Thread: Fenced in docks

I have seen a bunch of them.

That seems like overkill

That just blows my mind. I don’t ever fish anywhere where there are any docks but I have definitely never seen or heard of anything like that.


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I would say it depends on the lake.

You can fence it in as long as you do not harass the fishermen. When I had lake homes I would go out on the pier and offer advice if they wanted it and offer hot coffee. But I see it as God's creation and it belongs to him. some people think they own the water around their dock and the fish. CRA CRA I say......

Seen it on a dock on Watts Bar in Tenn., but nowhere else. Funny thing is ... if he's there he'll tell you about a brush pile just out from the dock, in deeper water (& I always found fish on it).
Basically it's to discourage "dock shooters" from potentially damaging the boats, boat covers, or other items that an angler's bait may errantly come in contact with. That would include Bass anglers, as well as Crappie anglers.

It's not legal to get out onto a private dock ... that constitutes trespassing. But I doubt they have any legal rights to the waters around the dock, just not sure about the water "under" it. Your local F&W office can answer that question.

Seen dock owners put wood or wire around bottom of dock to water to stop dock shooting . Some even run out and cast lines with bobbers all around the dock to keep boats away . Harris Brake here in Arkansas . Some even have trap doors to fish through . I pulled up and used a long pole to reach the trap hole . Owner ran out and closed the door , told me I did not build that for you . Was tempted to slip in one night and sink heavy weighted rolls of netting to stop him from fishing it . .

Originally Posted by hudnut

Is it legal for a dock owner to fence in their dock in order to keep
anyone from fishing around it?

Would not think that would be legal on public lakes , maybe private water bodies . I would check and see .