Hi Old Ironmaker, Thank you for straightening me out in your edited post but again you misunderstand me. I don't think cottage owners are mean, although some don't understand fishing. I am a cottage owner myself, and I know the lake well. And many owners on our lake do not approve of fishing in any way, including catch-and-release. For example, I am always very respectful of boundaries and personal space. If people are out on their dock, I go around. Yet I have been yelled at from the shore more thank a few times. My favorites include "there aren't any fish in this bay" or "you're not supposed to be fishing now". One guy threatened to throw a rock at me. I politely explain the regs, but it falls on deaf ears. It's usually an environmental argument that even though you have paid for a license, you are harming nature, or being cruel. Negative comments have gotten bad on our local Facebook page every time someone posts a legal fish pic. And, there was recently a lengthy discussion about how fishermen shouldn't fish around docks because they have a whole big lake to use!
Some folks recently started a new Facebook group where you are permitted to post pictures of legally taken fish and game, which is not tolerated on the original page.
I was sincerely looking for fishing advice, yet being challenged like I'm a scofflaw and certainly not getting the benefit of the doubt. I thought this would be a place to get help from more experienced fishermen.