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| For the second time in the last couple years, heard from a lake property owner here in Oneida county about strangers using their dock. When told it was private property, the people said they had a right to use it because it was in the water. He called DNR, who said call the sheriff, sheriff said call the DNR. Happened twice where people pulled up, docked their boat and used his dock.
I had read one time that someone fishing and wading in the lake had right to cross the dock but this is way beyond that. He does not have a boat tied to his dock so they have room, unlike mine which has a lift on both sides. Anyone know the law on this? |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | So are they crossing private property to use the dock? In any case a German Shepard solves the problem. |
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| horsehunter - 3/31/2021 11:21 AM
So are they crossing private property to use the dock? In any case a German Shepard solves the problem.
No, they are putting their boat in at a public launch and then tying off on his dock, which is no where near the landing. He is thinking about the big dog option. |
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Posts: 1971
| I don't know WI's law specifically but I do know many states a dock on public water can be used by the public by the letter of the law.. although most don't tie up to someones dock because they respect it was purchased by the land owner...but if there was an "event" weather, boat trouble, etc. ...you are NOT breaking the law by stepping onto the dock in many states.
Edited by IAJustin 3/31/2021 12:40 PM
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Posts: 32800
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | No, seems like a private dock in WI is just that, private. They can anchor next to it and mess around in the water, but using it for recreation or other than an emergency is not OK. He can kick them off. Lots of examples out there, with signs posted. Much like private parking spots in an otherwise public lot. He can't, however, stop anyone from fishing around the dock wading or in a boat. If the dock blocks wading along the shoreline a person may use the land (shortest route possible) to bypass the dock. Docks are now permitted in Wi. with those in before the permit process grandfathered in.
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Waterways/recreation/piers.html
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/questions/access.html |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | Beyond me why someone would want to launch a boat then tie up on someone's dock. I've seen more cases of people crossing private property and fishing off someone's dock. A guy I worked with sold his house because he tired of coming home from work and finding people picnicking in his yard and fishing off his dock. Was a house he grew up in formally owned by his dad he just couldn't take any more. |
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Posts: 1209
| I would simply unhook the boat or go pee in the boat. I'm a young spry argumentative man today. Haha but for real in this situation I'd loose my mind and deal with it later. |
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Posts: 29
| Looked into it a couple years ago after people were tying up to my parents dock in MN and from what I understand, the water itself is public property, but the lake bottom and any structures attached to it (such as docks or mooring points) are considered private property. So you could spot lock in someone's dock slip and be legal but if you touch the dock/structure it'll be considered trespassing. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Just put up a Covid Positive sign on the dock  or the old water balloon sling shot from the deck of the house trick ... Bwaaa,haa,ha,ha... ! |
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Posts: 3783
| In Michigan the riparian owner has rights to the bottom of the lake in a long triangle from the shoreline to the center of the lake. If the lake is not generally circular the state has identified a number of "centers" to try to minimize wasteful lawsuits. Either way, an owner can prevent trespass on any dock or raft that is attached to his/her lake bottom. The state owns the water and anyone can float on that water right up to the shoreline. But they can't moor or walk on that lake bottom in a way that impedes the riparian owner's use of the lake without permission of the riparian owner. So, you can drop an anchor out in front of the shoreline but you can't moor your boat next to the dock or between the dock and a raft. You absolutely can't use the dock or raft without permission, that's trespassing. As is walking in the water near the shoreline, especially when the riparian owner has placed a fence that meets the shoreline. This last point is important when a riparian owner's property is contiguous to a public beach or boat launch.
