.

Oh yeah, and if you are going to leave lures on my dock, please make them all luckycrafts. Ha!!!

I nominate Texas Husker as the most fisherman friendly dock owner in Texas.

I have taken several bass off of Huskers dock but I have also restocked it a few times as well.

This yr at EML boat club a women came running down the dock and took a picture of my tx no. I have know idea why. I said hello how are you today.She said your not supose to be in here. I just kept fishing.I have people fishing my dock all the time, I have never had problem with anyone.For dock owners there more problems with pleasure boaters not obeying no wake zone.

I can understand that rayL. I mean if you look like bigfoot or some other creature on here (we have a few creatures on here not mention any names). when I used to fish some of the san diego lakes that had houses on them, I remember hey you you are blocking my view.

People fish my dock all the time and if I'm outside, I'll talk to them and even point out some brushpiles in the area. The only fisherman I have problems with are those that will come right in on top of us when me and/or my kids are on the dock fishing. They don't seem to realize that it's the same as me pulling up alongside their boat while they're fishing and bouncing carolina rigs of the side of their boat. I doubt if they would appreciate it.

If there is water under it ,I'll fish it. Ignore those that yell for they should know the law about fishing. If it is on a public lake fish it. Besides, if you argue with them it is taking away from your fishing time.

Monte,
Bout time for you to dump another 7 lber. in here, isn't it??????

I have to catch one first.

i got hung up today beside a make shift ramp in a guys backyard on eml in the back of a cove north of westbay has i got closer to try a different angle he came running down and pull up a chair right in front of me. i said good morning and he started chewing me out saying i got hung on some rebar he had down there for his ramp. and now he was going to have to go down there and get the hook out if i didnt get it because his kids play there. thats where i want my kids to play right by some rusty rebar. after he said that i just snapped the line, gave him a dirty look and said sorry bout that and then i just turned the boat and left. most the dock owners are nice and ask if we are having any luck and tell me stories of the big ones caught by there dock. but one bad apple can sure take the fun away fast sometimes.

If a Dock Owner really wanted to be smart without being rude, ALL they need to do is put out legal trot lines all the way around the dock.. As long as they are marked properly, not much us BASS fisherman can do about it.. They don't even have to be baited. Just dated ...

That or hang some chain link fence all the way around the underside so nobody could fish it.

If this situation arises and you are in MY COUNTY, please feel free to call me and I'll explain the rights of a fisherman on public waters!!!

No seriously, i would love to educate the dock owners where I live and work.

BTW- if you are fishing a Corp. lake, as long as your boat is not in contact with thier boathouse, then there is absolutely nothing they can say!!!!! And I mean nothing!!!!

While we're on the topic, Just yesterday I was out in the middle of Quitman trying to unclog some debris from under the flap of the auto bilge and couldn't get to it because the oil reservoir was on top of it. I didn't have the right size socket on my boat to take it off to access the pump and as I was sitting there a gentlemen who lives on the lake stop to ask me if I needed any help. He insisted that I follow him back to his dock so that he could get me the socket I needed. I hated to trouble him but since his dock was about 100 yards from us I decided to take him up on his offer. Once we got to his dock he even told me to go ahead and pull my boat into one of his empty slips to avoid getting crashed by the tsunami waves that the skiers were creating near us. He wasn't a bass fisherman but he got to telling me about all of the different spots in the cove he lived in that lots of big bass had been caught. He even complimented my boat as we pulled away.

What a nice guy. He had the deepest dock in the entire cove so I know that his dock gets fished the most. Docks are the #1 source of cover for this lake plus it was nearest the point so its probably the first one to get hit too.

I made sure to express my gratitude for his hospitality and went on. I've never really had any bad experiences with dock owners but have heard stories. Too bad they can't all be like this fella. If I had his address I'd probably send him a Thank You card.

what I would like to see is an off-duty game warden get chewed out by a dock owner. I bet he would set them strait!!!

I have a lakefront house that is in a no wake cove. All and I mean ALL the bass fishermen I have ever seen come into the cove are great at observing the no wake area.Wakes erode my shoreline.BUT .....ever single jet ski that either comes in there or lives right there in the cove blasts around and around like they think the no wake zone doesn't apply to them.Finally I had enough. I was in my boat a few days ago and followed 4 that were blasting through there until I caught up with them and I verbally informed them they were being arse holes.Since then all who reside in the cove at least have been going no wake!At least bass fishermen seem to have their act together and are welcome to fish my shoreline anytime.I would name a few you would know that I see there fishing but I don't want to give their holes away !!!

Well I love to fish docks...the only bad experience i've had was when a guys started hitting golf balls at my boat, it was kinda funny because I had just gotten out of the Marine Corp and a good friend of mine from North Carolina, whom I was stationed with, was down for a visit. He told me if another ball came close to us he was going have to take the boat on land, and the ball came again, and he went on land! It was two punk guys who, from talking to neighbors, were drug heads and always destroying things. It was a fun show to watch!

I ran into that at soldier creek (Texoma), at the cafe/marina store. The owners told us that we were not suppose to fish around their business. About three nights later we went back in with my boat and caught a mother load of catfish but never got close to the dock. THey sure eat good too.

They own the dock but they don't own the water underneath it. You can fish around it or underneath it.

People are funny animals...

