Private Ponds/lakes Cheating?

[Lund Explorer]

Seems like somewhat of a grey area to me. I would assume sanctuaries means government designated preserve areas or something. I sent them an email, well see what they say about it.

NGaHB

I might have thought the same thing if I didn't live just three miles north of this place.

http://www.sanctuary-ranch.com/welcome.html

I've never hunted there, but I was involved with a company that used the property to film videos for the marketing of several deer hunting related products. Not too many places outside of the fences where you'd have to edit out footage because there were too many 10 point or better bucks in the frame at the same time. I wish there was a way to show you that video, but it was so over the top that we never used it.

In all fairness to this company, all photos of kill or catch are shot, developed, and printed by the staff. All photos you take away from this place has the company's logo on it.

BTW, they have several managed lakes (20 acres or less) on this property that fish just like the property hunts.

[Missouribassman95]

Pretty much all I fish are farm ponds, but it seems like the owners stocked them like twenty years ago and haven't done a thing with them since. The bass are maybe alittle more aggresive then in a big lake but it sure isn't like shooting fish out of a barrel.

[Hyrule Bass]

fishing farm ponds isnt always easy as people seem to think. i would agree a larger public lake or river is probably more challenging. but that doesnt automatically make ponds easy. ive been skunked on lakes, ive been skunked at ponds. ponds dont equal a guaranteed catch...

[stkbassn]

This is a good point to talk about. Maybe they do seem dumber in a farm pond or lake but it's simply a bass being a bass in an environment that allows them to be that, a fish that isn't conditioned to factors that aren't natural...boats, jet skis, constant pounding and pressure...etc.

So while it may be a bigger "deal" to catch a big, trophy bass on a big reservoir with tons of anglers and pressure, that doesn't necessarily make you a big, bad angler....just lucky to be in the right place at the right time if we're talking about a 7 plus pound bass......it's just easier to be there at the right time and place on farm ponds and lakes. I've seen many a day when the farm pond wouldn't produce fish either so it's not always a cake walk...

Long story short, if you have pics of a 10 pound bass that you caught on a farm pond and your buddy who fishes tournaments and owns a $60,000 rig doesn't.....well, you still have the biggest fish

I love fishing big lakes and farm ponds and I'm proud of all of my big fish so be proud of yours no matter where it comes from.....fishing is fun!

[birdy]

I fish in my neighborhood retention ponds. All stocked about 10+ years ago. The ponds have crappie, bluegill, bass, carp catfish and shad. There are plenty of crawfish and snakes as well. These ponds are low pressure when it comes to fishing. Fish few years I could barely catch a bass. Now I'm pulling in all sizes. Is it the practice, patients, skill or a combination of these, who knows? One thing is for certain, the knowledge gained from fishing in such an environment has added in my ability to catch fish in public waters. I enjoy both, I consider myself fortunate to be able to walk out my back door and fish, mind you it is on the bank, no boats, so I river fish in a kayak as well. To each his own I like to say, Fish on!

[J Francho]

A private lake and a farm pond are two ENTIRELY different things. Catching unpressured bass out of a mud puddle isn't my cup of tea, and certainly does not compare to locating biting fish on a lake more than a thousand acres. Everything is relative, as well. take Richmond Mills Lake. Yes there are tons of fives. You'll be dink dropping them all day long. But, to catch an eight there, well that still takes skill.

[Chris at Tech]

Who gives a crap? I fish for fun, and if I can get access to a lake that will increase my fun, I'm all in even if I need to pay some for it.

You can make the same argument across the board. Budget tackle vs high end tackle. Jon boat vs $50k tourney rig. Fishing with a guide vs. fishing on your own. In my opinion, anyone who makes a big stink about someone else catching fish out of a private pond is a jealous blowhard.

[J Francho]

I don't think anyone is debating the point that fishing is fun, no matter where or how. But, to compare skill levels and bragging rights....mehhh.

Sour grapes? Not really, I've been lucky to have the opportunity to fish some pretty sweet private waters. One thing that chaps my rear end is the NY State Record largemouth. Buckhorn Lake? Not public. So, basically, I just need to livewell some big southern fish, dump them in my private lake, and hope I hook one. Hmmmmmmmmm.

[hatrix]

fishing farm ponds isnt always easy as people seem to think. i would agree a larger public lake or river is probably more challenging. but that doesnt automatically make ponds easy. Ive been skunked on lakes, Ive been skunked at ponds. ponds dont equal a guaranteed catch...

