Rude fishermen infringe on cottage enjoyment

[SudburyAngler]

The anglers who were casting to a dock with kids swimming is completely irresponsible. But, as for the cottagers to drive by in there speed boats casting distance from me on a lake is completely innapropriate as well, thats just my two cents.

[Harrison]

The anglers who were casting to a dock with kids swimming is completely irresponsible.

 

Couldn't agree more!

[SudburyAngler]

I was doing improvement on a friends camp and if I had nickel for every time I saw lure hit his or the neighbors boats and docks I'd be rich. But, cottagers don't own the water, it's just respectful, on the other hand if your skilled enough to not damage anything go ahead and cast near a dock as long as it's vacant.

 

 

[Gregoire]

I was doing improvement on a friends camp and if I had nickel for every time I saw lure hit his or the neighbors boats and docks I'd be rich. But, cottagers don't own the water, it's just respectful, on the other hand if your skilled enough to not damage anything go ahead and cast near a dock as long as it's vacant.

 

I couldn't agree more

[alexcba]

i fish docks every weekend at one point or another. never snagged a boat, never landed on top of a dock and snagged, never got near a swimming area. i have had cottage owners yell at me for being near their docks, i normally just pay no attention to them. im there for a few mins, make my casts and move on.

 

there are morons on both sides of the fence here. there are bad fishermen, and there are cottage owners who think they are the mayor of lunkerville. things like this have been happening and will continue to keep happening forever. if your not confident in making the cast, DON'T MAKE THE CAST!

[bigfish1965]

You cannot legislate common sense. Besides it is a Federal matter and not going to change in our lifetimes.

In some lakes docks hold most of the fish. But casting nears kids swimming is stupid. Its not safe and the activity has pushed the bass away anyway.

Find an empty dock.

[SudburyAngler]

Valid point, why would fish be near kids swimming, fish responibly friends

Tight Lines

[Fishnwire]

There's no excuse for hooking someone's upholstry or casting in the proximity of swimmers. That said, if you own a cottage on a lake with lots of traffic...expect lots of traffic.

[John]

However if I was fishing a tournament I would fish the dock. I would also inform any homeowner who had a problem with me that I was in a tournament. If I was out for a day fishing I would have no problem moving along if I as asked to, providing I found the request reasonable, but I would avoid fishing a dock if I thought I was disrupting the homeowner.

 

Help me understand the difference..

[BillsTheBassMan]

Daniel DeKuyper wrote about "Fishermen's Etiquette" and he's right...but the gate swings both ways....how about when I'm in a quiet bay jigging for fish on the first break and the "cottage" guy roars very close to me with water skier in tow....here I got up early and was as quiet as possible to fish this bay only to be harassed by the power boater or water bike showing off right in front of me when there is a LOT of open water to do their activity. Nothing will change and things only get worse IMHO.

 

Bob

 

Yeah, I can't disagree with any of that - too many times have I been out when donkey boaters are going way too fast and disturbing an area that does not need to be disturbed.

 

Re: Fishing Docks

 

As far as I see it, you can fish all the docks you want to fish. Here's where I won't personally fish a dock:

 

1) I won't fish a dock when people or pets are in the area - not for fear of their yipping, for common respect purposes

 

2) I won't fish a dock if there are children's toys scattered in the general area.

 

3) I won't fish a dock if it is surrounded by docked watercraft.

 

4) I won't fish a dock if it is in proximity to a roped off swimming area or floating raft.

 

5) If you fish roped off swimming areas, you're a donkey.

 

Ryan

[steverowbotham]

i fish docks every weekend at one point or another. never snagged a boat, never landed on top of a dock and snagged, never got near a swimming area. i have had cottage owners yell at me for being near their docks, i normally just pay no attention to them. im there for a few mins, make my casts and move on.

 

there are morons on both sides of the fence here. there are bad fishermen, and there are cottage owners who think they are the mayor of lunkerville. things like this have been happening and will continue to keep happening forever. if your not confident in making the cast, DON'T MAKE THE CAST!

