Northwest Fishing Reports

I read a report today from a guy who fished on lake Wa. this weekend and got chased away from some docks which he was fishing in the direction of, while on his boat. The point being he was asking, "Isn't the lake itself public, and is there any reason I can't ( fish around the dock area) from a boat??

I was curious about if other people on the list had ever had run-ins with homeowners when you are in your boat and parked 20-30' out from their dock? I am always very self conscious about not parking off of peoples docks if they are in their yards or on their dock. It just seems like I'm inviting some conversation, etc. But I will anchor out from anyones dock who isn't in their immediate yard area. I have to believe that at this point it is public property on the water, and I wouldn't have any problem telling someone this.

Have any of you experienced any grief over this?

i had the same problem at beaver lake as i was fishing a dock for bass and the owner came out yelling to stay away cause they have a resident fish they dont want me to catch but i was really angry cause the lake is public and i was far away from his dock

I don't think there has been a thread regarding this, but it has been discussed before on sidetracked threads...... Some folks have had run ins with people on various lakes who get real mad when people are flipping lures near their dock....I haven't, but have seen it happen and also heard other folks who say they've experienced similar problems...

One guy I talked to said he continued to flip his lure around the guys dock who was out there telling him to not do it standing on his dock.......He said he was missing some casts and bonking em on the dock. The guy who told me this story said the homeowner said "Throw that lure on my dock once more I'm cutting the line" and the guy casted it right on the dock, guy picked the lure up but he set the hook when the guy picked it up and ripped his hand up good. Not sure if I believe it, but some folks do have the guts to do that sorta stuff....

I have this dock at Offut where this mangy old dog will go crazy barking at you wanting to kill and the old lady will sit there and stare and will hardly ever talk. It is creepy:-"

WhereI fish at Island Lake there is this old man who shoots at the geese with his pellet gun almost winging me and the float tube a few times.At first I just thought that he was trying to get rid of the geese.But he only does this when Im by his dock.I have seen him later on in the day feeding the geese.So I have came to the conclusion he isn't after the geese just people who get to close to his dock.Not just me I have seen and talked to others this has happened to.Guess I'm just gonna have to get a flair gun so he will know where Im at on the lake before he shoots.No not really.I just think he is senial.Wich I can't wait until Im his age and can be senile as well.:geek:

I'm like quadradomus, If the owner is out and about I will give them their privacy.
But if no-one is around I'll fish around the dock searching for crappie.
I've never encountered anybody rude or stand-offish, just alot of friendly smiles and waves. I have always been under the understanding that the person owns the dock and land ,but not the water surrounding these.

I grew up on a lake, and we ran into this from new home owners. Our standard reply was "this is my water, from my house, and it just happened to float over to this side of the lake!" If that doesn't work, tell them politely to have a nice day, and that you are going to continue fishing, because according to RCW (state law) they do not own the water around their dock. They do however own the land, and you can't cast jigs on their shore if they don't want you there. If you really wanted, you could park your boat in one inch of water right off their beach, and it is OK. If they have a problem they can call the police...but just be polite, lake WA is a big enough lake to move along, and no reason to ruin the fishing for everyone. If enough of those rich eastside whiners get together with their olympia and king county cronies, the law is sure to change.

I had one instance on pine where I was sitting close to someones dock but casting away from it down shore in the shallows. The women of the house had seen me, went inside and out came the gold lab, which started barking at me. Rather than take the dog in, she sat there next to the dog watching me. I smiled and nodded, and continued my casting. Next the husband came out and started taking in a boat they must have used earlier in the day. No words were exchanged, they just let the dog do the talking, and I stayed on task until I was ready to move. I figured if they couldn't hear the dog, neither could I, and I had the right to be there.

Dilbert and I were fishing this little cove on Lake TAPPS. We had our two boats in a little cove we call Gilligan's island. It turns out Gilligan is a flaming A-hole (like the morning after you have too much hot sauce). While we were in the cove he drove his tractor out to the end of the point took off his shirt and dove in the water. He swam across the opening and grabbed some logs from the other shore and swam back closing off the opening except for a few feet in the middle. We weren’t sure if there was a rope across the middle or not, so I asked the guy if it was boatable so we could leave (he had trapped us!). The guy snapped back "it will be when I'm finished!” He had a hatchet that he was using to nail stuff to the log boom he was building. He then proceed to tell us that he had lived there since 1950-whenever (even though there was only a trailer on the property) and we can fish here but don't act like we own it and hang around too long. Just catch one or two and get out. I think he said something about not hurting his fish too. Nice guy really, just a little misunderstood (like most serial killers).

2000subaru wrote:Nice guy really, just a little misunderstood (like most serial killers).

Nice shot, subaru! big grins. Great topic of discussion, thank you.

This whole topic really gets me going... I have had good and bad experiences with lakeside homeowners. The latter ones make my blood boil every time I recount them.

*If you can afford a lakefront house you can afford blinds/draperies.
*The lake is public, including the water underneath your dock.
*If you want to protect fish, buy an aquarium.