Most people don't know this but on Livingston it is not against the law to walk or get on someone's boat dock. I don't know about other lakes but TRA Trinity River Authority owns everything in the lake, in fact they own a certain amount of land surronding the border can't remember the footage. I talked to a gamewarden and they don't advise this at all but it's not against the law because in reality all docks are public. I'm not sure other lakes have the same rules or if it has changed in the past couple of years like I said I don't reccomend it.

Most lakes in texas that are governed by a river authority (like the TRA) own the right of way around the lake. Home owners have to secure a lease from the authority for the land between their property and the lake and obtain a permit to build a dock or float a dock on that property. For all intensive purposes the dock is thier property by lease and permit and it would be very hard to convince someone that he doesn't own it after the steps he would've went through (and the expense!) to put a dock in there.

I totally agree he owns it but that dosen't make it illegal for you to step on that boatdock, its a bit of a grey area. Like you said he has to get a permit but they have restrictions they still don't have all the rights to the property and they have no rights to the water. Therefore what is on the water is still public however that does not mean its enforced (grey area)

Oh good a dock thread. I have two stories.

On Cedar Creek Lake in the early 90's I was fishing down a row of docks pitching a jig. As we were coming up to one dock an old lady came out of her house and started griping about how we were not supposed to be fishing her dock and she was tired of it. She said if she ever saw us again she was going to come out with her shotgun. I didn't get a word in as she was continually talking and we just fished on by.
About three docks down there was a two men and a kid fishing their dock. As we approached one man asked us about our episode with the lady. He said not to worry.........the sherrif had taken her guns away just two weeks ago. Yike!



About three years ago I was prefishing up near the dam on Richland Chambers and was fishing some docks where some really nice homes were. As I came across one cove to fish one dock on a point the homeowner came out of his house and got on his riding mower and put something on it and started down to where I was. I was getting ready to just fish by only as he came up he started off by asking how the fishing was that day. After that he told me he had too many tomatoes in his garden and asked if I wanted a few. He had already sacked some up so I accepted them and thanked him..
I left grinning from this experience.

There is a two queer dudes at Arrowhead that runs down and starts making racket. The other day one fired a shot from an air rifle through the trees over our heads. I gave everybody apiece of my mind real quick. I will shoot back and I don't own a bb gun.

wheres that dock because once I was fishing in a little cove fishing near some docks and this one dude on a jet-ski come over by me and said this was his cove and I was not allowed to fish it.lol
so he took his jet-ski and did a few runs around the cove to make some waves then he left and I watched him leave and then his jet-ski broke down.lol what a loser. then I saw him call somebody on his cellphone and sure enough, here comes one of his buddys in a bass boat and came and towed him to his dock. man did I laugh at him as he came by and man did he give me one of those "I'll rip your face off" looks. lol I'll never forget that

You can fish it legally. Can't touch anything legally.

This from the TPWD web site:

Can someone prevent you from fishing around private or marina boat docks?

In response to reports of confrontations between anglers and waterfront landowners, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) officials have clarified the public’s right to fish from a boat on all public waters, providing no game law regulations are being violated.

According to TPWD legal counsel Boyd Kennedy, “Waters that are open to the public for fishing include coastal waters, major lakes and rivers, and many smaller streams and lakes. If a lake is public water, then all of the lake is public water, including the water around marinas and boat docks. The right to build or operate a marina, dock, or other structure on or over public water does not carry with it the right to restrict boating or fishing from a boat.”

Kennedy went on to note that by law, the basic authority for the enactment of boating regulations is reserved to the state. Some local government authorities may impose boating regulations for safety purposes, but TPWD statistics show that fishing around marinas and boat docks is not a safety problem. “Harassment of a law-abiding fisherman is a crime punishable by fine and/or imprisonment,” he added. (TPWD News Release; Jan. 11, 1999)

exactly.... he gets those cats so worked up it spooks everything around I have always been nice to the guy and he plays it off like hes interested in what I am doing... I will make sure and give it a VERY good workover next time

If the catfish actually come up and start feeding while you're there, I'd keep a cork rigged about 2' deep and a tub of punchbait. When the catfish come up, start fishin' for 'em and catching 'em and keeping 'em (even if you don't want 'em, you can release 'em elsewhere). That'll REALLY get to him!

I have seen Duck Jerky work wonders with dock owners. I see them coming out and think, "Well here we go"

NEVER has there been a problem

One time I thought we were about to trade crappie for maragritas!

Lakes either owned by the state of Texas or the Core are public property.
Dock owners/land owners need to be thankfull that they allow you to even have any structure out into PUBLIC PROPERTY.
Anyone that thinks that lake is theirs and is willing to express it needs a good beating. Every now and then we all need to remember that we are not the only ones that share the earth, air, land and water. If you want your own private lake then build it!

Just like the one poster mentioned the lady ran out and said he was stirring up her fish. I wonder if she really believed those fish were hers just because they were swimming around her dock. It takes all kinds as the saying goes, the problem is the all kinds are getting more clueless every day.

I fish other docks also and it doesn't bother me for someone to fish mine. I've had people hang up on my Martin house on the side of my pier and almost pull it down. Had them come in a flip baits under lines I have out, while I'm standing there. Those aren't too bad, but the biggest thing is what was mentioned earlier. The ones that come through, half throttled, nose up in the air so far up a cup of coffee wouldn't sit on the deck, and about 10ft from your pier, causing the Poisiden Aventure II.

