Kayak Angler Michael Gutz Muto was fishing near a private marina in San Diego Bay when a man threatened to call the police on him.
“This fish is against the law”
“This guy said he was going to call the harbor police,” shared Muto, owner of Submission Fishing Co, in the video. “Because I was fishing in the marina.”
“You really wanna push my buttons this morning huh,” called the man from shore above the marina. “You’re gonna get one more chance or I’m calling the [expletive] police.”
Muto remained calm and did not leave the area.
“Call them,” said Muto. “Call them. I can fish here legally. I can legally fish here.”
The man, who had been standing in the doorway of a building above the marina, continued to call down to Muto from shore.
“There are signs all over that this is private property. You need to leave,” the man continued.
“Call the police. I can legally fish here,” Muto repeated calmly before turning to his camera. “That guy is pissed. I’ll be sad if I don’t catch one here.”
Muto continued to fish and stayed calm.
“His face is probably beet red right now,” Muto said before explaining more about the situation. “They don’t own the water by the way you guys. If you go on the decks or you go on the docks, obviously you can’t be on it. That’s private property right?”
Muto explained that while you can’t stand on the docks or boats, the marina doesn’t own the water. Muto then went on to catch a fish.
“This fish is against the law,” said Muto. “Just kidding.”
Kayak anglers and trespassing
Trespassing laws for kayak anglers vary from state to state but there are also federal standards. Generally, kayak anglers are allowed to fish navigable waterways; different states may have different definitions of what is considered a navigable waterway.
Several commenters noted that the reason many private marinas hold animosity toward kayak anglers is that marina staffers and property owners are responsible for untangling fishing line from the boats propellers. Another commenter noted that the frustration also comes from kayak anglers blocking boaters into their slips when they’re trying to leave.
