ATTN: Dock Hoppers !

Been lurking for awhile but I figured I had better register and spread the word, might save someone from having a bad day and getting into a heap of trouble over nothing...

Although not a single thing has come up missing, nor any property damaged, the neighborhood crime watchers around here have become seriously concerned with crappie fishermen tying up and stepping into private docks. They are taking pictures and getting boat numbers and reporting them to authorities.
At the very least this could get you a trespassing charge, and at the worst (if anything was ever reported missing by the dock owner) it could get you arrested for theft.

So by all means SHOOT THE DOCKS but don't get out on them. We definitely don't need crappie anglers getting a bad name.

Welcome LOzark to Crappie.com from Lake ST. Louis. Thanks for the information. The only time I might step on someones dock is when I snag up and I need that extra foot to reach the jig.

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Originally Posted by LSL Angler

Welcome LOzark to Crappie.com from Lake ST. Louis. Thanks for the information. The only time I might step on someones dock is when I snag up and I need that extra foot to reach the jig.

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Are you saying that you step from dock to dock ?

This could go the wrong direction really quick. Break off retie and move along. If you run into an arrogant dock owner move along and take it in stride. Only time I get involved with a dock is in a thunderstorm and will take the citation if it comes.

Welcome to the site....I would think everyone should know that docks are private property, and only the water is public

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Originally Posted by long poler

Are you saying that you step from dock to dock ?

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Only if I had you watching my back.

If you fish the LOZ bring your long pole to reach into the wells so you don't have to get on docks....99.9% of dock owners could care less if you have hold of a rail or put your foot up to keep your expensive boat from damaging their expensive dock, as long as your not walking around on their dock. The other .01% are just holding the water under their dock hostage on a public fishing lake.

Do as you wish but I'd say that it is best to not even touch the dock at all. I know a couple of these neighborhood watch characters and they ain't wrapped too tight. They get a little high on their status if you know what I mean, and the ones in the Morgan county area sound like they are on a major crusade with this Crappie fishermen thing all of a sudden.
I believe they have been instructed NOT to engage anyone but to report any such activity to the Sheriff.

Jus' sayin', if they call and report your boat # as being "on a dock" then things can go stupid pretty quick.

Just one of the main reasons I don't fish LOZ...... Thanks for the warning though.

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Originally Posted by LOzark

Do as you wish but I'd say that it is best to not even touch the dock at all. I know a couple of these neighborhood watch characters and they ain't wrapped too tight. They get a little high on their status if you know what I mean, and the ones in the Morgan county area sound like they are on a major crusade with this Crappie fishermen thing all of a sudden.
I believe they have been instructed NOT to engage anyone but to report any such activity to the Sheriff.

Jus' sayin', if they call and report your boat # as being "on a dock" then things can go stupid pretty quick.

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I appreciate the heads up, I've been fishing the LOZ for over 25 years and have never had a bad experience with a dock owner. But I have heard stories, and most if not all revolve around people physically getting up on docks. I see docks as just another form of cover. I fish in them, under them, over them, and if I'm going to bump a dock I put my foot out so I don't hit it.....if someone has a problem with that then they just have problems period. Like I said people like that are holding the water hostage with private property that they are extending into public water. If your jig gets hung up on a dock is that trespassing since your equipment is an extension of your hand.....This could get very technical, I think the main point is not to get on the dock like you own it, and dock owners should act like they don't own the water.... people are just fishing.

Very good points, totally agree.

A case could be made that any dock lacking a big No Trespassing sign on it can be assumed to be OK to step on.

If you fish LOZ often you know which docks to stay back a little bit. Thanks for the heads up on what's going on. LOZ is why I changed to a longer, sturdier rod so you can reach in there and lift those slab out. I lost many of fish with a flimsy rod trying to lift them out of there.

Don't have to have a no trespassing sign, dock is private property, just fish around them, not on them to much water to fuss over, and with all the thefts in and around docks, and parking lots at every lake, I can understand there paranoia ....

no one has a right to be on someone's dock, period. you should be reported and cited if you are.

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Originally Posted by ibmack

no one has a right to be on someone's dock, period. you should be reported and cited if you are.

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Watch it LSL.
He'll cite you. Lol

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Originally Posted by LSL Angler

Welcome LOzark to Crappie.com from Lake ST. Louis. Thanks for the information. The only time I might step on someones dock is when I snag up and I need that extra foot to reach the jig.

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I'm kinda with LSL on this....if I get hung up on a dock I'd kinda like to get my jig back.... and I'd like to think the dock owner would not want loose hooks laying around....if I'm walking my dog and he craps in someone's yard the owner probably would want me to retrieve the turd.

If I dock shoot and miss and it is way up on a dock usually I will break off but if its close where I can get it with one step I am going for it. Also with the braided line I may pull his bar and stools off the dock trying to break it off. Yes I am a terrible shot at times dock shooting.

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Originally Posted by long poler

Watch it LSL.
He'll cite you. Lol

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typical attitude. probably the same dude that runs the redlight while looking at the phone while driving.

Easy guys, let's keep this civil

Ask Wally Marshall about his experiences with this.