Some people are natural poot heads, but some of those nasty dock owners got that way from some event or events that they've experienced, whether it was theft or damage. Just my experience and opinion, and I'm not a poot head.

sanbasscamp is right. You can fish my dock, or anybody else's but it's kind of bad manners to just camp out in front of it. Yes, I've had a couple of fishing rods stolen and unfortunatley it makes you a little suspicious if somebody stays in front of your dock a long time.

If people are nice I'll tell them where brush piles are too.

If you hang up on the dock you should break the line.

Last month when I was fishing Stren on Texoma, we had a big wall cloud blow in and lightning was starting to pop around us. I quit fishing for about 20 minutes and got into a creek with high bluffs. Found a boat house that had an empty stall. Sure enough, there was an 80 year old man standing on the dock. I asked him very politely if we could take cover in his boat dock for a few minutes in the event it got really bad.

His response was, "No, our dock isn't for public use." I assured him it would be just for a few minutes and would would go once it cleared up. "I said NO!, he replied."

I looked at my co-angler and said, "If it does get bad, I'm taking cover in there anyway. At 80 years old, there isn't much he can do to stop me." I couldn't imagine anyone having a problem with someone trying to get out of the lightning.

People take refuge on our dock too. You just kind of have to let them do it. Our neighbor is more enthusiastic about letting them on the dock than I am.

My problem is that there will be a storm coming up and they just keep fishing like they can't see it. Maybe they are not outdoors enough to be aware of their surroundings and the weather. But then here comes the storm and they jump on your dock. Sometimes they even start fishing off your dock.

I don't want them to get killed out there so it's ok.

Two sides to every story.

Dock fishing is fun. If I see someone on the dock I will not fish it. But if someone wants to come out and try to run me off their dock or keep me from catching their fish I will hang around a bit.

first off, I have no problem with someone fishing my dock, I'll usually wave and talk to them but my boat dock at tawakoni (SRA lake) is actually listed on the deed to my house, and no you can't walk in there any time you want

If you LMB fish on Bridgeport you have probably fished my dock. I have no problem with it as it usually has fish. There is Bamboo all around it and deep water nearby. I have seen this dock fished HEAVILY for ten years and the quantity and quality of fish is still there. I feel if you catch a LMB, another one will move in to that area. Like others, I'll give a wave and a "How ya doin?"

If there is a stom you can seek refuge in anyone's boat house or dock as long as it is open. We have land along the Rio Grande and the same law applies if fleeing a storm tresspass laws are more liberal. This is only legal if taking feruge from a storm.
M Bristow way to keep ur cool..... I might have pushed him inn LOL...........

Real simple, if you cant cast or flip good enough to avoid hitting boats and obstacles around the dock dont fish docks. Its those fisherman that get these dock owners all fired up, and then they take it out on all of us.

By far the rudest dock owners I have experienced are on the Oklahoma side of Texoma.

Me and my fishing partner were fishing a dock once, and the owner came running down toward us and told us we needed to go find another dock, and that he paid over $3,000 dollars to build that dock!

My partner said well, so what?

I paid over $10,000 dollars for this boat so I can fish your dock!

He left shaking his head!

I believe I read somewhere that the captain of any boat can legally take whatever measures are necessary to insure the safety of their craft and themselves and others on board. This includes pulling into an open slip of a private boat house when a storm comes up. Personal safety over rides trespass laws.

The other night my kiddos and i went to cc to chase the sandies on the lighted boathouses, when we approached one boathouse with two spotlights, one that usually produces some good fish , the guy came running down and turned his lights off, after i finished laughing, i had to explain to the kids what was so funny.. a couple of month's ago was fishing with my daughter at cc and as we approached a dock the owner saw us and came over and set his jet flea in the water and started doing donuts around his bh and even backed into it and gunned the motor, so we moved over there and fished anyway, i spoke to the fellow and politely said how you doin? he would not return conversation, really nice guy, note: he had a big ski boat and jet ski's, no fishing boats, he is probably one of those who ski's near the shore so all the fishermen and women can see him instead of in the open water.

Guys, The one thing to keep in mind.....there are some verified crazies out there. Whether you're right or wrong, it's not worth getting hurt over. All it takes is one crazy person having a crappy day with easy access to a gun. Maybe you have one, too, but live to fish another day!!

"Whatever measures necessary to ensure the safety" doesn't mean stopping fishing for 20 minutes and finding cover. "Whatever measures necessary to ensure the safety" means to stop fishing completely and getting to a safe area. If you are really concerned for your personal safety, the best option would have been to pack up and head back to the docks. He obviously was not concerned with personal safety as much as he was concerned with doing well in his tournament. Texoma is quite a big lake and I have the opportunity quite often to fish it, and strangely enough, a big wall cloud doesn't seem to somehow blow up on me real quick...

The old man could have been a nice guy and offered cover to both the fishermen, but hey, it was his right not to offer it. .. gonna be kinda difficult sliding into his boat dock and not tying up to it during the storm, so you would be utilizing his property...The old man's being grumpy, but that doesn't mean that you were not at least a little irresponsible by putting yourself in the situation to begin with...when you point fingers, three more are pointed back at you...

