My run in with an unfriendly dock owner last night.

[Revtro]

MOJO, very well said man.  I agree on all counts.  Sometimes we forget that there might have been some instances with previous fishermen that got the dock owners upset and that their frustration may have built up over some time because of inconsiderate fishermen.  That's a very good point to remember.  I'm glad you brought that up.

[Mike Martin]

Well, it finally happened.  I met a jerk who owns a dock.  I was on Wolf Lake last night with my dad, with the sole intention of fishing docks.  We work our way around the lake, and end up on the north shore.  We are having a good time.  I watch a wake boarding boat head to its dock, and get lifted out of the water.  It is probably 6 docks away from me.  When I get there, the boat is on the far right side, on the left are 3 empty wave runner lifts, and ahead of those, a pontoon lift.

I skip my tube up between the dock and the wave runner lifts.  It hops up and over a steel cable.  When I try to pull it back over, it wraps around the cable.  I go up to it, and my dad is holding the boat for me.  I'm on all fours trying to get my tube when my dad says my name 4 times.  I look ahead, and all I see is feet heading towards me.  I look up, and there is a man yelling at me about fishing his dock, and he is holding a hack saw in his hand.  Now, he just got out of his boat, why is he holding a saw?  He yells, and tells me to fish the middle of the lake.  He asks why "us people" have to fish docks.  I told him that unfortunately, that's where fish go.  He starts yelling about how he is sick of going in the water bare foot, and stepping on hooks, blah blah blah.  As he is saying that, he starts jerking up and down on my line, which is wrapped around a steel cable mind you.  So, I nicely told him that if he breaks my line, he will have nobody to blame but himself for the hook he may step on.  I told him, that will sink.  So, he gets my tube unhooked and continues to yell. 

At this point, I am ready to explode.  He tells me I can't fish docks, and the lake is his property.  I then reminded him that he doesn't own the water, and I am free to fish where I want.  I wasn't hurting anything or anybody, and I told him he was free to call anyone he felt necessary.  As I move away, after making another cast and catching a fish from under his pontoon, he is still acting like a baby and staring me down as I work my way down the shoreline, fishing docks.  After being stared at for 3 or 4 docks, and listening to him moan and groan about me fishing docks, I yelled to him that I wasn't on his dock, so he needed to leave me alone, and worry about himself.

I have a hard time with situations like that. I have a very explosive temper, and it was all I could do not to come unglued on that guy. I think he could have asked me nicely to skip his dock from now on, and I would have been good with it.  But now, I think I have my new favorite spot on Wolf Lake. 

His neighbors talked to me as I fished around their boats and docks, and one guy even told me I could fish from his dock.  Said it makes no difference to him.  Others asked how we were doing, and what were we catching.  I tried my hardest not to get mad, and I understand his frustration if people are hooking his seats and so forth.  I guess I could have handled myself a little better, but him and his saw REALLY p!$$ed me off.

Then, 30 minutes later, a chick on a wave runner runs right between me and the shore I am casting to.  We were only 75 feet from shore at most, and she goes through there at wide open throttle.  I put my rods away and went home.

sounds like LSC...on any day during any season still curious on how hard water is gonna go this year