Kevin Van Dam Forums

I was out fishing last weekend and it was windy I was going along the docks (more than 50ft away from end of docks) and this guy yells “This is bull crap he named off my MC# and was calling the cops on his cell phone. I was shocked and asked what I did wrong he said that I was in his swim area. It was marked by a white fender with the tip about 3 to 4” about the top of the water. Have anyone heard of this? Is that what people are saying with those? I always thought that they were to anchor your buddies boat while he was at your place. I know that there are swim areas and the HAVE to be marked on all four corners with a real buoy.. white with orange diamond and “Swim Area” This would mean tath every time you went to your dock with your boat you would get a ticket so maybe this is just some kind of Gentleman’s agreement? I have gone to this lake for 20 years and had no idea about this.

Did you stick around and ask the officer? I sure would have, the owner would probably have gotten a ticket for improper marking.

BBK - 16 August 2010 05:11 PM

Did you stick around and ask the officer? I sure would have, the owner would probably have gotten a ticket for improper marking.

I waited around for awhile..hoped I could use my GPS track to defend myself so I wanted to stay away from his dock or shore.  Never saw a cop waiting for them to call me now.

What harm would it do IF you was in his “swim area”........was there anybody swimming? I doubt it. Just another example of a property owner being a pain in the but.

most “swim areas” around here have all 4 corners bouyed and roped off. still if nobodys in there, I cast in if I want

Dont worry about it.. people say they’re calling the cops all the time.. they rarely ever do.

next time you go there get a big peice of cardboard and write fishing area on it and put that on his bouy see if he likes that hahaha

I did call the Sheriff and he said that I have every right to be there and he was wrong a swim area has to be permitted by DNR and be correctly marked..plus her couldn’t have his own boat in that area…How do folks come up with this stuff? Its like they make their own laws and you should know them..nothing based on any fact. The FACT is I have a better case for “angler harassment” than he had me for boating in a swim area.

Go back and fish the same area until he comes out again. When he comes out and says he’s going to call the sheriff, you call on him. That should shut him up for a while.

I hate people who own houses on lakes, they think they own the lake around their property.

I’ve had my run in with a few home owners over water rights and fishing,  all you can do is know the law before hand and correct the home owner.  You did the right thing combsdale by call the sheriff and getting the law the right way.  Just go out and have fun fishing let the idiots be idiots and correct them when needed.

Thanks for posting this Comsdale.  A lot of good imformation here.  Some people get irratated when you fish around their docks.  It’s as if they got first dibs on bass when nobody even has a pole.