Dock etiquette when fishing

mahtofire14 wrote:

It’s up to the angler to know what his or her limitations are. If you can’t hit the small areas in between pontoons floats, then you should not be trying to cast in that area. If I owned a pontoon and had it on a dock and saw some guy clanking cast after cast off of it, I’d be pissed too. Both sides need some understanding.

Thats when you test your skills. Practice skipping between dock poles where its tight. Then have the 1/2 ounce skipping jig bounce perfectly under that pontoon and catch that 4lber. Or the alternative is ring the dinner bell and move on.

Yeah, no, it’s not legal to ping your jig off someones’s boat. That’s what everyone is saying. I illustrated absurdity by being absurd. I use bullets that are designed to fragment on impact and stay inside the deer, so I’m all good shooting toward an empty tractor, hay wagon, grain bin, whatever. Even if I didn’t use ballistic tips, it’s still not illegal to shoot that way right up until something hits someone else’s property. Your silly scenario of two small openings on either side of the motor coming between you and a sub #9 LMB is just as absurd. Nothing wrong with using a weightless soft plastic. Obviously you have six other rods on the deck rigged up for your trophy quest or you just can’t be taken seriously as a bass fisherman. Why not err on the side of caution and be respectful of other people’s property?

Bass Pundit wrote:

HuntinDave

A situation for your consideration. A pontoon boat sitting on a lift or in the water with no side access to skip because the pontoon won’t allow it. So the only shot the angler has to get under the boat where the bass will only be caught is a couple of small openings on either side of the motor. Unless one is Olympic-level accurate as a caster, they should just move on to the next dock, then? That is your solution? What if that choice causes the angler to miss their one and only life’s shot at tangling with a state-record bass, something that is truly priceless? You think the right choice is to put somebodies property above that because of the chance it may get inadvertently struck by a lure? I say no, and hell no. Do you understand where I am coming from even a little bit now? You have the entitlement thing backward as you can get, and as a fisherman, for goodness sake, You should be ashamed of yourself. You were obviously set off by my tone and didn’t think through your reply. None of the people that thought I was the entitled one did. We have a right to pursue that fish of a lifetime where it may be found. Many a Personal Best has been caught under a dock. Innumerial tournaments have been won, or tournament lunker has been caught fishing docks. Docks are your best bet for a giant fish so many days out of the year it isn’t even funny suggesting, “don’t fish there because the cast is too difficult.” Even on a day they don’t seem to be using docks, all it takes is one big momma hanging out there, and your entire season is made with one cast that may have glanced off the bottom of a boat getting there. And you call foul, screw that.

Wow

I can’t tell if this guy is just stirring the pot or he actually thinks this way.

Don’t cast towards someone’s boat/dock/canopy if you are not good enough to avoid hitting it.

Part of being a good sportsmen is knowing when to show restraint.

I’ve said it before on other topics, it’s about common curtesy & common sense. Two things which are becoming harder & harder to find.

Huntindave wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bass Pundit wrote:</div>
You think the right choice is to put somebodies property above that because of the chance it may get inadvertently struck by a lure?

A fisherman bouncing lures off another persons property, snagging another persons property, putting even little tiny dings in the paint is NOT acceptable.

Respect people’s stuff when you’re out there. You should be ashamed of yourself. I can’t believe you even fully comprehend what you wrote. Did you even think through your reply?

It’s public waters. I don’t consent to your stated demands of bass fishermen, unless you consent to my demand that you take your equipment out of the lake when not in use. What we have is a stalemate of equals. I’m not going to budge, and you are not going to budge because there is really not much of a constituency to screw over fishermen on dock fishing like there is on the weed spraying. I think most shore owners don’t run into any issues or conflicts with dock fishermen for a variety of reasons.

This guy definitely drives a BMW. Almost respect his stubbornness.

Blame the fish!
I have caught bass & nice crappies by docks-you can have 100yrds with zero fish except by the docks, then its not sorta by the dock you have to be under or you will just get small stuff, for crappies the shade of the dock might be ok-tight cast.

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

I can’t tell if this guy is just stirring the pot or he actually thinks this way.

Don’t cast towards someone’s boat/dock/canopy if you are not good enough to avoid hitting it.

Part of being a good sportsmen is knowing when to show restraint.

Doesn’t matter how many people in this thread disagree with him. In his mind, he thinks he can bang lures off pontoon lifts for that next state record all he wants and he’s hell bent on doing it. No amount of arguing is going to change his mind.

Time to let it go Gitchi. Its unfortunate that some anglers give the rest of us a bad rap. Perfect example right here.

