Bass tournaments - respect for peoples property?

[bamboozler]

I know this comes up every year...

At times today on the Big Rideau, certain tournament fishermen were fishing around our boathouses and of course banking lures off our boathouse doors. My wife reports that they heard sounds a fair bit today.

Our guests and my wife are a tad bit takin aback (and of course I'm trying to defend), that they got in so close and were dinging in and around docks.

Of course, I'm a bass fisherman, and I know that we don't own the water, and neither do cottagers, but for people who are not anglers, they don't quite understand.

How do i justify this behaviour to them? I wouldn't want them to be hitting my boat, and vice versa, let alone my doors.

As an angler, i try to respect that when people are outside and enjoying their cottages, I move along...there is a lot of water to fish. If i see no activity, I try to fish around docks with a senko so it's quiet. In fact based on previous post from last year, many FH'ers really do respect the cottagers and that's admirable.

Any thoughts?

[FishingIsHealing]

If you dont want peopel fishing ur dock, maybe put some buoys outside of it, so they think thereis shoals or rocks or something, only you will know there is nothing there. lol.......

Idunno how that wouldwork though or if it's legal...

But i know if iwas fishing in a boat, andsaw buoys in anarea,iwouldkeep the boat well away from it......

[CNs]

If you don't want people fishing your dock, maybe put some buoys outside of it, so they think there are shoals or rocks or something, only you will know there is nothing there. lol.......

Idunno how that would work though or if it's legal...

But i know if I was fishing in a boat, andsaw buoys in an area,i would keep the boat well away from it......

Wouldn't work. Not with todays electronics.

Besides it is not only tourney anglers doing this.

[Thrasher]

to me if there's buoys there, there's structure, and structure = fish, so I'd be more inclined to check it out/fish it. whether it be tournaments or not, flipping docks/boathouses/boats is great but we as anglers need to be respectful to the owners and not be making direct contact with our lures to avoid any possible damage and to keep good relations with the property ownwers etc. if you can't pitch/flip accurately then don't,or go practice until you can. If someone were to be hitting my boat etc, then I'd tell them the above.
Thrasher

[DropShotr]

The horsepower of a boat should never exceed the IQ of the owner.

I knew there was a tourney on the Big Rideau on Sat. That's why I decided to go to Charleston.

DropShot'r

[Eli]

I recently met someone who told me he sunk several shopping carts around his dock so when people fish there they get snagged and lose their lures. I thought it was an idiotic thing to do

[thundercraft]

I think it is a small percentage of fishermen who do not respect
the water.
I have seen "fishermen" casting off boats and docks.
Also when you shore fish how much garbage do you see on the ground
from "fishermen". Worm containers, timmies cup, and the worst
the fishing line that so called fishermen leave behind.
I come back with balls of line everywhere I fish from shore.

My feeling is that it is a few stupid people who do not know any better
that call them selfs fishermen which they are NOT.

[bamboozler]

Yesterday, I was a bit disappointed that the fishermen weren't respecting my boathouse doors or property.

When I approached the fishermen as a cottager...it was pretty much cold shoulder and no chit chat, although I was very curious as to what lure they were using approach, etc.

Today, I was out fishing and I ran into some tourney fishermen and they very nice and decent people. So I took a break, let them take the shore path they were taking, and just watched so I could learn a few things. I could have stood my ground and kept on my path, but i knew they were entering my honey hole...

I saw one of the tourney dudes rod's tip pretty good. I hope they won the $5000 bucks with a huge lunker.

On a similar note, one of the cottagers on my lake yesterday ( i fish around his area a lot--Southams point), stopped his boat yesterday (I figured he was gonna give me crap) but it ended up that was giving me some tips on where to fish around the point.

Suffice it to say, if us anglers approach cottagers with some respect and a friendly attitude, it might be worthwhile and vice versa.

[Fishing 24/7]

just today i was working the pads and docks with B-A

well this one dock i hit with my frog .... and the guy was acctualy ON the dock cleaning it or what ever...

looked at me and didnt say a word cuntinued cleaning his dock and what not ....

ok ok i hit WOOD and didnt get tangled ...

NO boats on the sides....

i wouldnt hit a dock with a boat...

i DONT want to get tangled in his gas hose!

this said... if i see a nice wood dock with no boat... im hitting a senko ! no dought about it!

[Bass Addict]

just today i was working the pads and docks with B-A

Thats because he knew later on in the day you would get hooked up with
a spinner bait and end up costing you first place in the tournament

[RJ]

I just spent 2 days fishing the Big Rideau in the tournament you mentioned....

We found the cottagers to be outstanding....friendly...and interested in how we were doing.....I really think it is all in how you approach them....more than a few times once we saw someone around the cottage I would ask if it was ok with them for us to fish around their dock.....noone had any issues....my only suggestion is that if you don't have the confidence to fish docks, boat houses or boats without hitting it....use a lighter softer bait.....1 ounce flipping jigs make a hell of a racket...

Oh....and the docks....well....they have some fish on em...

RJ

[bassman40]

I live near mississippi lake in Carleton Place and what the local conservation authority has done regarding this type of situation is offer 12"x12" lamenated signs at a cost of $5 to owners with "No fishing here" written on it. the owners then post these signs at the end of there docks or on their properties to indicate that fishing isn't welcomed at that spot.
this is in light of complaints from tax paying cottagers stemming from all the tourny's held on that lake and the percieved intrusion of the cottagers shoreline and supposivly hooks being left clinging to docks that could/have harmed kids swimming,etc.

also, some cottagers are putting orange bouys approx 20-30ft out from their docks dotting a stretch of the shoreline to help make boaters and fishermen aware of the designated swimming area and no fishing zone.

personally, I fish docks, warfs, rafts,etc like everyone else but if the cottager owner is staring me down or people are swimming , then I immediately leave...it's not worth the hassle.

In these times, on-the-water etiquette as well as bass tournies especially are being watched all the time by lake asociations and cottagers.

[RJ]

Just another reason why I never fish that puddle....I live 15 minutes from it yet I routinely drive an hour away to fish....the lake sucks...and so do the cottagers...

[Tip-up]

Just another reason why I never fish that puddle....I live 15 minutes from it yet I routinely drive an hour away to fish....the lake sucks...and so do the cottagers...

nownow...most of the cottagers...

[MLR]

Last weekend i was in Lake Muskoka fishing around a dock, when the cottage owner dispatched his kids to the dock for a cannon ball competition. Not good for me, but the best way I have seen to scare fishermen away from docks.