 

I'm not one to call people out, but that is Bull. I fish a minimum 150 days a year, and I love fishing boat docks. I would consider myself very skilled in fishing them and avoiding snags etc, but I, along with everyone who has spent anytime fishing docks still snag up on the odd one. It happens, but I always make sure to retrieve my bait. If you've spent any time fishing docks, I dont believe that you havent hooked one lol.

 

I will continue to fish docks because seasonally, they offer tremendous fishing opportunities. I have won tournaments off of a single dock. That being said, I ALWAYS avoid fishing docks when people are on them or there are people swimming nearby, a quick detour out and around shouldnt be an issue for anyone.

 

If people politely ask me to steer clear, I generally will. When people come out cursing and throwing things, they get the same treatment. Just the same as when I'm out in the middle of the lake and the same people on their jetskis come and do circles within casting distance. It's a fine line, we all have to deal with it. Just my 2 cents

[alexcba]

i guess im lucky? lol seriously tho, never snagged up. i've snagged lots of shore line tree's but not docks.. i leave that to my buddy vince lol.

[whynotalen]

The problem is that cottagers think that they are on another planet when they go to their cottage. They do not want to see or hear anybody. They think that just cause they bought a little house on the lake that they are re-living the pioneer days of being the only person around in miles.

 

The lake is public property and the dock is on public property so if I would liek to fish there then it i smy right.

 

However, I do agree with all of you that say that it is pretty ignorant and just simply stupid to fish where there are kids or pets. But, we all know that the notion of comon sense seems to be disappearing.

 

Maybe we can get the MNR to build random docks around the lake for us fisherman....we do pay a little fee after-all.

Edited August 6, 2010 by RookieFish

[jedimaster]

I fish docks too and near boats as well. Most tournament fishermen do. In fact I haven't met a single torunament angler that hasn't or doesn't flip or skip docks. I have never had anyone shoo me away. In fact if someone is on the property or it looks like someone is home we just skip it. I have even had a guy come out as we were passing his dock as he was on the lawn with some friends and shout "hey there is a big one under the dock give it a try"

If your friendly, considerate and careful don't see you ever running into a problem and if you do just float away.

bad common sense gets everyone in hot water no matter what the sport or activity. Hitting from behind in hockey, Unsafe gun usage, Bad boating habbits, bad snowmobiling habbits etc.. and so on.

[Lungelarry]

So, the other day I made a big wooden structure and I put it on the road right in front of my house.....The people driving down the street didn,t like it and started giving me crap. Hey its in front of MY house and it cost me lots of money, I don,t get it.(not a true story,but its the attitude of cottage owners)

[Guest gbfisher]

If dock fisherman bother you and you happen to be on the dock. Get out the jet ski's or water ski's or come up with a nice way to make them move on. I know if it was my dock having all the fish taken off of it I'd keep them at bay or make them move off.

Either that or pull out the Musky casting rod and start practicing. ( Im a troller... ) Ask Lew...

I'm not very accurate with the ole Musky pole eh....... At least it didnt stick...

[Tom McCutcheon]

The problem is that cottagers think that they are on another planet when they go to their cottage. They do not want to see or hear anybody. They think that just cause they bought a little house on the lake that they are re-living the pioneer days of being the only person around in miles.

 

The lake is public property and the dock is on public property so if I would liek to fish there then it i smy right.

 

However, I do agree with all of you that say that it is pretty ignorant and just simply stupid to fish where there are kids or pets. But, we all know that the notion of comon sense seems to be disappearing.

 

Maybe we can get the MNR to build random docks around the lake for us fisherman....we do pay a little fee after-all.

 

What the He.. is that?

 

I live on one of the Kawartha Lakes and not another planet.

It is the attitude of the weekend warrior which is creating this post. The guy who has No respect for others.

 

I have my dock, I don't want to pay more in taxes etc. for the Government to build platforms for you, and anyone can fish my dock when they want, just give me a little privacy when me or my family are present.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

I'd be mad if someone hooked my boat, but I believe there's more cottagers that think they own the water than there is anglers snagging boat seats. Kawartha cottagers seem to be particularly NIMBYish when it comes to their home waters. I guess when you spend a half a million on a cottage it gives you a sense of entitlement.

[Big Cliff]

What the He.. is that?