Edited by Ranger 3/31/2021 11:12 PM
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Location: Eastern Ontario | I'm failing to understand this, they are launching a boat tying up to a strangers dock and sitting in the boat or just leaving it there |
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Posts: 63
| I am continually amazed at how brazen people can be. Common sense would tell you that if it does not belong to you, stay the heck off of it. Pretty simple. The gall and entitled attitude of some people. |
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| horsehunter - 4/1/2021 6:10 AM
I'm failing to understand this, they are launching a boat tying up to a strangers dock and sitting in the boat or just leaving it there
According to the property owner, two different families tied up to his dock, got out and sat on his dock. He felt it was because his was one of the few homes without a boat moored to the dock. He has a couple kayaks on a rack on shore, so both sides of his dock are open. And he is the third person in the last couple years I have heard this from. Each was on a different body of water. Somehow, maybe social media, the idea that docks are not private has got around. |
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Posts: 1677
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | North of 8 - 4/1/2021 7:08 AM
horsehunter - 4/1/2021 6:10 AM
I'm failing to understand this, they are launching a boat tying up to a strangers dock and sitting in the boat or just leaving it there
According to the property owner, two different families tied up to his dock, got out and sat on his dock. He felt it was because his was one of the few homes without a boat moored to the dock. He has a couple kayaks on a rack on shore, so both sides of his dock are open. And he is the third person in the last couple years I have heard this from. Each was on a different body of water. Somehow, maybe social media, the idea that docks are not private has got around.
time to hotwire their boat and take it for a joyride. see how they like the favor being returned... |
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Posts: 20180
Location: oswego, il | Beware of dogs sign would work. Using someone's property in that situation unless it's an emergency is just plain disrespectful. I will fish around your dock though thanks for the structure!
We were on teal lake once and my dad got into a cussing match with the property owner who started mouthing off about we needed to be 100ft from his dock. We weren't even casting that close to it. Ironically my boat had the FIB tag, the Warrior boat that passed by 10min prior unmolested did not. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | If you don't want to feed a Shepard or a Malinois I would have a sprinkler system with a little wider coverage than necessary and a manual over ride. |
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| horsehunter - 4/1/2021 11:48 AM
If you don't want to feed a Shepard or a Malinois I would have a sprinkler system with a little wider coverage than necessary and a manual over ride.
Ha! Not my dock but told the guy who has the problem that I have an oversize impulse sprinkler that when adjusted will spray a little over 50'. Told him he is welcome to borrow it. He asked where I bought it. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | You need a underground sprinkler system so you can just shrug your shoulders and act innocent. I had a automatic sprinkler system at the cottage ( didn't cover the dock) so I could cut 2 acres of grass at home Thursday night and when I got to the cottage Friday another half acre would be ready to cut. That's how stupid I am. |
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Posts: 1196
| I've had people give me the look as I cast under there dock and boat! If they are on actually on the dock ill keep my distance and i've had people say from a distance "hay come cast over here I saw a Muskie the other day" As far if someone to tie up on say my grandparents dock (back in the day ) if they were getting away from a storm thunder ECT come on in for some coffee or a pop. if your just trespassing i'd ask you to leave and if you don't there going to be a rumble. A point in Wisconsin the high water mark is part of the lake . I've hooked fish bad beached my boat on shore to unhook the fish but to avoid issues I would not do this if people were around or on a spot on a lake where the shore was a cliff and the home is up the hill. |
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Posts: 735
| Over the years, I have been observing more private property signs on the docks on the chain where I live. Kdawg |
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Posts: 117
Location: Roscoe IL | id put a big siren on the dock, when they did it id turn the siren on. they'll get annoyed in short order. if that didnt work, the dock sprinkler would turn on |
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Posts: 28
| 3D archery target keeps them off the crappie crib, probably keep them off the dock as well. |
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Location: Sawyer County, WI | ToddM - 4/1/2021 11:16 AM
I will fish around your dock though thanks for the structure!
The only people I've had get on my dock were those who are lousy casters and wind up with their lures attached to my boat/dock. More often than not it's a simple accident but I've had a couple of guys go by bouncing lures off my boat transom and my neighbor's pontoon boat to drop the lure in a good spot next to the boat lifts.
Most folks are respectful, but there is no shortage of jackarses who are apparently determined to exercise their "rights". |
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Posts: 20180
Location: oswego, il | dfkiii - 4/5/2021 7:08 AM
ToddM - 4/1/2021 11:16 AM
I will fish around your dock though thanks for the structure!
The only people I've had get on my dock were those who are lousy casters and wind up with their lures attached to my boat/dock. More often than not it's a simple accident but I've had a couple of guys go by bouncing lures off my boat transom and my neighbor's pontoon boat to drop the lure in a good spot next to the boat lifts.
Most folks are respectful, but there is no shortage of jackarses who are apparently determined to exercise their "rights".
