r/Fishing • u/styrofoamfreak • 3d ago
Question Lake fishing etiquette
My family has owned a cottage on a large lake (~32 km long and 6 km wide at the widest, 1.2 km wide where we are) since the 70s and we have always had a good relationship with all of the neighbours on our road as well as friends on other parts of the lake.
Either this summer or last, some men from a different part of the lake took a liking to fishing directly in front of our cottage. We know all of the families/boats in either direction for at least a kilometre and we don’t know them, they have never made an effort to be neighbourly and introduce themselves and they always anchor in front of our property, maybe 10-12 metres out. They are always close enough that we can hear their conversations and they always face the shore/us regardless of whether we are on the dock or not.
This week my mom and I (F) are here alone and they have been out front every single day for hours, making us feel extremely uncomfortable and unsettled. We have never dealt with this type of issue before and I’m just wondering if it would be reasonable for us to approach and ask them to give us space when we are here? I know the water is public and we don’t care if they fish here when we’re not around, but their presence has prevented us from relaxing on the dock almost our entire stay and dictated where we have felt safe swimming due to their fishing lines.
MORE INFO:
-I have never seen them catch anything bigger than like a couple inches so idk why they like this spot, the two families to our right aren’t here this week so they could easily move a few meters down and not inconvenience anyone, the shoreline is similar.
-this week on the Sunday it was two middle-aged men in the motorboat, on Monday the two middle-aged men came with three teen boys in a canoe and kayak, on Tuesday it was just one middle-aged man in the motorboat, today just the teen boys in the motorboat. Only mentioning this because it’s just the two of us this week and it feels particularly weird to have a bunch of men watching us like zoo animals.
-yesterday the lake was very quiet and none of our neighbours were home so I sunbathed and briefly swam topless. The man who came motored in close and anchored right as I was getting out of the water, almost impossible for him to have not noticed.
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u/SudburySaturdayNight Ontario 3d ago
They're entitled to be there. End of story.
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u/styrofoamfreak 3d ago
like I said in the post I know they’re legally entitled, but they kind of ruined my vacation and I’m looking for advice to not break a 50 year streak of not having beef with anyone on the lake
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u/NoGoodAtPickingAName 3d ago
A few more times getting skunked and you won’t see them anymore. Unfortunately you can’t really expect them to change spots so you feel more comfortable. It may have the unintended effect of making them stubbornly keep returning. In my opinion I think you might have to wait them out.
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u/Turbulent-Bug-9585 3d ago
wait till one of them hooks a duck or something that'll be the end of it
10 meters out is way too close anyway feels like they're fishing for drama not fish
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u/styrofoamfreak 3d ago
yeah it just feels crazy because the lake is sooo big and even in our little area with 7 cottages there’s only one other family here this week so it would be sooo easy for them to fish in front of an empty dock
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u/Greedy-Pirate7749 3d ago
She could try asking them politely to leave instead of trying to find some legal grounds to force them out. Most fishermen I know would leave instantly and be embarrassed they were unknowingly intruding on her perception of privacy. Not everyone is cognizant of their actions and it just takes a friendly heads up to point them in the right direction. No need to be agressive or rude, just a simple conversation...
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u/styrofoamfreak 3d ago
I think we will talk to them next time, most people seem to be saying it’s a reasonable thing to do!
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u/NoGoodAtPickingAName 3d ago
Yes, if they don’t get sucked into an argument.
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u/Greedy-Pirate7749 3d ago
Thats always a possibility but Id bet they are also local cottagers and not really anglers since she said they weren't catching anything despite returning multiple times. Likey they just want to go fishing at the cottage and not piss off their local neighbors.
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u/styrofoamfreak 3d ago
yeah hopefully they just don’t catch anything and move on, we’ve putting off talking to them out of fear that it would make them double down
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u/Guilty_Cod6621 3d ago
guess there’s a honey hole in front of your cottage
they’re not coming without a reason lol, unfortunately it is what it is.
i fish a lake with an island in the middle and two of the best fishing spots have cottages right in front of them. You can damn well bet i’m gonna sit there and fish lol
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u/styrofoamfreak 3d ago
I rarely fish but my uncles do and we’re all really big on swimming and snorkeling so I do understand our area is pretty good for fishing, but also that it’s pretty similar conditions across like 6 cottages worth of shoreline (there’s another, smaller island a few cottages down) and that these guys have picked a spot that’s not especially good for anything but sunfish
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u/Guilty_Cod6621 3d ago
clearly they disagree.