I totally understand the rights of boaters and dock owners, but in this case, it seems more than a little biased, to say the least. If he really wanted cover, he could of had it...at the marina he launched from...

Well I dont own a lake front lot or a dock, but I think I would be a little leary of people that got to close to my dock if I had one. I would not mind them staying out far enugh to cast but would not like them grabbing onto the dock to hold the boat. Fact is if I didnt want you fishing there I would put some lure grabbing snags under neath and fill up my spare tackle box.

Every one has a space that you dont want anyone getting too close to.

I disagree, "whatever means necessary" means just that, you can't say that it means any one thing like stop fishing and head for the dock. It means doing whatever you need to do to insure your immediate safety. There have been plenty of times I have seen a thunderstorm come in fast and have gotten caught out there. In that situation, you seek the nearest shelter from the storm. You don't start blasting back across the lake trying to get in where you launched from while lightning bolts hit the water around you. The regs say whatever means necessary and that is what it means. If the storm passes in 20 minutes, that does not mean that you did not need the shelter when it was there. The circumstances of why and how you got caught in the storm are irrelevant. If that mattered, it would be addressed in the regs. You talk as though everyone that has had to stop fishing a dock or boat house for 20 minutes to seek shelter from a storm are maliciously looking for an excuse to pull into a boat slip so they can fish it. You seem to say they have put there self there and don't deserve the safety of a covered slip. While it is true that the observant and experienced angler will keep an eye on the sky during certain times of the year, isn't it entirely possible that even the best of us can get caught up in what we are doing and have one sneak up on us? I will tell you this, I will use whatever shelter is available if I get caught out in a thunderstorm, and I will stop fishing completely and hunker down. Don't hate the boater dude.

LOL!! now thats funny. someone hasnt been on the water much.... a wall cloud can blow in right on top of you before you HAVE anywhere to run...... where ya gonna run anyways... across the lake in 4' waves and 50 mph winds? LOL!! get real!

fisherman are the least of worries when it comes to the boathouses... i may not pull in your boathouse- but be damned sure I AM GONNA BEACH the boat and stand next to the water's edge! not that its much safer, but its a little bit safer!

I second what gclark says, having found myself in that very predicament one time a few years ago. We were anchored and hammering the stripers, when it seems out of no where a storm with high winds, hail and lightening was approaching fast. No way we could have made the 10+ minute ride back to the ramp we launched from. We high-tailed it to the closest marina & sought shelter in a vacant boat slip. I don't think God made a big enough man to make me get back out it that storm! It was hailing so bad, we couldn't talk to one another standing two feet apart and it looked like the lightening bolts were literally sticking in the ground. No sir, I wasn't budging.

Ronnie, are you responding to me? I never said anything about a wall cloud. I said a thunderstorm can come in on you before you notice it. Especially in north Texas. I agree that you aint runnin nowhere when you find yourself in that situation. I think my post makes that clear. I have been on the water and in boats for 45 years and lived in north Texas for 52 years, and I still say you can get caught out there. I base this on my 52 years of experience with north Texas weather. It is the ones that think that they can outsmart the weather and know what it will do and not do that are the ones that are inexperienced and foolish.

We Launched from Highport Marina. I was in the back of Little Mineral and the Wall Cloud was coming in from the South at 35-40 Mph. I would have had to ran all the way back around Preston, and back to HighPort. It was a good 15 miles back around the lake. Or I could go one cove over and get into a boat dock. Once the old man said no, we went to Little Mineral Marina. There was 5-6 of my competitors who were also seeing shelter in there.

Hmmm.. Let me think about this. Stop fishing for 10-20 minutes and let the storm pass, or spend 20-30 minutes it would take to go back through the 3-4 footers, fighting the rough water, rain, and lightning in order to get back to Highport?

I don't know about you, but I think the safest thing to do was take shelter immediately, and not wait for it to blow directly in on us. Which is what we did. Even then, lightning was starting to pop within 1-3 miles away, which is already too close.

So if you have ever been into some of the coves in Little Mineral and see how high the bluffs are, you can't see that far to the south at all.

So not to challenge you, it would have been crazy to head back in.

Seek shelter (which we did inside Little Mineral Marina), let the storm pass, then continue fishing.

As far as your comment that I highlighted above, At that point, I could care less about the tournament. That is why we took shelter. So I think you need to know about something about me and how I try and always promote safe boating vs. being just another top water idiot.

So let me get this straight. You are saying it is safer for me to go 15 miles back around a lake that measures 89,000 acres, with rough water conditions, it would have been a 20-30 minute ride back to Highport, or take cover in Little Mineral Marina (which was less than 2 minutes away)after the old man refused us his boat house? No offense, that is one of the most stupid things I've ever heard about....driving 15 miles around the lake to take cover or go less than a 1/4 of a mile....

BTW: My Co-angler's name that day was Curtis Walker. Look him up in FLW and drop him an email and ask him if he felt I behaved in an unsafe or reckless manner. I think you will get the same story from him.

Ask Roy P, Bucky Baker, or any of the other co-anglers that have ever fished with me. I don't think you will find a more conservative angler on the water.

So, are you saying that after the 20 minute break you headed back just in case another storm blew in, or did you continue fishing??? Interesting to know, because it indeed shows how much actual "danger" you believed yourself to be in, and exactly how you dealt with it in relation to the tournament. If you stayed and fished, then to myself you did not consider the situation that dangerous. But, if you left when there was a small break in the storm, now I believe that was prudent thinking and that your finding cover within a drivable distance was more than necessary.

