Thread: Fishing etiquette

Just wondering if there are hunter and fishermen harassment laws where you all fish? some of this stuff would definitely classify as harassment!

I try very hard to live right and be a good person............. But people that act like that bring out the worst in me!

I would have in no uncertain terms let him know if one of his casts gets away and hits me or my boat he would be scheduling an emergency visit to see his proctologist to remove the fishing rod.............

And I would have probably stayed there and fished longer than I wanted to just to prove a point..................I am positive I would not have rewarded his poor behavior by leaving the spot.........

To me a person's pier seems as private as their boat. I would not pull right up to their boat and cast right next to it and I won't do it at their pier either. And no, I do not own a lake house or a pier.

There's a few of those types on LOZ. But just as many that just wanna shoot the BS. I have had them spray me with a garden hose before. LOL he got really pissed when I put on my rain suit a just kept pulling them in. Missouri passed a harassment law a couple years ago and they can get a hefty fine for it now if ya turn them in.

I'm not sure of the law in other states but it is probably similar to here in michigan it's illegal to harass fisherman who are lawfully allowed to take and possess fish. I think unless the water is completely isolated on the property then it is open for fishing.

Got a couple spots on a lake in Tenn that are complete opposites as to how the dock owners react to people fishing around/near their docks. One will come down & chat, tell us whether he's been catching any around the dock (& on what color) or even join in on the fishing. The other doesn't directly confront anyone, but did have a alarm system that had to have been set off manually, because the one time it did go off on me ... my boat was a good 60ft away from his dock. I just put ear plugs in and continued to fish. That couple has reportedly been turned in several times for "discouraging" people from fishing in front of their dock, and they've been known to attempt to discourage fishing around their dock to locals as well as out of staters.

Locally, I've had no confrontations from private dock owners on any of the lakes I fish. Now, Marinas are another situation, all together. Some do have the right to post no fishing signs, either on the land or the Marina itself, and some even have a certain distance beyond the outermost part of the Marina that is considered a "no fishing" zone. Others don't care, and even some encourage fishing around their Marina.

If I'm in the right, I have no qualms about continuing to fish anywhere on a body of water. If the owner is on the dock or within hearing range, I'll strike up a conversation, usually before the first cast anywhere near the dock. I'll even ask if he/she minds if I fish around/under the dock, letting them know that I'm going to be careful of their property and willingly pay for any damages I cause (because I know I'm not going to cause any damage). If they would rather I didn't fish their dock, I move on. I've even approached docks that had screens/skirts around the dock, obviously to stop people from shooting under the dock, and asked permission to fish it ... and gotten that permission ... and some have even pointed out brushpiles, out away from those docks, where I might also find fish.

... cp

I hate selfish fishermen. Be it on a dock or a bank or a boat. Just plain rude to be selfish period. There are always enough fish in any lake and for someone to act like they own a portion of that lake ruins it for others. I would have stayed there and thrown my lures closer to his dock in his direction back at him. If he starts a confrontation then I will simply inform him I will call the lake or local police and report him for causing a disturbance. What's he going to do? Swim out to me? Throw things like his rod at me? Yell at me? I'd laugh.
Selfish fishermen always get what they deserve in the end and it's usually not good!

Good thoughts y'all. I'm gonna contact the game warden today and see where I stand. Then if I'm in the right I'm gonna limit my visits to him to once a week.