Spiny,
Glad you posted this. A similar post was on the TFF last fall. I made it a point to copy it down and put a copy in my boat. As I said earlier, I have never asked anyone to leave my dock because I have never had any problems with anyone. On the other hand, if I am fishing someone else's dock, which I do every day, as long as I am not doing anything illegal or harmful, I do not want to be asked to leave and will not hesitate to pull out the Texas ordinance and read it to them.

My only problems have come on the water when tournament fishermen have seen me catching fish and have moved in right on top of me. Sometimes within 10 yards. That I cannot tolerate.

Looks like I started kind of a "firestorm" on here and for that I am sorry.
Larry

I am with Tim as to not caring how much your dock cost and you could probably care less how much my boat cost wich is perfectly fine.Its just flat out respect of others property and that goes both ways.Blacklab that example of changing oil in front of your house is flat out off course.Tims arguement is simply dock owners giving people a hard time for fishing their docks.He has apologized for misunderstanding Larry's post.
As for giving back to lakes that we have tournaments on,we give back what is required.We pay our launch fees to host marinas and we pay TP&W for our license to fish so therefore we do give back,so if you have some concerns with that then take it up with TP&W.We release all fish that are alive back into the lake.We simply use given lake for fair competition.You as a dock owner pay your dues as well with your property taxes and fishing license.Just Because you pay more doesnt mean that you have more rights than me or the guy that flys by your dock doing 60 mph on a jet ski bouncing your boat that is parked in your slip all over the place.One last thing,explain to us why there are to many tournaments on Eagle Mountain and how it affects you.

Blacklab,
your right you were not there and my boat was in front of the slip and the arse hole leaned out of the dam dock to swing at us. You throwing up about how much money something cost shows me you only care about what you care about. Money has nothing to do with what someone should or should not do. You putting a price on the subjuct shows you are shallow. If your dock was a complete dump I would treat with total respect to me if your dock cost 1 million dollars or a hundred dollars means nothing to me because what something cost has nothing to do with the way I treat people. You do not know me and to make assumption about what I care about are way off. I treat everyone with respect even when it is not returned. So now you own the street to. You just do not get it. The lake is public. If someone in changing their oil in front of my house I would probably offer them somehting drink instead of being an arse and getting mad about it. Atleast they are doing something themselves. Instead of saying hey my house cost so much you should not do that even though it is legal. Your response is typical of the dock owners or marina owners that care nothing for the generals publics right to fish public water and that is what I do not get. You think because you put a dock on the lake everyone should stay away. Before you go attacking tournament organization what have you done to help Eagle mountain lake and be specific please. Have you organized any habitat construction. I doubt it. The PAA event just held on fork gave I believe 250,000 dollars to the TP&W what have you giving. I feel the PAA is setting a great example of how things should work. I guess we have to agree to disagree because I feel the public has the right to fish your dock anytime they want unless your fishing it and the law agrees but if you feel the public does not have the right to be around your dock well I guess you just have to keep getting mad and telling everyone that my dock cost this much and you should fish here. All I want is the publics right to access public water protected.

Tim,
I never said that you don't have the right to fish my or any other dock, just respect others property & space. As for the cost of a dock just making sure you have an understanding of how much of an investment people have in their docks. I couldn't afford to replace it if my life depended on it

As far as owning the steet, it's public just like the lake. All I'm trying to say is if someone you do not know is around your "stuff" you are probably uncomfortable with it. Put yourself in the dock owners position.

As to giving back to the lake, how can I be specific about what they don't give to the individual lakes. Also I said nothing about the PAA.

Your, right Tim I don't know you, & based on your posts, which is the only way I have to know you, I do have an opinion of you which is not very favorable.

You say I'm mad. I'm not mad I' just telling you as I see it. Your the one who semms mad to me.

As for as what do I do for EM. I put habitat under my dock & other places. I use no chenmical fertilizers or herbisides on my lawn. when I have beach I do not cut the trees & plants that grow. I keep my dock clean & well lit at night. I pick up & throw away the trash that others leave behind. What do you do?

Dkmoore, the tournements as a rule don't affect me. But some tournement anglers think because they are fishing for money that their fishing is somehow more important than mine. I just feel there are too many tournements for a small lake with so much other traffic. Just my opinion.

Blacklab,
If I new your name I would address you as such.

If you ever met me you would understand what I care about is that the publics right to the water be respected and be put first over a private owner. Now with that said everyone should respect private property.