Now, once again, threatening violence toward another for using their property??? That sounds like something unsafe and reckless...I don't need to talk to anyone to figure that out. Doesn't sound like a conservative angler to me at all...

So you keep huffing and puffing, using your little smileys and whatnot, and throwing names out here and there, but when you say that you are going to utilize someone's dock anyways without their permission and that they can't stop you, there's a name for that type of person...

As to you, GClark, no, I am not saying that taking shelter in someone else's dock is perhaps a malicious attempt to fish it... not at all, nor am I suggesting that the fisherman does not deserve the shelter...what I am saying though is that when someone else tells you not to use your property, and then they try to use it without your consent to get out of a situatiion in which they put themselves into with possible undercurrents of violence, doesn't seem so acceptable to me. Frankly, I don't care how old, or how experienced, or what the heck you think you are. I don't appreciate being called foolish by no one, especially someone that can't seem to watch the weather station or listen to it on the radio. You wanna go fishing when there's a possibility of a storm? Great. But know that you are putting yourself in danger. Do not act surprised when you are caught in a big storm. I am not hating the boater, "dude", but perhaps you should stop hating the dock owner so much and at least place the majority of the blame on the boater, "dude."

no- response was supposed to be for DJDiggyDiggy...

My partner and I were prefishing for the Fishers of Men tournament on Cedar Creek last month. We were working our way down the bank when we started fishing around a boat dock.

In a minute, my partner said, "Uh oh. Look at the guy coming toward us. He looks MAD."

About that time, the disgruntled dock owner walked right to the edge of the water, pulled out his digital camera, and started taking pictures of us...with his best "I'm ***ed off, don't screw with me!" look on his face. It was almost funny how mean the guy was trying to look.

I looked at him and said, "What do you think you are doing? We are fishing public water."

He just looked even madder, and kept clicking away.

Finally, he said, "I've had too much stuff stolen off my dock!"

To which I replied, "Yeah, we came over here and launched our $40,000 bass boat so we could steal what...your lawn furniture?"

It was obvious the guy just wanted to run us off because he doesn't want anyone fishing his dock. Unfortunately, he ran across someone who knows the law.

I wonder how many other fishermen he has been successful in intimidating, and depriving them of their legal right to fish around his dock or anywhere else on the lake.

During the Catfish Splash last year on Fork we pulled up to a dock to fish first thing in the morning. The Owner came down and asked if we were fishing for his fish around his dock. We told him yes, so he went and got a hammer and some nails and started banging on his dock. He was doing his best to make as much noise as possible. We sit there for a while and watched him work up a sweat. So we moved in a little closer so we could watch him work. He made a comment about us giving him a reason to work on his dock. We sit there for over two hour just to let him work longer. We did'nt catch any more fish there but it was worth the time we spent there. As we pulled out we told him to have a nice day and he told us good luck with fishing.

Sounds to me like some of these dock owners are afraid that some fisherman will steal his wife or daughjter away or already has!! LOL!! There always has to be an anal orifice like one that has just learned the word "DUDE" !!LOL!! HOTDIGGITY DIGITY DANG!!LOL!!

I nominate this for the TFF jerkoff quote of the year

Fishing on our little lake is more a social event than a fishing trip. Going from dock to dock visiting with the neighbors is the best part of being out. Does it upset me when a fisherman does damage to my dock by hanging up and breaking something trying to get lose or hitting my dock with their boat, yes it does. But, the most damage is a skier or jet sky running 3 or 4 feet off my dock. As a dock owner I can see a little of both sides, but rude, there is never a reason for that.

kill em with kindness. theres one on Cypress SPrings I was fishing one day. the owners came down and brought thier kids with them... i said my hi's and told them of the beautiful house and dock they had. They seemed kinda frustrated I was off the end of thier dock fishing and catching crappie after crappie. thier son(about 7 years old) grabbed his pole and had some wierd looking bait on it. he was interested in doing what I was doing. I watched for a minute and asked his dad if he minded I showed him how I was catching the crappie. I tied on a leadhead for the kid and gave him a handful of plastics that I was using. When he started catching them I told them to have a nice day... Now they wave at me whenever they see me.

I understand some dock owners points of concern.. especially when I see a competitor bouncing 1 ounce jigs off thier pontoon boat and that ringing sound reigning thru the countryside!! use a little common sense and be careful around someone elses's property.

The last two posts are the best on this thread.

First of all, there is no need for your apparent aggression toward me. I never called you foolish and I never said I was hating the dock owner. In fact I only said that the regs provide for safe harbor using any means necessary of any boater caught in inclement weather. I never addressed the violence issue you speak of so directing your comments concerning that to me are mis-directed. No need to get heated about it, we are merely discussing here. If "dude" offends you as you seemed to imply with your seemingly sarcastic quoted use of the word, then I take it back. I think your attitude of the angler putting himself in that situation is selfish one. For someone to think of it in that way doesn't make sense at all to me. Once again regardless of how or why they are caught in the storm, they need help. For someone to deny them shelter from a dangerous storm tells me a lot about that person. You always go back to someone being the blame. It is not about placing blame, it is about doing the right thing to help a fellow human being when they are in danger. I never said that I go fishing when there is a threat of a thunderstorm either. You need to keep your facts straight.