I usually respect the homeowner's wishes so long as they are kind and polite about it and speak to me directly. As soon as they attempt to make me uncomfortable through words or overt action, I start to become a pain in their _____. IMLTHO lakes and >50%of their adjeacent shorelines should be parkland, not a developer's canvas. One of my personal favorites is when homeowners post no trespassing signs everywhere and leave a flotilla of crap floating or put up fences in the water. I'm using Beaver Lake in King Co. as my example.

Thats the problem with half the lakes around Western Washington is they are all surrounded by dang houses and some crouchy home owners thinking they own the whole lake. I could understand someone getting upset fishing around their dock and they are using it at the time but come on. Most of these lakes are public...

Had the same problem with a guy on Lake Washington. I was fishing along Mercer Island and flipping jigs TOWARD a dock. The guy came out to tell me and my friend to stay off his dock, he wrote down our boat license number and went back into his house. All I could think was, Is he kidding? Well I talked with my buddy with it for a minute and we stayed and fished 20 yards off his dock for most the day. Never saw a cop, but even if I did, what are they going to do at that point? We weren't being loud, we weren't causing harm to anyone. We were just fishing. I could see him having a valid point IF we were causing problems, but man we just wanna fish! People like that need to get a grip on reality. I don't care how much money you pull in a year, I don't care where you work or what you do or whose kid you are, I don't care if you own the whole island, I will fish around it. :batman:

After living on the lake(Washington) for most of my life I'll tell you what I observe while having meals looking out our window.Here are a few things I've dealt with.
One morning while having breakfast we watched a fisherman take a poo.Weve see urinating.We had one year a guy leave his boat in front of the house run into our bushes and unload.At our neighbors house I used to get free bass lures. From people casting in near the docks catching boat canvases and personal stuff on the docks.
Fisherpeople can be quite rude,loud,and downright nasty.Ive seen bass boats doing 30 mph in a 3mph zone.
Before you get angry with homeowners along the lake ,remember what we as Lake people have to deal with.The few things I mentioned are only a few of the nightmares weve and other homeowners deal with.Ive had guys leave boats on the dock during sockeye season and sleep there not asking permission.Personally I untie those boats and watch them drift away.
I dont know too many people that care about fisherpeople.Most are nice.But some are downright nasty.We dont own the lake.We do want some respect though.

There is always a bad apple on both sides it sounds like. They tend to ruin the perception of both.

You said it Snoho.There are good and bad on both sides..Its all about respect on both sides.

First, let me say that I've had a few run-ins like this as well.

I will stay a good distance away if people are in their yard, or occupying their dock. I won't fish in/around their boats and property that could *potentially* be damaged. I have no problem fishing the side(s) of the dock that aren't occupied by crafts.
If I lived on the lake, I would have an expectation of people to do the same--I don't want my stuff torn up, and you don't need to get too close to my stuff.

Now, when I do get confronted by the type of person that is raging hot....I just get overly friendly and polite--it really shuts them down. They're expecting an arguement, or for you to be a rude fisherman. When you keep your voice low, calm, and friendly if catches them by suprise.

Sometimes it's much more satisfying to smile and waive than yell and flip the bird....

Whats everyone's stance on intentionally landing your bait on hard docks, to drop the lure in close proximity? I have done this numerous times, but I would never do it if the owner was around, or if I felt the dock would take damage. Personally, I wouldnt mind fishermen doing this on a dock that I would own, as long as they werent damaging anything.

If the homeowner want to get confrontational,then ill do the same back at them,start my boat raise my outdrive and give them a nice ltitle shower:cheers:

Another homeowner perspective:

I have a fixed dock in bass central during the spawn. I have no qualms about guys fishing my dock as I know just as well as they do that it holds fish (5 feet deep, mud/sand bottom, fresh water vent from our heat pump). There are, however, guys who change the rules slightly to make their fishing experience closer to what they want which can be, to say the least, irritating.

Running your 250hp two stroke outboard at 6am outside my window -- bad. Use the f-ing trolling motor until you are at least a *little* ways from sleeping people.

Casting lures under the dock -- good! I have crossbraces that "harvest" lures. I have 6 lures in my tacklebox from these donations.

Catch and release during the spawn -- good. Keep the fish? Your gonna have a little metal hewescraft suppository. Its illegal to take fish during the spawn, not to mention immoral.

Looking at me like you own the joint -- bad. I have stood in my 6 foot by 8 foot picture window drinking my morning glass of water and snacking on a piece of dried fruit at 730. I was looked at like I was interrupting his morning. He came back by, fishing each dock on his way back out. This time, I was stark ass naked. Hope that made his day peachy.

Casting onto the dock and retrieving -- good.

Casting onto my homemade boat like its a backboard -- very bad. See Hewescraft suppository.

If you are not on someone's (or affecting someone's) personal property in an adverse way, there should be no beef. When you interrupt things like a homeowners sleep, their morning coffee on the dock, or cause even the slightest damage to their dock/boat/waterfront, you are treading thin ice. Granted, we have the money to live there, but conversely, we pay a SUBSTANTIAL amount for what we have, and the taxes to prove it. A little kindness can go a long way.

Oh yeah, and if you are taking a whiz or loafing in the lake off my waterfront, I just want you to know I have a water balloon launcher and 300 feet of range........

E