Ray Borbon was kayak fishing on Lake Washington, east of Seattle, when he was confronted by a landowner who threatened to call the police.
Landowner threatens to call police on angler
According to Borbon’s video, he was floating in his kayak, fishing within an area that was merely inches deep and near land. In the video, Borbon remarks that the area on the east side of the lake is a great spot for fishing largemouth, and shows an aerial image of the structure adjacent to land.
While floating in the area, the video shows the property owner having a disagreement with the angler over the legality of his presence. It’s not clear from the video how the interaction began. We enter with the landowner and angler exchanging verbal remarks to one another as to who is in the right and wrong, and eventually the landowner threatens to call police. From Borbon’s edit, it doesn’t appear they were actually called or showed up.
Knowing your rights as an angler
The interaction is unfortunate, but an issue anglers often encounter. The most important takeaway from Borbon’s recorded altercation with the landowner is that as an angler you should have a clear understanding of your rights and ability to access public waters. There are certain federal standards for testing these rights, but from there they can vary from state to state.
Borbon shares the laws of Washington State in the caption below his video. If you search online you can confirm the law of navigable waterways in the state which is as follows:
“The state of Washington asserts its ownership to the beds and shores of all navigable waters in the state up to and including the line of ordinary high tide, in waters where the tide ebbs and flows, and up to and including the line of ordinary high water within the banks of all navigable rivers and lakes: Provided, that this section shall not be construed so as to debar any person from asserting his claim to vested rights in the courts of the state.”
Every angler should have a study of these laws in their state, as well as your additional rights as a sportsman. A clear understanding provides a strong foundation for navigating the type of situation Borbon encountered.
Feature Image: Ray Borbon | YouTube