I've had to remove quite a few lures from docks. Most not mine my kids or a boat partner or a kids outing we do with out club. On the kids outing once had an altercation with a property owner and she locked the ramp so none of us could leave and was going to have me arrested. I didn't even say anything bad to her except make her comments seem stupid.:-) That lead to a poop storm with the lake association. Had a guy on Vermillion accuse me or ripping the upholstery on his boat seat on a prior occasion even though it was our first time fishing it after my son launched a crankbait into his tree. I fished his dock a bunch after that on that trip I had comments chambered up to ruin his day. He seen me but never said a word. Fished our fox chain tournament one year and this guy was shooting fireworks over every boat that passed his dock. When I went by he said some half friendly things and didn't do it. I had some things chambered up for him that would have caused an aneurysm. He ruined my day!
Edited by ToddM 4/5/2021 9:26 AM
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| dfkiii - 4/5/2021 7:08 AM
ToddM - 4/1/2021 11:16 AM
I will fish around your dock though thanks for the structure!
The only people I've had get on my dock were those who are lousy casters and wind up with their lures attached to my boat/dock. More often than not it's a simple accident but I've had a couple of guys go by bouncing lures off my boat transom and my neighbor's pontoon boat to drop the lure in a good spot next to the boat lifts.
Most folks are respectful, but there is no shortage of jackarses who are apparently determined to exercise their "rights".
Yeah, I have a number of small dents and chipped paint where guys have tried to throw a musky lure under my pontoon boat that sits up out of the water on a lift. Have a couple small tears in the canopy over my fishing boat, also on a lift. Canopy is five feet off the water. Probably the same guys that can't hit an 18 inch wide urinal in the gas station. |
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Posts: 8721
| I got yelled at for climbing on shore to retrieve a lure out of a tree once. I believe what the guy said was "You know you're trespassing on private property. I'm sure the guy who owns this property wouldn't appreciate you being here!"
It really threw me for a loop, because I know the guy who owns the property, and that guy is ME. In order for this other guy to come and yell at me for trespassing he had to be.. you guessed it. Trespassing! |
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Posts: 20180
Location: oswego, il | esoxaddict - 4/6/2021 9:54 AM
I got yelled at for climbing on shore to retrieve a lure out of a tree once. I believe what the guy said was "You know you're trespassing on private property. I'm sure the guy who owns this property wouldn't appreciate you being here!"
It really threw me for a loop, because I know the guy who owns the property, and that guy is ME. In order for this other guy to come and yell at me for trespassing he had to be.. you guessed it. Trespassing!
I would have had some fun with that. |
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Posts: 8721
| ToddM - 4/7/2021 10:53 AM
esoxaddict - 4/6/2021 9:54 AM
I got yelled at for climbing on shore to retrieve a lure out of a tree once. I believe what the guy said was "You know you're trespassing on private property. I'm sure the guy who owns this property wouldn't appreciate you being here!"
It really threw me for a loop, because I know the guy who owns the property, and that guy is ME. In order for this other guy to come and yell at me for trespassing he had to be.. you guessed it. Trespassing!
I would have had some fun with that.
I wanted to! But then I thought about it, and figured if this guy cares enough about my property to try to chase me off of it I'm probably better off not saying anything. Next time I met him he tried to convince me that my property wasn't worth developing because all the trees would have to come down and it still wouldn't leave me with much of a building site. Told me there were much better properties out there and I'd be smart not to try building on my lot. Yeah, I get it dude. You don't want another house going up on the point because you were the only house here for 10 years and now you're not. Next time I see him I'm going to tell him I'm selling it to a developer who plans on subdividing it. That'll frost his balls. |
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Posts: 1516
| I used a private dock once w/o permission when Big City fell out of the boat. I towed him to the nearest dock so he could get back into the boat. I didn’t think the dock owner mind
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| Pepper - 4/10/2021 11:24 AM
I used a private dock once w/o permission when Big City fell out of the boat. I towed him to the nearest dock so he could get back into the boat. I didn’t think the dock owner mind
I know I would not mind that kind of use. In fact the dock owner who I mentioned in the original post thought the first time it happened that the family had a mechanical problem with their boat and that was why they were at his dock. He went down to see if he could help, only to learn they just wanted to use his dock to party. |
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