Fishing Docks On Table Rock

[Champ188]

I've seen exactly what you're talking about on LOZ ... been the victim of it myself. Was fishing a CPA tournament up there one weekend by myself (not enough co-anglers to go around) and was trying to boat a 4-pound fish I'd hooked inside a dock slip when a 4-foot wake slammed the side of my boat and sent me crashing into the dock. Busted a spider-web crack 2 feet long down the gunwale of the Champion boat I had at the time. I was waaaaay back beyond the no-wake buoys in a long pocket in the Racetrack area. Bunch of drunk jackwagons on a Donzi. Caught the fish and made a check in the tournament but ended up spending it on insurance deductible to get my boat fixed.

[Old plug]

I am too old and never did like to tournament fish. I fish badly under pressure and a lot of the time with anyone in the boat. I am extremely aware of anything going on around me because I am stone deaf and the slightest movement distracts me.

[Billfo]

I own a slip in a community dock (community docks are still private property- they just belong to more than one person) , unlike public docks... ANYWAY, I was at my slip cleaning up when 2 guys came up & started throwing jigs around the dock. Apparently not very skilled as they hit the docks and metal around the lifts several times.. One guy landed a jig on the docks sheet metal roof !!Scared the heck out of me. The guy said sorry.... I replied, I was just happy he wasn't bow fishing. LOL..

[Quillback]

Yep, sure makes a lot of noise when you bounce a 1/2 oz bullet weight off a sheet metal dock roof - not that I've ever done it. Just based on what I've heard from others.

[Champ188]

Guys like the ones Billfo is talking about are the ones who create ill feelings for all of us between dock owners/renters and fishermen. If you can't cast any better than that, don't start pitching lures around people's property.

I started learning to pitch in my 20s and I literally spent hours outside in my yard working on my skills. These days, I can pitch a jig or shaky head in the space between a boat and a dock walkway all day long. When it appears my lure might be going to hit a boat, I stop my pitch before it does, reel up my line and pitch again.

It all comes down to being responsible and respectful anglers. .

[Billfo]

I spend alot of time on the dock & have talked with many passing fisherman. It has been my deductions that inexperienced fishermen will go by the docks cast about 5-6 times hit a few things then leave pretty quick. The better more experienced guys will work the heck out of that dock from BOTH directions never hittng anything. I generally dont bother those guys with idle chit chat (I am actually watching & learning)..

Guess being the Dock Nazi that I am, I tend to pick out the inexperienced guys & let them know I am there & watching.

[mjk86]

Regarding Schooner creek and whats up doc marina.....The marina is in a small cove west of schooner creek, which are understandably off limits. The deep docks in schooner creek itself (east of the marina) are fair game right? They look like private docks and I have never seen no fishing signs (and have fished them heavily but not in recent years). Was I fishing those illegally? Bill mentioned that the schooner creek docks were off limits, but I didnt think that they were part of the whats up doc marina complex. Hopefully I was not doing anything illegal, caught lots of fish off those docks.

[Champ188]

Hey mjk86, unfortunately it appears those indeed are off-limits. They are part of Port of Kimberling Marina and under the latest regs, all docks that are part of a commercial marina are off-limits.

Here is a link to the Central Pro-Am website that provides a map of all off-limits areas on TR:

http://webboutdoors.com/central-pro/corps-engineers-commercial-zone-limits/

[mjk86]

Thanks Champ. Thats good to know! Im surprised that nobody has ever said anything to me about it (maybe thats why I caught so many off those docks haha). That said, I last fished those docks in probably 2008, so maybe the regs have changed since then. IDK, either way, thanks again for the info! I wont be tempting fate anymore over there, plenty of other good fishing around there.

[Champ188]

Again, my understanding is that everything is fair game except marina docks, which now means all docks owned or operated by a marina. Formerly, it was only gas/retail docks.

Otherwise, fish on, folks!!