Ignore him he is just trying to antagonize you.

A few years ago, I witnessed an altercation here on BP that was a classic. I am chucking and reeling along the bank. I hear a woman cussing out a dock owner like a sailor. They were TIED up to his dock and keeping every Crappie they caught. The owner was asking calmly to please untie from his dock. This got a barrage of cussing in response.

They finally left, I talked with the owner who said these people had been doing this several days straight. He had called the GW who had not caught them yet.

A few days go by, I am in the same area again, and here is the same boat on the same dock. This time the owner is livid and the old woman is letting fly with the vulgarities.

The dock owner comes back with a power washer and starts to clean his dock, drenching these idiots. They have not returned since.

Now this woman was wrong in tying to the owners dock. The owner would not have had a leg to stand on if they were just fishing the dock but by tying to it, they crossed the line, no pun intended. I want to also add that I have seen several posts on this thread that mentions the owners claiming the fish around their docks as their fish. We all know, or I hope we all know this is not true. The only thing in the lake that belongs to them is the dock itself. I have never had any trouble with dock owners, but as a lot have mentioned, being courteous and respectful of the dock owners property goes a long way. My stance in this thread has been that personal safety from a storm is a right regardless. All of the other circumstances that have been mentioned are irrelevant. Whether you are fishing a tourney or fishing for fun, didn't check the weather, or you did but still managed to get caught, none of that matters when the storm is on top of you. All that matters at that moment is that your safety is at risk and you need to take action. I would think there is not one law enforcement officer that would fault any boater who is seeking refuge from a storm in someones open boat slip.

Once we went back out, there wasn't a single drop of rain, clouds were starting to break up and the sun was shining, so yes, I went back out because the storm passed. So I don't think there was anything to worry about. So don't keep throwing mud my way. I said your idea of going back to the marina we launched from was foolish, because it would have been absolutely stupid to try and make that kind of run in that weather.

Rather than try to analize my day on the water from behind a keyboard, please feel free to call me directly on this issue. 940-243-2628. I'll be more than happy to discuss this in person. Look up the weather for May 7th on the NOAA climatic data center. I think once you see the storm pass, it was perfectly clear with the exception of being a little breezy.

i was fishing lake nacogdoches one night about midnight, and had an old lady came outside telling me i couldnt fish around her dock. i asked why not, and she said "because i said so!"i just ignored her comment, and fished anyway. she threw a fit and said she hated all the bass fishermen because they run the lake after dark, keeping her awake. i said in my most sincere voice, "well, thats what happens when you build a house on a public lake.". man, she got irate then, saying she was going to call the sherrif and such. i told her i would call him for her if she needed me to. her husband finally had enough of her mess, and told her to shut up and get in the house....

Well on my dock, you can fish next to it all day. I don't care. Just don't tie up to it. Use your anchors.

During tournements bassboats come by like a train all day long, no problem.

And if there's an emergency situation like a storm, you're welcome to tie up to it and hang on until it passes.

I don't see the big deal about it.

Thanks Guns! I always make a point in asking before using someone's property. It is their's, not mine. So I respect it like it is their's.

99% of the time, there isn't an issue. You get that one bad apple in every barrel though. This includes fishermen too.

Ben has a good point, I own a dock , and I fish other
peoples docks, but if they are on thier dock( doesn't matter if they are fishing or not ) , I will not even approach it. Give them the same respect you would another boater.


good luck
MO

My mom & dad were out on c.c. probly 10 years ago & got caught in a storm, dad says he could have made it back to the house but my mom was freaking out, so he turned into a cove somewere & up to a boat dock to ride out the storm when dad looks up & notices a man running out to the dock (in the rain) he thought oh no here we go, but the man helped him tie the boat off made them come inside, gave them dry towels and fired up their gas fire place (it was march) to help dry them off. The man went as far as driving my dad back to the house so he could get his truck & trailer & helped him load the boat on the trailer at thier boat ramp.(it was still raining & lightning) Dont you wish all dock owners were like that!

That's the way to live CCBIRDOGMAN.

I'll never understand the hostility of some of the dock owners I've been reading about in this thread.

I feel blessed to live on Toledo Bend. It's wonderful. I guess some people become snobs and azzholes living on the water.. and others like myself are so happy to be in paradise, they become even more friendly to their fellow human beings.

Exactly Guns, as long as you're being respectful I don't
understand the hostility either.

I can really see both sides of this, I have a dock on Lake Austin. I've had to put padding on my boat's windshield along with repairing chips in the gelcoat due to flying jigs. I've also come across the biggest [censored] on the planet in bassboats. All the free lures in the world don't make up for that treble in the upholstery. (They are crappy lures besides. How do these guys ever catch any fish?)

On the other hand, NICE fishermen are really appreciated. I had one tie off to the slip and walk up to the house just to tell me that I'd left my nav lights on.

Refusing someone refuge from a storm, well that's just asshat behaviour.