 

I live on one of the Kawartha Lakes and not another planet.

It is the attitude of the weekend warrior which is creating this post. The guy who has No respect for others.

 

I have my dock, I don't want to pay more in taxes etc. for the Government to build platforms for you, and anyone can fish my dock when they want, just give me a little privacy when me or my family are present.

 

I'll second that!

 

I find it interesting that most of the people that like to fish docks think cottage/home owners should be considerate of their desire to fish the docks but they don't think they should be considerate of the owners right to enjoy a little privicy. Perhaps some of the people fishing the docks should own a place on the water for a while and get to experience some of the we do have to put up with at times.

 

And yes, it only takes a few to give the rest a bad name!

[Harrison]

And yes, it only takes a few to give the rest a bad name!

That's the saddest part Cliff.

[alexcba]

im not passing by cliffs dock..

 

if i catch a walleye infront of it he may just end up making a hat out of my hide. LOL!

[craigdritchie]

A friend of mine has a cottage in the Kawarthas. Each Saturday morning during the summer, anywhere from four to 10 boats will come along and fish his dock. Same deal on Sunday. You can be standing right there with a coffee in your hand and guys will still not even think twice about bouncing tube jigs and Senkos right off your feet. It's even worse when there's a tournament. With respect to Bill M's comment about not casting around swimming kids and all, it's unfortunate that not all anglers feel the same way.

 

I always thought it was just the cottagers who were dickheads, until I experienced it from the other end of the dock. Now, I completely understand why they get so bent out of shape.

 

I find it interesting to read through this thread. Docks are a non-issue for me, because I very seldom fish them anymore. Why? EVERYONE fishes docks, and I think for a lot of guys, it's probably the only pattern they know. Personally, I find I catch a lot more fish by focusing on other areas that no one else bothers with.

[Big Cliff]

im not passing by cliffs dock..

 

if i catch a walleye infront of it he may just end up making a hat out of my hide. LOL!

 

LOL, you can come fish my dock any time you want, I never have a problem with people that respect the rights of others. In fact most OFNr's know that if they ever need a port in a storm, a place for a pit stop, or just about anything else, they can come tie up to our dock anytime! We have been very blessed to have many come and sit right on our dock and fish/visit with us.

[GBW]

I find it interesting to read through this thread. Docks are a non-issue for me, because I very seldom fish them anymore. Why? EVERYONE fishes docks, and I think for a lot of guys, it's probably the only pattern they know. Personally, I find I catch a lot more fish by focusing on other areas that no one else bothers with.

I've had guys flip and pitch at me and my kids while they are either swimming or fishing on the dock. So I do get out my rod and cast right back stopping the lure a foot or 2 away from the boat. All they are going to catch around my dock is tiny rockbass anyway so this is why I have to agree with the quote. Isn't the point of fishing to have fun, relax and try new things? I haven't even used my old "standby" pattern/method from last year as I'm having fun trying new things this year.

[charlesn]

Here is a solution I've never seen offered but has ZERO downside to both parties other than some minor inconvenience and carries many benefits for the lake/waterbody as a natural resource:

 

REMOVE ALL PRIVATE AND PERSONAL DOCKS FROM ALL PUBLIC LAKES.

 

1) No more obstructions on our public lakes to draw the fish away from other forms of cover and structure.

2) No more confrontations between anglers and cottagers- total kumbaya and peace for all.

3) A nice clean pristine shoreline for all to enjoy and an end to the disruption and destruction of prime spawning habitat.

 

I'd have no problem with that at all and I'd guess the cottagers would consider it a mild inconvenience to lose their dock privileges on OUR lakes to get rid of the bass fishermen. After all, a dock is really just a parking space for a watercraft, so they'd jsut have to trailer to the ramp like the rest of us - no big deal - heck some of us have to drive 3 hours each way and still do it with a smile. Anything else (suntanning/reading a book/relaxing in a chair/even fishing) could be easily replaced by a deck on the backyard that comes to the waterline and is fully contained within their property. Of course then the cottage owner wouldnt be artificially extending their property out on to OUR lake now would they. Ah, still, a small small price to pay to get your privacy back, right?

 

I wonder how that idea would fly with cottagers?