Proper etiquette for waiting out a storm in someone's boat slip?

I see the pros doing it often on social media and recently I've read of them getting ran off... So, what are the do's and donts to this? Who's done it? Stories?

I've pulled into a slip before to ride out an electrical storm. My philosophy was to not leave the boat and not touch anything. If someone wanted to walk out and run me off, I would move to another dock and take my chances

leave it like you found it,..stay in your boat...leave as soon as its safe.

Anybody that would run off a fisherman taking cover in an unoccupied stall is an arse. Just be respectful and like Jim Sr. said, leave it like you found it.

I got caught in a storm with lightning at Fork. I took cover in an empty covered slip. I stayed in the boat and did not touch anything. The owner probably didn't even know I was there or atleast wouldn't want to walk down there in the mess to run me off. If they came out, I would have apologized and asked to ride out the storm there. If they had told me to leave then I would have told them that I was sorry and would leave. Not much else you can do in the situation.

I have never had someone come out and say anything. Most are smart enough to know that your just taking cover.

Example of a decent slip owner: I was fishing tournament day and a huge thunderstorm rolled in, lightening everywhere and pouring down. Found an empty slip, pulled in and rode it out. It quit just about as quick as it rolled in and the slip owner walked down and asked if I was okay, we talked a little and told him thank you, he said no problem and told me good luck. Good guy!

Had to do this on PK a few years back. Left as soon as the rain let up. Can't imagine a homeowner giving you a bad time for using his empty slip in a hard rain.

I had a slip owner put my boat on a hoist and raise it out of the water, we sat on his back porch for two hours witnessing one hell of a storm, he gave us coffee and offered to feed us, hell of a guy, that is how i would treat someone as well. It was on lake limestone, he is a TFF er.

I did it years ago on lake Palestine; I stayed in the boat and rode out the storm, I didn't know there was proper etiquette.

Now that is awesome!

Stay in boat. Don't touch anything

Similar thing happened to me on Rayburn. As most know Rayburn is a COE lake so no docks/slips. A buddy and I were fishing Veach and we were catching fish so of course we pushed it and stayed too long and I didn't want to cross the lake to the ramp so I ran north a couple of coves to some camps and I pulled up in a little slough and we ran up to a porch (no one home) to wait it out just as the storm was hitting. It was a classic Texas Tstorm too. Neighbors saw us and he came out whistled and invited us in. Had coffee and cookies while we waited and hour and a half for the weather to clear. Just really great people!

If I were pushed into someone's slip by weather I'd treat better than if it were mine.

Similar thing happened to me on Alvarado. Heck of a light show with big ol fat rain. We idled to a slip and Owner waved us to his dock. Told us to come inside and hang out. He had family over and they were grilling out prior to storm. Fed us and sent us on our way once it subsided. Plan to make it out there again and repay the favor...

Got caught on fork in a bad thunderstorm when the lake was a bit low. We were able to pull my boat under a boat on a lift and ride out the storm.

I sent the guy a tackle pack to show our appreciation, he is one cool dude.

In Louisiana, my grandfather used to tie the door to his camp open when he would go into town to stock up on whiskey and gas.

He had a note on the door that said all were welcome, make themselves at home, and leave it like they found it.

He never had a problem with anyone causing problems, but would occaisionally find a bottle of whiskey, a case of beer, or a little cash on the kitchen counter.

2017 had good and bad at Fork. Well apparently the first guy wasn't home or couldn't see his dock from the water because I couldn't see his house. Spent 1 1/2 hours while the storm went round and round.

The other was in running creek and of all of the boat house in that area only 2 actually had boats in the boat houses. So we pulled in and didn't touch anything. The dock had no rod holders or any indication that it was ever used for anything.

From his house 100 yards away he yelled at us to get out. Apparently he didn't want to walk down in the storm. I just turned around and looked the other way. When it stopped we left.

A co-angler of mine a couple of months ago complained to me that he had anglers climb up on his dock, sit in his outdoor furniture, put their dirty feet up on the couch and actually throw his stuff in the water.

Now there is a guy who has a legitimate complaint.

