I hit a dock now what?

[mrpike1973]

Just wondering what is the correct way to deal with a bad cast to a dock. I don’t hit them very often at all but seen someone else do it this weekend. Do you cut the line try to retrieve any thoughts. No I’m not asking for me we all have at some point hit a dock but I never have ran into loosing a lure.

[EricParrott]

I try & retrieve it. Couple reasons. One, I want my lure back. Two, I’d hate to have the dock owner, or their family member (like a kid) get a hook in their foot, hand, etc. Docks are fished all the time & it happens.

Sunrise and sunset - if you see them both, it's been a good day!

[sundie23]

If it’s gettable I go unsnag it.

[spotchecker]

Get the Lure!! They are very dangerous!!

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Ignorance and inconsideration are the two great causes of the ruin of mankind.(unknown)

[zachd]

Get the lure I don’t know any owners that would be mad for someone getting a lure off their dock.

[Kato]

zachd wrote:
Get the lure I don’t know any owners that would be mad for someone getting a lure off their dock.

Even if they do get mad to bad! Their dock is in public water. IMHO

[Anonymous]

100% get your lure, even if the owner is watching. They will understand, (Redacted by HF for misinformation).

[mrpike1973]

Wow very interesting. I thought hitting a dock can cause them to go after you legally. Thanks I will remember if I ever lose one on a dock.
All good points here fellas.

[pulleye16]

HawgFarmer wrote:
100% get your lure, even if the owner is watching. They will understand, otherwise there have been threads that resulted in the takeaway that docks are on public property can -technically- can be used by the public.

Not sure who is telling who that someone’s dock is public property but it is in NO WAY public property…I’d do more reading up on that if I were you.

As for hitting a dock, yes, absolutely go get your lure.

[TightLine]

Some of the misinformation in this post needs to be corrected or you could put a fellow LSFer in a very controversial/potentially dangerous situation.

All docks are NOT public property. Lakeshore property owners have riparian rights to the water and, in most circumstances, own the lakeshore down to the low water level mark. As part of their riparian rights, property owners are allowed to install private docks from their property into the lake. This dock remains their property as part of their rights of owning lakeshore. Property owners cannot exclude people from fishing navigable water around their dock but they can certainly stop people from using or anchoring on their dock.

In regards to the original post, I would retrieve the lure from a public safety perspective. While the dock remains private property, there are exigent circumstances to enter into private property to retrieve a potentially dangerous piece of property. It’s the same rule for trespassing. As a dock owner, I would be very appreciative of your efforts to retrieve a lure before my daughter ran out there and then I have to deal with a treble hook in the foot.

To simplify, a dock in a public lake is like a car in a public parking lot. Other individuals can walk around it or park next to it but simply by being in the public space, you don’t lose ownership or the ability to stop people from using your car/dock.

I hope this clarifies the issue since walking onto someone’s dock and fishing is a one-way ticket to being verbally assaulted, arrested, or, with some of the nut jobs out there, possibly shot.

Brandon Zumwalt
Attorney, Dad and Fisherman-sometimes all at the same time.

[F6firecat]

I will add to TightLines very good explanation.

The dock is private, and to use that dock is considered trespassing, with the exception of, if you are walking in the water along the shoreline, and in basic terms, if your feet are in water, you are within your rights of being in public water, but if you encounter a dock, because it blocks your path to continue in public water, you are allowed to step on and cross the dock to proceed to public water, that is not trespassing.

On the stuck lure, I agree that the fisherman has the right to retrieve their lure, but if the the lure caused any damage to the private property, the fisherman is liable for repairs. Example, if the lure got caught in upholstery of boat/pontoon, or canopy top, and in the process of removing it tore or ripped the material, the fisherman is liable to repair the damage.

As far as fishing around the dock or boat lift, all water is public property and can be fished at will and if the property owner is excessive or violent, they are subject to a felony charge.

This is all based on MN laws and regulations, but from what I can find on WI, it is basically the same just harder to find definition.

[JJ]

I always recommend burning the dock down. that way you can just reel in the affected plank when it all falls in, and it creates bonus structure for fish!

Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus

[WalleyeChaser]

LOL

[Anonymous]

pulleye16 wrote:

HawgFarmer wrote:
100% get your lure, even if the owner is watching. They will understand, otherwise there have been threads that resulted in the takeaway that docks are on public property can -technically- can be used by the public.

Not sure who is telling who that someone’s dock is public property but it is in NO WAY public property…I’d do more reading up on that if I were you.

As for hitting a dock, yes, absolutely go get your lure.

Who crapped on YOUR dock?

Point taken- but would appreciate a kinder tone. No harm was intended. Post edited.

[IronDioPriest]

I would always attempt to retrieve my lure, even to the point of disembarking my boat onto the dock if that’s what it takes. The one time I snagged a dock when the property owner was present, I apologized and asked permission to retrieve the lure, and it was given – with a little attitude to boot.

Just a tangent here, but I try to respect lakeshore property owners with a little discernment. If they are on the dock or enjoying the shore, I will either go around them and avoid casting, or I will grab a rod rigged with a lure that I can just drag past their property. However, if they are just in the yard, I will fish. I just want to avoid a situation where I snag a property owner’s dock while they are right in my face.

Finally, there is one thing we can ALL do to even further minimize these situations: practice accuracy in casting. If you can’t lay a lure down right next to a dock in 10 MPH wind from 15 yards 9 times out of 10 – with your misses controlled to avoid contact – you maybe shouldn’t cast at docks.

[Author]

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