Fishing Docks

[DJP]

Got an ethics question for the peanut gallery.

Was on a Lake Hartwell lot today with a dock. While I was there a boat pulled up and tied off to the front of the dock. It is a covered slip dock and he tied up across the slip across the front.
I asked the guy what he was doing and he said fishing.
I said "that is awesome, hope you catch a bunch. Do me a favor and untie from the dock while you do it.
Then I turned and left before it became an argument. He untied five minutes later and went across the cove.


So who is the jerk. Me or fisherman?

[scquackaddict]

I say it’s all good to fish a dock but don’t tie up to it. I think that’s going a little far. Personally I wouldn’t fish a dock where people where hanging out at least not for long. Might cast once or twice while cruising by with a trolling motor but wouldn’t post up. Just my thoughts though, I try to be maybe too courteous on the water and in the woods.

[britton40]

Let me guess. He was wearing a Alabama or LSU hat

[DJP]

You can 100 percent fish by and under private docks on Lake Hartwell. I don't want anyone to think I am proposing that is not ok. It is the tying up part that I'm asking about.

[wskinner]

Fisherman. Don’t think twice. If he wants to use a dock he didn’t pay for as structure, while the person who did is using said dock, he’s a freeloading douche. And he wants to tie up to it because he’s too cheap to buy a trolling motor? Piss on him.

[SouthernWake]

Not legal for him to tie up to dock but will not get convicted unless posted.

[Drylok]

It was rude of him to tie up to the dock. He wasn’t hurting anything, but it was still rude.

[Duck cutter]

I wouldn’t even consider tying up to a strangers dock to fish. If I know the person that owns it, that’s different and there are several docks on greenwood that I worked with the owner to put out brush around it.

The water seems to draw out the worst in people at times.
I got cussed out on greenwood last week. Went to check a shellcracker hole and came around the corner of the cove, eased off the throttle and made sure I didn’t see another boat or anyone fishing off the docks, picked up a little speed again and went on to the back. Now I’m in a Jon boat with a 25hp on the back so it ain’t like I was flying through.

I cut off the engine, was dropping the trolling motor when I heard someone holler at me. I turned around to hear what he was saying and he immediately started cussing at me (he was a yankee) for cutting his fishing line. Apparently he had a rod laid off the pier and wasn’t attending it while he was up in the yard, I never saw a cork or any evidence of his line in the water when I came by. I apologized and told him that I had never saw his line and continued toward the spot I had in mind. The whole time I was trolling away he was cussing and told me he’d be waiting on me when I came back out. I think I caught three off the spot but they weren’t stacked up so about 15min later I left. Sure enough, here he comes back down the pier with his phone in hand as if he’s videoing me. I just kept a steady pace down the middle and waved for the camera as I rode back by. The whole time he’s videoing, he’s making other motions with his hand that can’t be seen from the camera. He kept grinning and motioning for me to come closer to him and even grabbed at his nuts a few times.

I may have very well cut his line, if I did it certainly wasn’t intentional and thinking back I really didn’t feel as if I had done anything wrong the way I drove through the cove. I was kind of dismayed someone wanted to act like that over something so trivial. Then the fact that if I had approached him, based on the video he was taking it would have appeared as if I were the one antagonizing him when that really wasn’t the case at all. Not sure what his problem was but I was having too good a day to get in a no-win pissing contest with some old Yankee.

[smitch320]

I would never consider tying up to someone’s dock.

I see no issue with what you did.

[Islandguy85]

I would rather someone tie off to a cleat out of the way on my dock and stay on their boat versus anchor 5 feet from it and tangle hooks lines and weights on my dock or boat throwing towards it.

If you don’t want someone to tie up that is every bit your right though.

We have issues with people using our dock all the time and it irritates me. A little different in that they actually tie their boat off or use it as a loading dock for people and supplies. The dock is clearly posted in multiple spots and has a chain across the ramp.
Someone slips and falls and it becomes our problem.
I Have also had folks be nice enough to fill my dock storage box with their garbage and screw my boat up by rafting up and walking across it. For this reason, I always remind people that it is not a public dock. Most people are friendly enough about it when I ask if they can read the signs when I am actually on the dock. I have also had a few instances where they try to position it as I am the dick when they are unlawfully trespassing on private property.