A buddy of mine (James) told me a funny story one time back in the hey day of when he was fishing in the Arlington Bass Club on a Tournament on Eagle Mountain. James and mother nature were just not in the same cycle if you know what I mean. He's about to [censored] in his pants. A huge thunder storm rolls in, and they start up and are hauling back to the marina, and James tells his partner, hey I'm not gonna make it, pull over at that boat slip, I have to go. They pull in, he gets up on the front of the boat and takes a dump, his buddy is still at the drivers seat, just laughing his tail off. James thinks he's just laughing at him. Just when he finishes with the paper work, he turns and looks up towards the house and the home owners' are staring at him thru the front window. He said that was one and only time he ever didn't mind driving out back into a thunderstorm.

Too many jackasses in the past have ruined it for the good guys. I live on the lake and speaking from experience. Now, I don't care if you weather a storm on my place, I believe in safety and good will, but I also have an adequate security system.

We had to use a slip at Texoma a few years back in a storm and went to Buncome Marina, they came down in slickers to check on us and brought is all water and inquired if we needed anything, just the right way to treat people.

I've got a different story! This was in about 1985 on Toledo. A bad azz storm caught us out and along with about 5 other boats we headed for this pier. We were all tied on the leeward side. Some were out of their boats .. we were still in my boat. Here comes the owner and he was pissed! He was probably right that the boats were certainly putting pressure on his new pier. He was cutting the ropes starting on the first boat he came to. Obviously we untied and headed back into the storm.

Me and a buddy were back in Pinson on Fork one day when a big storm hit. We huddled into a dock just ahead of another boat and we both squeezed in and saw the homeowner leaning back in his lounge chair in the back of the house and he just waved. We felt pretty good that he knew we were there and approved. Then all of a sudden a lightning strike hit right at his house. He about fell out of that chair he was in and he came running out of the house to check to see if he had been hit. After looking everything over he went back in and looked out at us and gave a big wipe of his forehead with a "Man that was close" look on his face. After a while it let up and he waved at us as we took off to start fishing again.
The secretary at our work was fishing with her husband on Bob Sandlin that day and the same storm hit there and we were told as people were trying to get loaded up at the ramp and get off of the lake the wind all of a sudden actually picked a boat up and spun it around a little and dropped it back down into the water. Some people were saying they saw a little funnel cloud go through the area that day.

Lots of good people on that lake... and its one that can get hairy in seconds

I've never ran into any unruly homeowners for taking cover under their dock. But there is one homeowner on Livingston whom I have developed a friendship with. Really good guy and family. Started off just having a chat while fishing his dock and now about 5 years later he recognizes the boat and knows me by name. Numerous times he has given myself and whoever is with me different food and drinks/coffee if we choose to accept it. He even as ked one day when I was by myself if I wanted a burger as he was grilling. Rare to find folks like that now days

Only had to get under a dock once and it was on toledo. We knew there was a chance of rain and it was already super windy. We were fishing around and hear some thunder but it's a little ways off, of course no cell service to check it out. We see a big empty dock with a for sale sign so we figure we would hang close just incase. It wasn't a couple minutes later it started sprinkling and getting close so we duck in under the dock. The owner was walking the bank and just waved, he knew what we were doing. He barely had time to get back to his house when all hell broke loose. Tornado winds, hail, lightning, I mean crazy. Luckily we were on the right side of the dock so the wind couldn't blow the rain and hail on us. We were both a little worried for a little bit. It finally let up a little and the neighbors walked down and asked if we were ok or needed a ride to get the truck and bring to the neighborhood ramp. A few minutes later it was back again. During that 2 hour span we watched the lake come up over 6" sitting under that dock. Good news was I caught a 4lber sitting under there. Lol

Only one time, on Travis.

Backed into the slip because the storm would blow into the slip. Guy came running down in the middle of the storm brandishing a long arm. As he was threatening us, a bolt of lightening hit a tree by his house. He ran the rest of the way to his boat dock for cover. For an hour, none of us said a word to each other.

His pledge name is forever known as Rambo. His dock is located on a point of a small cove that is now also known as Rambo Cove.

earlier this year on Fork, I don't remember what tournament it was but it was one of the big ones. it started raining like a mad man and people were trying to take cover wherever they could. I was at a neighbors place and two guys come flying to the bank and go running up on my deck. it was raining so hard I couldn't see what they were doing but they could have went inside and cooked lunch if they had wanted to since my place was unlocked. rain started letting up and they headed back to there boat and left.