I always try to be courteous when fishing docks. I actually think if I owned this dock woulld I get mad about what I am doing? 99% of the time I am throwing a weightless senko, so even if I accidentally hit a boat, I'm not going to hurt it. If I get hung up on something on the dock, I do everything I can to make sure I get it back so that there are not hooks laying around for them to step on etc.. What kills me are the dock owners that throw these lines out several yards from there dock, where it looks like Spider-Man has been doing target practice and just leave them there for days even. I prefished a tournament on Palestine on Sunday, there were like 8 lines out on this dock, one of them had a catfish on it. When I came back 6 days later the same catfish was floating on the end of that line. That seemed irresponsible to me.

If you are on a public lake in Texas you have the right to access to all the water. That includes fishing under some dock owner's lights. Their property rights end at their dock and do not extend into the water at all.

If they give you too much trouble call 911.

My uncle has waterfront property at lake palestine, and when we go down to visit, we usually fish his dock. There have been times when the water gets rough, so you offer refuge to fellow fisherman. I think thats called common courtesy. But a lot of people dont know anything of that concept anymore. Its very sad to think about if you ask me. Ill think about fishing now.

I am fishing it all night next Saturday night. Let me know which one and I will be sure to pay it a visit.

Well....For one thing all the grumpy old men in yalls stories just need to go sit down somewhere before they fall and hurt themselves. Two...If a big storm rolls in on me and I see an empty dock to hide out in I'm gonna dock then ask questions second. You dont have to tie up to anything just use it for cover. The guy who said you should dock your boat and seek shelter in that situation was a hall monitor in school. Get real, I got a hundred dollars on this tourney dummy. And anyone who is grumpy towards bass fishermen(who are being polite and respectful of the dock's owners) need to call Dr. Phil. Your not mad at me, your mad at your father!

Ya know everyone here has made a point about two types of dock owners, Kind and not so kind.While reading this post you get the same exact stereo typing of fishermen. I t is plain to see everyones actions on both sides of the "DOCK" are just humanzie nature.You talk about this dock owner or that dock owner and then you get agressive about someone posting toward your statments. It's all in how you read someone I guess as to how you react to someone.If you read this in third person you could actually pic out the fishermen who would be the "CRAZIE" dock owners as well.

or OGT/ local warden

I have my own place with a dock on good fishing water, and I love to fish it and other docks. I have run acrosss all the people described in this thread, and if any dock owner ever asked me to leave and not fish his dock, I would gladly leave.

I see both sides, I know my rights to fish anywhere, but there are enough docks that a few missed won't matter.

Why, you ask???? I understand where the grouches are coming from. Life is too short for any of us. Most of them, all they want is to be left alone in thier little corner of the world, or lake, that they have worked and saved for. We never know what that person has gone through in life, the hard time, the prices paid. I would never want to intrude in thier little spot of happiness. No fish is worth that. If my leaving thier dock at least lets them have a little happiness, it's worth it.

But anyone I catch fishing my dock has to at least let me know what they are biting on!! ...Ts

There seems to be alot of people asking for courtesy here, but not wanting to return it. They'll evoke the law though.

Any of you guys are more than welcome to fish around my dock.
I never have time to fish anyway.

i'll just watch from my window....lol.. good luck catching them!

Wasnt there a big threat not to long ago in a BASS tourny? I forgot who and where it was, but someone shot at one of the guys fishing a dock. Makes you think twice about some of these people.

If the person is rude, just move on and forget about it. There are plenty of docks and bass in the lake.

yeah some 80 yr old guy got mad at a bunch of bass fisherman because he thought they ran over his catfish lines and shot one of the guys with a 12 ga and killed him. them old people are crazy

Yea there was another incident though. Anyways, just watch out, those crazy B's are out there

Good post.

Here is a story that relates pretty good to this post.

My Mom and Dad own a place on Lake Conroe. Dad feeds the fish on a daily basis. Accordingly several local fisherman have figured out that their boat dock has a pretty steady population of fish in residence. Not to long ago there was a fisherman anchored a few yards from their dock (he fishes around their dock quite regulary, older gentleman, nice guy). Dad saw him fishing there and went down to the dock and told him that we were having a family gathering that day and he was hoping that his Grandchildren would be able to catch a few catfish. And would the gentleman mind fishing somewhere else that day? The gentleman said no problem and went somewhere else. The Grandkids showed up later and had a good day catching fish.

Everybody won.

Life is not near as complicated as some people would like it to be.

Life is too short to get bent out of shape about much of anything short of someone threatening the life of your loved ones.

Does not matter what you are doing, if you think of your Grandmother looking over your shoulder whatever you are doing and act in a manner that she would approve of you are probably okay.

It was the Bass Masters Classic in LA. A guy shot at Gary Klien. Heres some links.
http://www.bassfan.com/docktalk.asp?archive=8/22/2003

http://www.bassfan.com/rayscott_article.asp?ID=25

But there have several more including 1 involving Stacy King. Not to mention the 1 reported here last year on Lake Worth.

yea, that was the one I had heard about. Some people!

The former owner of the Benbrook Marina found out what would happen if he shot at a boat. Charges were filed and he plead it out.

Since this tread won't die, I have another comment. It is interesting to watch people fish my dock. You can tell the crappy fishermen, they just buzz by making a couple of off target casts and wonder why they don't catch anything.

Then, about every 20 boats or so someone comes by who knows what they are doing. I hate to see those guys. They pick the dock apart with casts right in tiny spots and always catch at least a couple of shorties, even if you think they are not biting.