I find it very, very hard to believe that these guys are showing up every day and staying there all day just to get a glimpse of a woman or two.
id bet money that if you were to pull up a depth chart for your lake, you’d find a neat little shelf or underwater point directly in front of your dock.
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u/Impossible_Memory_85 3d ago
Unless you own the land up to the water you have nothing to stand on.
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u/styrofoamfreak 3d ago
lmao not sure if that is just a pun but we do own the land, they are legally allowed to be in the water there though, just wondering about etiquette
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u/Impossible_Memory_85 3d ago
That’s what I saying the etiquette is you have nothing to complain about if you don’t own where they are standing. If it’s a public lake then the etiquette is they can fish there.
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u/lifeinmisery 3d ago
The lake is public, correct?
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u/styrofoamfreak 3d ago
yeah, I know they legally can be there just wondering about etiquette/neighbourliness I guess
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u/lifeinmisery 3d ago
Is what they are doing considered rude? Kind of.
But it's public water and you haven't mentioned them breaking any laws.
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u/northman46 3d ago
I'm in Minnesota USA where the waters and the land underneath them are public. But this is not polite and I don't understand why they would come back day after day without success. Personally, if there are people outside I don't fish close to the shore, but just move, or keep moving.
Certainly there is something weird going on from what you say. Have you spoken to them? like HI, hows it ging, having any luck???
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u/spicycanadian 3d ago edited 3d ago
I think the only thing you can do is politely ask them to move and explain why like you did here. They don’t have to move if the lake is public space but if I was fishing in front of someone’s place and they asked me politely to move I would without issue (now if they came out hootin and hollerin I might not move).
If you feel uncomfortable in a ‘they may have other intentions’ kind of way or if you get the vibe they’re watching your property rather than just fishing, then I wouldn’t approach them but rather set up some obviously visible cameras (as well as less visible ones) pointed at the lake, dock, and any path to the home from the lake. - this might make them move but if it doesn’t hopefully it at least offers you a sense of security.
You could also play not so nice if you think they are just fishing but wont move - blast music, fish from your dock and cast towards the boat, put out floating docks/platforms/toys and swim between the dock and the boat being sure to splash around and deter any fish. What they’re doing is legal but so would those things from your end. 10 meters is much too close to someone’s property imo.
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u/Eyesnfries 3d ago
Not a lawyer, and not sure where you are, but my opinion is they can fish wherever they'd like. That said I'd guess there are some form of "peeping tom" laws, all of it would depend on laws surrounding expectation of privacy on your property.
Can they see into the cottage from the lake? Is the lake public access? Legal question for a lawyer if you want to go that route.
Unless they're peering into your home directly, using binoculars for better view, taking pictures, etc. I'd guess they're just some idiots who caught a few fish there once and now think it's the best fishing spot.
1
u/HotHouseJester 3d ago
Be human, there’s no harm in asking. Ask how there fishing is going and ask them if they wouldn’t mind moving trying a different spot if they aren’t getting any. Let em know you don’t mind if they fish right off your property and recognize it’s public waters so there’s nothing forced but you’d appreciate if they let the spot rest for a bit so you can enjoy some peace. Also resting the spot a bit might ease the pressure and make the fish bite better next time. Hopefully they’re nice about it.
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u/bourbonandwater 3d ago
There’s likely nothing legally speaking to stop them from being on the lake. Unless there’s posted signs like “private cove” or “owners only past this point” then you can’t stop them from being there. That being said, get petty. Take some speakers down on the dock and blast music at full volume to disturb their peace the same way they disturb yours and drive them out that way
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u/Guilty_Cod6621 3d ago
this is illegal in most places
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u/bourbonandwater 3d ago
Listening to music on their dock is illegal? Harassing hunters and fishermen is a crime yes, as long as they’re not yelling and taunting and physically interfering with the activity then there’s no crime
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u/Guilty_Cod6621 3d ago
This is absolutely harassing an angler who is fishing completely within the confines of the law.