As for what I do I have placed hundreds if not thousand of habitat structures in lakes. I have fought with Marina owners and lobbied with Politcal figures on many occasions to protect the right of every fisherman to keep their access to public waters and to keep private individuals from taking public property for private clubs and or private use all the while our public tax dollars are bening used to fund that property. I met with the Commander of the Tulsa District on the same matter, I have attended three meetings in which congress persons were there to hear my concerns on access issues. I have done a lot to help maintin the rights of fisherman. I always take out what I take with me to the lake. When bank fishing for catfish or other species yes I fish for everything that swims I always clean the area up I am fishing in just because I hate to see the clutter.

The problem with your comparison is that people fishing on a lake is expected or atleast you should expect that and seeing people you do not know around your dock should have been expected as well. And if someone I do not know is changing there oil in front of my house which would not be expected might raise an eyebrow or two but I would ask them first what happened could be they broke down right there.

BASS gives a ton back to fisheries as well as FLW, Local trails do not have the funds and most really do not make any money to speak other thatn just enough to run the event.

Now if I choose to park my boat at a city park should I feel uncomfortable about people I do not know being around my boat. I might feel uncomfortable but it was my decision to park my boat in a publicly accessible place.

As for access around a dock I just want to make sure you have an understanding of how much the general public has invested in that public lake you have chosen to put your private dock on.

I am sure if we meet on the water not a cross word would ever be said because I bet we would get along fine. I am not trying create enemies but I refuse to back off when it comes to access issues. I know this thread went off topic and I am sorry Larry and Blacklab sorry if I offended you but I will always fight for the publics right to fish all public water. I am very concerned when I hear or precieve people trying to put their private property that is on public property ahead of the public and I will voice that concern.

To Larry, good luck in your fishing if I am ever on Eagle mountain again and catch a fish I will try and let it go on your dock.

Gotta love these discussions! Now would someone please start singing IKE'S praises.

Just a thought... This might sound stupid but here goes!

Why not have the weigh-in for the Tournament at Larry's Boat Dock? Then you can release all the fish there. Find other boat dock owners that will allow you to do this and just move the weigh-in to different places on the lake. You can all check in at the same place and just let everyone know what boat dock you will be at when the Tournament is over.

Again, this is just a thought

Pardon me for being a little biased here but; I'll just give a couple of examples. First of all I've had the sheriff called on me by "dock owners" that TOLD! me not to fish around their dock.I have simply informed them of my rights and theirs. Apparantly they were uneducated about the law. I have all the rights to the water. I have no rights to the dock. Well the sheriff comes out and told me to leave. uh-uh I said. He calls the game warden. Game warden tells the sheriff he's wrong. I kept fishing the whole time. Just DONT touch the dock!! #2:development around Lake Fork makes me sick. I fished long before there where docks everwhere. It once was beautifull.

If you buy a $70,000 car are you going to feel comfortable parking it in Wal-Mart parking lot in the front of the lot and then get mad when you get door dings. Are will you park in the back 40 and walk a little bit. Are will you keep your $70,000 car away from public access as much as you possibly could.

Blacklab, there are some rude fishermen, run into them all the time. If someone is fishing their dock, I pass them up. I don't expect them to come running out to fish to run me off. If lines are our or even left out for days sometimes, I go around them. So don't sterotype all fishermen, I don't sterotype all dock owners. Just the ones that are rude and in question. I have ran into just as many nice one that even tell me where a brush pile is sometimes. Just show respect.

Blacklab is a cry baby,, sorry, all fishermen don't like your no fish policy..its not your water, so cry all you want, about how much your dock cost--no one cares, but we will respect it,
IF YOU ACT SANE...

just where is it, by the way.

I have a dock on Lake Austin, I have no issues with someone fishing my dock, hell i tell the guys i see what to use to catch em. But the one thing i hate is people hitting my boats with weights and ripping up my seats with hooks............

I see both sides of this issue i have a dock but i am also a tournament bass fisherman i fish my dock and many i fish many others.

Kingdad

I'm fine with anyone who wants to fish my dock. Just respect it & go to another one if I'm on it.

If anyone here has a dock, and doesn't want anyone else fishing it, just leave a bunch of cheap poles out with lines casted out at all angles from your dock. You could even put nothing but weights on them. This will deter me from fishig your dock out of respect for your equipment. Aside from that, if you build it, I will likely fish it!




Jay

You private land owners are concerned about "your fish" being relocated have got it all wrong. If you stop and think about it for a moment the cove that the weight in is being held is most likely a public ramp and cove and if you where to check the water quaility you would find it to be poor at best. We anglers go thru GREAT expense to extend the life expectancy of our catch including live well additives that remove parasites and heavy metals like lead and mecury and gives the fish a shot of anti fugals and anti bactrias, my word for spell check. With the water quaility being as bad as it is at the public ramps the fish that are released there want only one thing, to get out of there as fast as possible.