Someone cleating off to drop a line is not the worst thing you could be dealing with but I get what you are saying.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Smilee]

Ever thought about it like this?

You never know what someone has been through that day or why they are where they are. He might have finally gotten a day off and wanted to fish. Got to the lake and trolling motor battery crapped out. Left the anchor at home. So he tied off to a dock.

Not making excuses but sometimes folks aren’t trying to get over on someone else.

[jwilliams]

Most issues on lakes come from carpetbagging yankee scum. No dat. I’ve seen a couple of docks I would like to tie up to but nothing to do with the dock or fish

[We Jeep Inn]

I live on Hartwell and I can't count the boats that fish my dock on any given weekend. Never had anyone tie up to fish. I would take issue with tying up unless they we having trouble (mechanical, medical, whatever) I've had folks pull in the slip during a storm to get out of the rain. No problem with that, I've done it at other peoples docks.

[wskinner]

I wouldn’t even consider tying up to a strangers dock to fish. If I know the person that owns it, that’s different.

The water seems to draw out the worst in people at times.
I got cussed out on greenwood last week. Went to check a shellcracker hole and came around the corner of the cove, eased off the throttle and made sure I didn’t see another boat or anyone fishing off the docks, picked up a little speed again and went on to the back. Now I’m in a Jon boat with a 25hp on the back so it ain’t like I was flying through.

I cut off the engine, was dropping the trolling motor when I heard someone holler at me. I turned around to hear what he was saying and he immediately started cussing at me (he was a yankee) for cutting his fishing line. Apparently he had a rod laid off the pier and wasn’t attending it while he was up in the yard, I never saw a cork or any evidence of his line in the water when I came by. I apologized and told him that I had never saw his line and continued toward the spot I had in mind. The whole time I was trolling away he was cussing and told me he’d be waiting on me when I came back out. I think I caught three off the spot but they weren’t stacked up so about 15min later I left. Sure enough, here he comes back down the pier with his phone in hand as if he’s videoing me. I just kept a steady pace down the middle and waved for the camera as I rode back by. The whole time he’s videoing, he’s making other motions with his hand that can’t be seen from the camera. He kept grinning and motioning for me to come closer to him and even grabbed at his nuts a few times.

I may have very well cut his line, if I did it certainly wasn’t intentional and thinking back I really didn’t feel as if I had done anything wrong the way I drove through the cove. I was kind of dismayed someone wanted to act like that over something so trivial. Then the fact that if I had approached him, based on the video he was taking it would have appeared as if I were the one antagonizing him when that really wasn’t the case at all. Not sure what his problem was but I was having too good a day to get in a no-win pissing contest with some old Yankee.

I’d wait an appropriate amount of time, then take a late night ride by that dock with a chainsaw.

[wskinner]

Ever thought about it like this?

You never know what someone has been through that day or why they are where they are. He might have finally gotten a day off and wanted to fish. Got to the lake and trolling motor battery crapped out. Left the anchor at home. So he tied off to a dock.

Not making excuses but sometimes folks aren’t trying to get over on someone else.

I have bad days. I don’t go into my neighbors house and drink his beer and watch his tv because I came home to an empty fridge and no cable.

[Tater]

Just remember, the people that own the docks are the ones with the JetSkis.

[FULLCHOKE]

Good on you for the way you handled it.

[ADP]

I say it’s all good to fish a dock but don’t tie up to it. I think that’s going a little far. Personally I wouldn’t fish a dock where people where hanging out at least not for long. Might cast once or twice while cruising by with a trolling motor but wouldn’t post up. Just my thoughts though, I try to be maybe too courteous on the water and in the woods.

x2

[UPSTATEWATERFOWLER]

You did the right thing. It’s not cool to tie up to someone else’s dock unless you have prior permission.

[Otter 1200]

Jenks, regardless of the lake no one should ever tie up to your dock without permission, unless emergency situation-thunderstorm, etc. Fishing around, under, beside, etc. is ok, even if they anchor close by. But never tie up without permission. Watch YouTube videos on this, there are some crazy people out there. You handled it as you should.