There is a pond I fish I know has some giants in it. Usually you get nothing there, but some times you might catch maybe 3 or 4 at best but there usually always nice. Last time I went I caught 2 around 3.5-4 and one maybe a touch over 5 and that was about 4 hours of time. Some times it is either on fire or its not and that also applies to bigger public waters. My own private pond that is 10 acres probably has smarter or more hook shy fish then bigger public waters. There isn't a fish in there that has not seen 20 different types of lure or been caught at least once in there life. It is not easy fishing my house any more it has become a total challenge for people who come over. Every little move you make or twitch of the bait matters. They don't just bite any thing.

[Rolltide09]

I have one lake thats about 50 acres and on any day you can expect a 100 fish day easily with a good number of 5lb+ bass and its loaded with 10lb+ bass. That gets boring and I only like to do that about once every couple months. The private lake I fish most is 95 acres and is stocked with gizzard and threadfin shad as well as managed by a biologist at Auburn. The most we have pulled from there in one day was 42. Usually there a 25-30 fish per two person boat is good but the quality is a lot better and its more of a challenge.

[stkbassn]

I don't think anyone is debating the point that fishing is fun, no matter where or how. But, to compare skill levels and bragging rights....mehhh.

Sour grapes? Not really, I've been lucky to have the opportunity to fish some pretty sweet private waters. One thing that chaps my rear end is the NY State Record largemouth. Buckhorn Lake? Not public. So, basically, I just need to livewell some big southern fish, dump them in my private lake, and hope I hook one. Hmmmmmmmmm.

I will agree with this point. I'm totally impressed by someone who has the knowledge and ability to identify good water by using observation, past experience, time on the water, and of course...electronics. That's what always impresses me about the guys who do this day in, day out. There is a reason why we see the pros being able to adapt to changing conditions and still load the boat consistently. They find fish. This is the ultimate key in my opinion.

The local guys in the tourneys here that win consistently do this too....they may have brush piles, honey holes, back up holes, plan b, c, etc....but they have worked at this and guess what, they win consistently. So, skills in this area are way more impressive to me than anything else. If KVD took me fishing every time I went out I'd probably catch a lot more fish.... I think anyone would. He finds em' and man does he catch em'. All of those guys at that level do.

But, still, I love going to a private, unpressured lake and laying into hogs all day long.....that's a different kind of fun but it's fun none the less in my opinion. Am I impressed with myself? Not overly but man it's fun to show off those pictures! LOL.

[Coosa]

I love fishing no matter what, but I would be reluctant to mount a fish I caught in a managed pond. I wouldn't do it. I would still fish there though and take pics!!

[SirSnookalot]

I don't think it's cheating at all, it's just about having a good time. I fish my community ponds, they have never been stocked and I'm about the only one that fishes them, little pressure if any. I use pretty much the same lures all the time, they hit them like they are seeing them for the first time, I question this thing about fish being smart, they react to instinct, they don't reason and think things thru. I have pics of the same bass or caught 2 days in row. Some days the fishing is good other days it isn't, the fish have no where to go, they are here.

I grew up fishing Lake St Clair in Mich, probably not the hardest place to catch fish of a variety species, any time a person can catch 20-30 or 50 fish in an outing, I can't see that as challenging, but it's a lot of fun. Challenging is targeting one species(or trophy size fish) and hoping to get a fish once a day, or once a week and sometimes not one in a month.

In most cases you're as good as the body of water you are fishing on.

[general3380]

How is it "cheating"? It goes back to the root of why we all started fishing...FUN! I LOVE getting out and fishing lakes, but I would rather fish a pond or private lake almost any day of the week. The anticipation I get going to a new (to me) hole that hasn't had any pressure is so exciting. When it comes down to it, pretty much any lake is "managed" or they are around here...why do you think limits are set in place? DNR research? Stocking when needed? Don't get me wrong it is MUCH harder to locate and catch fish on a public lake, but it is simply a body of water that anybody that can fish. My personal experiences of people giving me a hard time about fish caught from a private body of water is because THEY don't have an opportunity to fish them. WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO CATCH A BOAT FULL OF BASS??

[J Francho]

When it comes down to it, pretty much any lake is "managed" or they are around here...why do you think limits are set in place? DNR research? Stocking when needed?