I usually jump in the water and splash around when those guys show up. Just kidding, don't get excited.

Yeah, I hope that ol RipnLip reads this ... them grumpy old men have done lived their life, so what you gonna threaten them with ????? They ain't really got much to lose. And they don't really care about your $100 and your T.

TB guy eh?

Where are you at.. I'm in the Pendleton Harbour sub, at the 21/6 highway bridge.

Anyway.. it is pretty funny to watch boat after boat come into my cove throwing whatever baits. During tournaments, if I was a fish, I'd be shell shocked having flashbacks to Viet Nam.

Later when the herd has left I use my trolling motor and cruise around the area with Carolina rigs and take my time.

meh.. just saying.

Well. I don't own a dock but I'm gong to put my 2 cents worth in about the attitudes of certain fishermen, specifically, the amateur bass tourney fisherman with the $30,000 bass boat who paid the $100 entry fee and thinks he owns all the water in the lake, even the water I'm anchored on with my several lines in the water waiting on catfish on a hole that I baited.
This happened several years ago on Lake of the Pines at Johnson Creek during some pretty big tournament. I'm sitting about 20 yards off shore and here come the whole parade of bass boats single file up one side of the creek and down the other. They didn't seem to realize I was there. The tossed their baits around my lines, across my lines, one even hit the side of my boat. One guy even cussed me out cause he got tangled in one of my bottom rigs and played it like he had a big bass on.

It's the attitude that these imbeciles portray that make dock owners irate. If they get snagged on a deep set trot line the dock owner has running off his dock, the idiot get mad and cuts the trot line. If he gets his treble hook snagged on the boat carpet, dock carpet, swim ladder he leaves it for the kids to get caught on.

It's the attitude that "I spent my hard earned money for this fancy boat and high priced gear and entry fee and I am going to do anything I can to catch that bass under your dock" that makes people mad. When I was fortunate enough to live on Big Cypress Bayou above Caddo Lake I've had ski boats drive by close enough to spray me and my kids sitting on the dock.

Last year while fishing off a huge dock on Lake Fork my wife was complaing about me forgetting the ice. Out comes the dock owner from this little building on the dock carry a big bucket of ice to the boat, she said "My husband always forgets ice too."

I've seen a few dock owners give us the evil eye on Fork but that been about it. Most of the time on the smaller lakes i fish it's more like visiting neighbors.

Now that's pretty cool!

I have a special saying about these guys "Ignorance Breeds Arrogance" You have someone who was raised lower middle class and down by possibly less than wonderful parents and then they accidentally get a great paying job that they believe makes them the upper crust of this country.They are some how entitled to more than the people they grew up with and better than the people who earned all they have got.I do feel better knowing the foreclosure situation will weed out some of these types and dock them for a while, while all the time slapping the Hell ouuta them into reality OOOPPPSSSSS sorry i made a biblical naughty word.

My parents own a lakehouse on Livingston. Two weekends ago a pontoon boat caming floating in from the island and was smashing into our neighbors dock. It was one guy and 2 women. He let the girls into our house to use the bathroom, etc... The guy had ran out of gas and had no way to control the boat as there was 25mph south winds. He said they had been drifting for 45 mintues. My dad went to our garage and got him 5 gallons of gas. Then the guy forgot he didn't have any oil...

He ended up ripping a couple of boards of the dock and scraping up one of the 6x6 poles.

We've also had to go rescue a few boats before on the lake when it's very rough. Either they are new boaters or don't realize a big lake like livingston can get very rough. The sea doo works very well for this. Usually the people end up in my parents house while we resolve the problem. Many times these people have no business being in a boat.

My whole point of this is, if you seek shelter in someone's boathouse and damage it or become hurt who's liable? I've heard of some crazy law suits before so I was just curious.

Good point kreb. I've made several of those rescues. Sometimes us "crazy no count dock owners" come in handy when you're broke down and being tossed about by the whitecaps.

You hit one nail very solidly on the head THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE WATER THAT DON'T DESERVE TO BE OR BELONG THERE My fother was a guide on Fork for twenty years and he had countless encounters with IDIOTS that had no buisness being.The biggest pet peeve he and I both have is littering he has actually put people out on the bank that refused to pick up their trash after they had thrown it from the moving boat. oooppppsss sorry for the high jack

I was trying to make light of the story. I love old people!! Life is too short to be grumpy all the darn time, and old man rivers should realize this more than anyone. There is plenty of lake to fish, and if you have to bug people with docks to catch fish then you need help anyways. But, you have to admit that if it was comming a huge storm, and some stranded fishermen need to use your empty dock to hide out for 5 mins, be kind. Karma is a B.

grandpa 75672, Guys like that give us polite Bass fisherman a bad name. Help me out here guys, if im right or wrong, but if i read the rules right in all of the Bass tourney,s i have fished inn,isn't aginst the rules to fish within 50 yards of another boat that is at anchor & 25 yards of one that has their trolling motor down?
I have never had to deal with a crazy dock owner, but i have a buddy that had a guy up on Lake Conroe pull a gun on him, said that was his dock and bulk head and they were trespassing. they really weern't even fishing his dock, they were anchored about 40 yards from the bulk head catching catfish during the spawn.
The Law got involved, no one went to jail, but the landowner got a real stern talking to, they didnt have any problems after that.