I actually had a guy come out and harass me last summer for fishing 75 feet OFF his dock on a brush pile. I was anchored electronically and not going anywhere. It was about 8 feet of water. He said his kids got cut up on lures and didn't want us fishing there. There's virtually no way his kids could get cut up on lures which would either be on the bottom or caught on the brush pile. They'd have freaked out about the brush first, I'd imagine.

If they got cut up on lures it was probably from the bass fisherman who regularly fish the shoreline and into the docks.

I politely explained I was on a brush pile (which I could obviously feel and see on my scope) and then he proceeded to tell me that he'd had that area dredged and there wasn't anything there. I left begrudgingly. Especially since I know he dredged and it was just along the shoreline. I saw the dredge working.

A couple of weeks later I was up in that area of the lake and he was being towed back into his dock......apparently his motor quit. Ha! Karma is a bitch baby!!!

BTW, he's hardly ever there so I fish the pile anyway. Very productive. : )

You could have reported him for dredging in loz....its illegal without the proper permits and ameren nor the usace do not give them in very many circumstances.

Unfortunately it was a different lake. Lake Thunderhead in extreme north central MO. Dredging is most definitely permitted.

Cant win em all...he was still wrong though

That's what I thought too Ghostrider. I did my best to be courteous to him at the time. But I was furious. It was also one of those days when fish were hard to come by and that pile seemed to be producing. So leaving was especially painful.

I hear ya...been threatened a couple times by morons that think they own the water...just gotta leave like you did and come back later

I have only had "words" with unfriendly dock owners twice in 20+ years and in both instances I introduced myself (gave them my name) and gave them a good look at my boat registration numbers then told them I wasn't going to argue with them and if they had an issue with what I was doing that they could call the law.
One said "OK I'll do that".... but didn't, and the other just stopped bitching and went back to what he was doing.
Harassing someone doing a legal activity IS against the law.

I'ts Specks fault, Night y'all

I've only fished Ozark a couple times for crappie and didn't do very good. But I hit marinas on Smithville on occasion, which are leased slips from a marina owner (may be publicly owned). Rules are you can enter a slip, but not step onto decking. I keep withing the rules, generally. If there was a private dock owner on a lake that allows private docks trying to bully fishermen, they might get taught a lesson by someone who likes to night fish and has some paint (or worse) for their dock.

Call me cynical, but much of these "I've heard there were people who..." are by folks who want to scare fishermen and aren't necessarily giving bona fide first hand knowledge.

Got to my dock yesterday, 3 guys fishing rat at my slip, they said are you going to move that boat, well yes I am , but I'll wait till your done fishing,,,, geeze I guess they thought I was one of them cranky slip renters... any how got my rod back so still happy

I was down at the lake house the other weekend and saw some guys fishing my dock. I had 7 fish in the basket that I was going to release (usually only clean them if I get to double digits) but went down to the dock to offer it to them. I could tell they were holding their breath when they saw me coming, but were pleasantly surprised when I offered them the fish and told them where a good spot may be. They returned the favor by giving me some good info on where and how to find white bass this time of year, which I never knew.

Heck, if someone got hung up on my dock I'd try to help them retrieve the jig, then point them to the best spot to fish around my dock. Fishermen/fisherwomen benefit more from sharing....

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Originally Posted by polvo

I was down at the lake house the other weekend and saw some guys fishing my dock. I had 7 fish in the basket that I was going to release (usually only clean them if I get to double digits) but went down to the dock to offer it to them. I could tell they were holding their breath when they saw me coming, but were pleasantly surprised when I offered them the fish and told them where a good spot may be. They returned the favor by giving me some good info on where and how to find white bass this time of year, which I never knew.

Heck, if someone got hung up on my dock I'd try to help them retrieve the jig, then point them to the best spot to fish around my dock. Fishermen/fisherwomen benefit more from sharing....

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reminds me of my grandfather...he always made friends with people fishing at his dock

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Originally Posted by polvo

I was down at the lake house the other weekend and saw some guys fishing my dock. I had 7 fish in the basket that I was going to release (usually only clean them if I get to double digits) but went down to the dock to offer it to them. I could tell they were holding their breath when they saw me coming, but were pleasantly surprised when I offered them the fish and told them where a good spot may be. They returned the favor by giving me some good info on where and how to find white bass this time of year, which I never knew.

Heck, if someone got hung up on my dock I'd try to help them retrieve the jig, then point them to the best spot to fish around my dock. Fishermen/fisherwomen benefit more from sharing....

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I got guys fishing my dock all the time and I always shoot the breeze with them. Most of them are bass fisherman so they are always are back in my cove since i have so much brush out. Bad thing about bass guys are the got the braided line on and when the hook the brush pile they can move it twenty feet before they get loose.

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Originally Posted by LSL Angler

Bad thing about bass guys are the got the braided line on and when the hook the brush pile they can move it twenty feet before they get loose.

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That's probably whats happened to most of my Pocupines I set out a couple yrs ago. I set 5 out on a 12' ledge in 2013 and after this spring all but one have vanished.

No worries for me on this one. I've never snagged a dock. So I've never had to step on a dock to get my jig. Wink wink. If someone's walking on my dock I have an issue with it. I'll tell them. If it's obvious there trying to get a jig out that my grandkids could otherwise get stuck in a toe or something no biggie. My dock isn't at oz but I truly believe the police have better things to do than chase off crappie fishermen which are there friends, kids, cousins, granddaddy like me. Over analyzing on this one.