The size and creel limits are developed as much out of politics as they are out of conservation. Stocking? Bass? Doesn't happen on public lakes. To make the comparison like that to a "managed" lake like Richmond Mills or random farm ponds is a gigantic stretch.

[theonethatgotaway]

to me fishing private ponds or lakes would be heaven sent but theirs nothing like catching a big bass in a highly fished lake cause it takes more than just finding them it takes skill

[J Francho]

it doesn't matter where is comes from, you catch what you are pretty sure is the biggest fish in any body of water, it's pretty cool.

[Nice_Bass]

The size and creel limits are developed as much out of politics as they are out of conservation. Stocking? Bass? Doesn't happen on public lakes. To make the comparison like that to a "managed" lake like Richmond Mills or random farm ponds is a gigantic stretch.

You may want to look into Illinois "politics"...not to get political here though.

So. ILL actually does have some of the best lakes that are closely watched- Crab orchard wildlife refuge lakes, etc (at least they used to be). These are public lakes.

[WookieeJedi]

I can compare this somewhat to hunting. I hunt two different types of land, one is public land and another is private land where the lease members practice QDM. There are no fences to keep the deer hemmed in in either place, it is all fair-chase. Guess which place has bigger deer? Obviously, the QDM property! This isn't due to any kind of special forage or feeding, it is due to selective, managed harvesting. Fish work on the same principle, with a few obvious differences. Public land and public reservoirs and rivers get more pressure from us, the alpha predators. If you can eliminate a large percentage of those predators, and then regulate the predation of the ones remaining, you get a better product. Fishing a managed pond isn't cheating. Stocking a backyard pool full of 10 pound bass is cheating, just like killing a giant deer in a 4 acre pen is a canned hunt. I'm not going to hate on anyone with the resources and commitment to own and manage their own water.

[5bass]

If I catch a load at a private pond I dont feel quite the same as I do when I catch a load in a tournament on the 20,000 acre local lake. It's definitely fun at the pond but 9 times out of 10 I can catch as many as I want there. The odds of doing that on the lake is probably half that.

[Chris at Tech]

Sounds like a lot of the distinctions being made here are the difference between folks fishing for fun and the folks fishing to impress others. I fish for my enjoyment only, so other folks "assessments" of my skill mean diddly-squat to me

[jiggerpole]

I'm sorry, but I beg to differ. It's not cheating. "It really depends on the fishing pressure," regardless of whether it be a small pond or large lake. I know that some ponds or small lakes can be manipulated to make things easier as with high fence hunting. I don't consider either of those scenarios hunting or fishing or sportsman like. I'm not saying it can't be fun. It just shouldn't count towards fair chase.

But fishing in a small pond or large lake can be just as equally a challenge and considered fair chase in my opinion. The biggest fish and the biggest deer I have ever taken have both been on public lands or lakes. Some of the best hunting and fishing can be found in these places. You may have to look a bit harder to find the right spots, but they are there. Allot of small confined places simply cannot produce mature healthy fish without some help. "Nothing wrong with that". We should all be good stewards and learn what is best for generations to come. Any lake or piece of land has what is called a carry capacity. Under natural conditions this can be undesirable at best. To improve the conditions or environment in which wildlife lives is not cheating. The fish or animal if pressured still has an mountain of obstacles to overcome in order to become a trophy and can be bragged on, if that be the case. The critter deserves credit. This argument has been around for ages.

Live bait vs. Artificial - Length limits on poles - Bank Fishing vs. Boat Fishing - Jiggerpole Fishing - Dynamite vs. Electricity - You get the picture!!!!

Bragging I think is where the most problems come into play. Brag on the fish or animal that overcome enormous obstacles to get where they are. And if you know more than I do at fishing or hunting then teach me?

[general3380]

The size and creel limits are developed as much out of politics as they are out of conservation. Stocking? Bass? Doesn't happen on public lakes. To make the comparison like that to a "managed" lake like Richmond Mills or random farm ponds is a gigantic stretch.

I can assure you it most definitely does happen around here...Crab Orchard Lake, Ferne Clyffe Lake...

[Diablos]

I'm a little confused.

Are we talking about a lake that is private and only contains summer homes with some sort of association enforcing rules or man made pond that is stocked?

[Sam]

There is nothing wrong fishing private waters.

In fact, they are the best places to hone your techniques and practice with various baits and presentations.

I don't believe in taking any bass out of any water. So to answer your question, take a picture, get measurments and get a reproduction made.