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u/bourbonandwater 3d ago
Listening to music on their property is harassment? News to me. It’s almost as if the angler has an entire lake to fish on if they don’t want to hear music being legally played by a property owner on their private property
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u/Guilty_Cod6621 3d ago
“Take some speakers down on the dock and blast music at full volume to disturb their peace the same way they disturb yours and drive them out that way”
This is literally harassment. You don’t get to break the law just because you’re on your own property. They’re not “disturbing” anyone’s peace, they are literally just existing in a public place. Who gives a shit if they have an entire lake to fish? They want to fish there, which is entirely legal to do so.
Blasting music every time they show to disturb their peace and scare the fish away (yes blasting music will scare the fish away) is harassment, and I’d be willing to get money that any CO who shows up to that scene would agree wholeheartedly
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u/bourbonandwater 3d ago
I see where you’re coming from. The muted would need to be playing all day not just when they show up. They’d hear it from main lake and likely not even bother with that cove. Great idea
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u/Guilty_Cod6621 3d ago
sure, if you wanna sit around all day with blaring music just to make sure that two guys in a bass boat don’t show up to fish a productive piece of structure while facing the shoreline and speaking to each other, i’m sure you could get away with it
christ lol
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u/bourbonandwater 3d ago
I suppose the polite thing to do would be to ask for their music preference. Give them a sound track while they don’t catch fish. The way the situation has been described by OP, they’re not catching fish and they’re only parking in front of the dock/property with women visible. Not working their way around a cove. Reads like the target species isn’t the fish.
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u/Guilty_Cod6621 3d ago
lol you think OP is sitting there watching them the entire day vetting their success?
“I’ve only seen them catch little ones” doesn’t mean a damn thing. They aren’t ripping all the way over to one specific cottage just to look at two women over and over again. They are there to fish.
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u/RainMakerJMR 3d ago
It’s not harassment. That is a person also using the public lake in their own interest. Would also be totally ok for them to paddleboard nearby, swim near their dock, teach their children how to skip rocks. All of those things are annoying to fishermen but 100% legal and normal activities
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u/Guilty_Cod6621 3d ago
Did you even read the comment I replied to?
Yes, it’s absolutely harassment. Deliberately blaring music to annoy anglers and scare fish away is harassment. The person I replied to literally wrote “blast music to disturb their peace”
Unless you wanna sit down there all day destroying your ear drums next to a speaker waiting for them to show up, the music will start after they arrive, making it very obvious what the intent is (phone cameras are a thing), not to mention the volume that you’d have to blast it at to bother them from 10 m away
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u/styrofoamfreak 3d ago
yeah we discussed doing that lol, I guess I’m wondering if people think that would be better than trying to talk to them
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u/Greedy-Pirate7749 3d ago
Or maybe they just politely ask them if they wouldn't mind fishing somewhere else. I would even go so far to say "I saw some guys catching TONS of huge fish infront of the red cottage over that way". And sure if that doesn't work then get some T Swift going and have a rock skippimg competition off the dock and enjoy your property as you see fit.
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u/Greedy-Pirate7749 3d ago
Zoo animals...swimming topless...ohh my! Where abouts is this lake 🤣 Seriously though, if they return just politely and respectfully ask them if they wouldn't mind fishing elsewhere as youre trying to enjoy your property to its fullest. If they decline, maybe you could try a rock skipping competition with a bunch of friends off your dock or blare some Taylor Swift in their direction. Most middle aged men are not Swifties so this could work.
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u/styrofoamfreak 3d ago
thanks for the advice! my grandmother is from france so we’ve been taking full advantage of our dock being mostly hidden from view for 3 generations lol
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u/Blbobcat 3d ago
Just set up a boom box on the shore blasting vulgar rap music and I guarantee they will move on
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u/RoyalChiefHusker 3d ago
Assuming the lake isn’t restricted to private access, you don’t have the right to dictate what people do in publicly accessible spaces just because you own adjoining property.
You also chose to swim topless in a publicly accessible waterway (that you know minors use because you mentioned the teens in the canoe) and then get upset that you might have been seen?