“Stalemate of equals” would be accurate if both things were legal. Pinging someone’s boat, even accidentally, is illegal. Try drifting a Snoopy bobber with a chunk of hot dog in there. It works for thousands of kids every day.

Bass Pundit wrote:

I don’t consent to your stated demands of bass fishermen, unless you consent to my demand that you take your equipment out of the lake when not in use. What we have is a stalemate of equals. I’m not going to budge, and you are not going to budge

A Mexican Standoff??

picklerick wrote:

“Stalemate of equals” would be accurate if both things were legal. Pinging someone’s boat, even accidentally, is illegal. Try drifting a Snoopy bobber with a chunk of hot dog in there. It works for thousands of kids every day.

Maybe I’m just naive to this but I have never seen an actual reg say it’s illegal to hit a boat or dock with a lure if accidental. I don’t do it but I’m not sure it really is illegal. I would think you’d of heard of people being ticketed or fined for this offense with the amount of crazed dock owner incidents there are. Frowned upon and immoral, yes. If there is one, please post it.

Again, not trying to stir the pot, just wanted to know factual information here.

Is it “illegal” to open your car door and ding the car next to you ? Same concept.

It is definitely illegal IF you cause damage. You are liable.

Yep, I’m talking about actual damage. Even a little cosmetic thing might set off the wrong person. If you did it and you don’t offer to cover the repair it’s the same as dinging someone’s door in a parking lot and just leaving. I don’t try parking my truck in a tight spot. Of course, the police would have to believe the owner actually witnessed the damage being done for anything to become of it, so it’s OK to just act like it never happened, I guess.

Bass Pundit wrote:

unless you consent to my demand that you take your equipment out of the lake when not in use.

Did you seriously just write that? You want the home owner to remove their docks/boat lift/boat when they’re not in use? So, then how will you skip docks and catch any fish at all, if they’re so important to fish?

Then the next demand is to stop spraying the weeds because the lake is first and foremost for fishing, with bass being first priority. Then everybody out of the water when a fishing boat comes by or it’s your own fault for getting hooked.

Bass Pundit is now one of the favorites for the preposterous statement of the year award… but I can’t decide which of his statements is the most preposterous

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

Bass Pundit is now one of the favorites for the preposterous statement of the year award… but I can’t decide which of his statements is the most preposterous

Ha! They are all pretty rich. I was just catching up on this and I think someone started the wacky tobacky early.

#1
Cry me a river for the poor lake property owner or fellow fisherman who never considers things from a bass fisherman’s perspective.

#2
What if that choice causes the angler to miss their one and only life’s shot at tangling with a state-record bass, something that is truly priceless?

Huntindave wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Eelpoutguy wrote:</div>
or a gal in her bikini and not a seasoned angler.

Now that’s just plain discrimination. How do you know what I might look like in a bikini?

…probably worth casting that 3oz weight at…

MX1825 wrote:

Bass Pundit I’ll just say what many are thinking. You sir are an arrogant a__! You are just as bad as the wake boat owner/driver that thinks it is all about ME!!
What is your take if you are working a shoreline and I would pull in front of you by 30 feet and work the shoreline in the direction you had planned on fishing. Hey you don’t own the water it’s for everyone to use.

BP how would you feel if the shore fisherman was bouncing jigs off your boat?

WOW! this is gettin’ to be more fun than watchin’ a political thread. Glad I ain’t a targeter of LMB, or I’d have my hair on fire by now.

I think I may have singlehandedly been knocked out of the top 5 for the year…

MX1825 wrote:

It is definitely illegal IF you cause damage. You are liable.

There’s a distinct difference between being liable for any damage caused, and being illegal in the first place. Maybe that’s where so much of all this dissonance is arising from? Criminal law differs from tortious law. And the threshold(s) and standards of evidence/proof reflect that.

duh queen wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>MX1825 wrote:</div>
It is definitely illegal IF you cause damage. You are liable.

There’s a distinct difference between being liable for any damage caused, and being illegal in the first place. Maybe that’s where so much of all this dissonance is arising from? Criminal law differs from tortious law. And the threshold(s) and standards of evidence/proof reflect that.

Maybe I used the wrong term by stating it was illegal. So it is an accident if he damages someone’s boat by an errant cast. That is no different than hitting the trolling motor by accident and banging in to someones boat. Point being he is liable for any damage and could possibly receive some sort of citation.

picklerick wrote:

Yep, I’m talking about actual damage. Even a little cosmetic thing might set off the wrong person. If you did it and you don’t offer to cover the repair it’s the same as dinging someone’s door in a parking lot and just leaving. I don’t try parking my truck in a tight spot. Of course, the police would have to believe the owner actually witnessed the damage being done for anything to become of it, so it’s OK to just act like it never happened, I guess.

