Without judgment as to what is fair...waterfront owners have certain "riparian rights" to put their private property, such as a dock, swim raft, boat in front of their homes. There are specific rules/permits required for various uses, you can Google these.
These items are nevertheless private property--you cannot go on them without permission, any more than you could sit in someone else's car without their permission.
I do not know the rules on the inflatable rafts, but I agree that some of them are abusive in size, at least in terms of the spirit of the rules. To me, these are often though not always in the same category as other impolite things (circling wake boards, etc).
People troll near and between my dock and my (appropriate, haha) swim raft regularly. This is completely cool with me, and should be acceptable to all raft/float owners. As you point out, these are public waters.
So I would not go on their rafts, but I would not hesitate to fish
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