Part of the problem is that there is no data. How many casts are made within a yard of a docks in a year in the midwest by all fishermen bass or otherwise? Millions, maybe hundreds and hundreds of millions. How many times does actual property damage occur? I have no clue except to know it’s extremely rare, but it does happen. A lure making a sound when it hits something is a nothing burger in the vast, vast, vast majority of instances as far as property damage is concerned. How often is a pontoon dented or boat chipped from a jig banging off of it? Who knows?

If you are only arguing against property damage, Ok. I think that is extremely rare, and the person that does it does it by accident. Don’t wreck people’s stuff, easy enough, we agree. That isn’t what I am arguing about.

Something making noise while not causing any physical damage, is that OK? Getting hung up on a dock, is that OK? That is where we are butting heads. No harm, no foul is my position. The law is with me on that. The stuff is in a public lake, and bass uses it for better and worse. This is a case of growling dogs getting offended when the dog they are growling at growls back.

ganderpike wrote:

This guy definitely drives a BMW. Almost respect his stubbornness.

So you say I come off as a spoiled brat rich prick. Hmmm, The only car I’ve ever owned for myself is a Ford Ranger. My boat is 15.5′ long and was given to me. It has an older 25hp Johnson on the back. But I am indeed rich and live a blessed life, no doubt about that.

Bass Pundit wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>picklerick wrote:</div>
Yep, I’m talking about actual damage. Even a little cosmetic thing might set off the wrong person. If you did it and you don’t offer to cover the repair it’s the same as dinging someone’s door in a parking lot and just leaving. I don’t try parking my truck in a tight spot. Of course, the police would have to believe the owner actually witnessed the damage being done for anything to become of it, so it’s OK to just act like it never happened, I guess.

Part of the problem is that there is no data. How many casts are made within a yard of a docks in a year in the midwest by all fishermen bass or otherwise? Millions, maybe hundreds and hundreds of millions. How many times does actual property damage occur? I have no clue except to know it’s extremely rare, but it does happen. A lure making a sound when it hits something is a nothing burger in the vast, vast, vast majority of instances as far as property damage is concerned. How often is a pontoon dented or boat chipped from a jig banging off of it? Who knows?

If you are only arguing against property damage, Ok. I think that is extremely rare, and the person that does it does it by accident. Don’t wreck people’s stuff, easy enough, we agree. That isn’t what I am arguing about.

Something making noise while not causing any physical damage, is that OK? Getting hung up on a dock, is that OK? That is where we are butting heads. No harm, no foul is my position. The law is with me on that. The stuff is in a public lake, and bass uses it for better and worse. This is a case of growling dogs getting offended when the dog they are growling at growls back.

I think you should step back and stop commenting on this thread. Each time you write something you dig yourself further and further into a grave.

It doesn’t matter if you make 50 Million casts in one day, then on one cast you damage a boat or dock, you still damaged that boat or dock. That’s like saying you walked into a bank with a ski mask on 10 times, but you ONLY robbed one bank. Then tell the officer, well I didn’t rob the first 9 banks, just this one.

I’m not saying you had intent to rob the bank during the first nine times you walked in with a ski mask, or that you intending to damage the dock the first 49,999,999 times, but you did on one.

I don’t get why you don’t see the point behind that.

But then again, I guess I need to look at this from the bass fisherman’s perspective. Jesus what a ridiculous statement.

As a dock / boat lifts owner I gotta ask how many under cover hookups actually result in a fish being landed?
The reason I ask this is all the plastics I see lying under my dock mostly. (It has an 8′ L w/ an axle/ wheels) Lots of hooking structural frames I have to think.
Cast away. I see lots of little fellas caught in the spring. Big Momma Mega Hog Tanker Smallie….
Nope.

Brian Bezanson wrote:

As a dock / boat lifts owner I gotta ask how many under cover hookups actually result in a fish being landed?

Really dependent on the lake and the individual angler. Also, certain docks are obviously easier to fish than others.

I would personally say that I land 9 out of 10 fish that I hook up with around a dock. The key is to horsing them out of the area around or under the dock as quick as possible. Don’t let them have a chance to wrap around a post, piling, frame, etc. Its kind of like hooking up in thick jungle type weeds. Get them out of the thick stuff as quick as possible.

The amount of people who seem addicted to dock fishing is baffling. Is this the only structure you understand? That’s okay, keep fishing the docks, don’t look over here. Nothing to see.