Pay Fishing

[Surveyor]

How much would you guys be willing to pay for fishing 9 well managed Lakes totaling 150 Ac.? 

The lakes would be managed such that the opportunity to catch a 10 lb. bass would be very likely.

The Lakes range in size from 75 Ac, 35 Ac and a couple 5 Ac ponds with some smaller that hold great potential for bank fishing..

 

Would you pay $100?  $250 per day?

 

Bear with me here Glenn I will not be advertising just looking into the possibilities. Thanks.

[MarkH024]

I'm not really keen on having to pay to fish anymore than we already do with equipment, licenses, launch fees, gas, transportation, etc... Part of the thrill for me is the hunt for the fish and "figuring it out". While guiding and going to managed lakes doesn't automatically put a fish on your line, it certainly boosts your chances. This is the way to go for people who just want to catch fish, not the "figure" it out portion. It's just not for me and I have been on a few guided outings.

 

In short, I wouldn't pay for any of the above.  I mean that in the most respectful manner too.

[slonezp]

It's bad enough I have to pay to launch my boat. Unless you're doing some type of corporate retreat, I don't see a market. I know Glenn is familiar with a similar set up. We all can't be Bill Dance.

[MCS]

How much would you guys be willing to pay for fishing 9 well managed Lakes totaling 150 Ac.? 

The lakes would be managed such that the opportunity to catch a 10 lb. bass would be very likely.

The Lakes range in size from 75 Ac, 35 Ac and a couple 5 Ac ponds with some smaller that hold great potential for bank fishing..

 

Would you pay $100?  $250 per day?

 

Bear with me here Glenn I will not be advertising just looking into the possibilities. Thanks.

 

That right there ^^ takes the fun out of the quest for that "fish of a lifetime", if chances are altered by someone else to be in my favor then NO.

Plus paying to fish is another NO

[Felix77]

I travel a lot for work and always try to find spots to fish wherever I end up.  A lot of times people are not open about "honey holes" so I end up doing as much research as possible to get to fish.  More often than not it doesn't work in my favor.  If the price was reasonable (less than $30/ half-day) I might actually do something like this.  But I need to be able to rent a kayak or boat as well to take advantage of the larger bodies of water.

[powerduster]

$20 for maybe a small pond I can walk around easy and takes 10-15 minutes to go around.

[Nice_Bass]

How much would you guys be willing to pay for fishing 9 well managed Lakes totaling 150 Ac.? 

The lakes would be managed such that the opportunity to catch a 10 lb. bass would be very likely.

The Lakes range in size from 75 Ac, 35 Ac and a couple 5 Ac ponds with some smaller that hold great potential for bank fishing..

 

Would you pay $100?  $250 per day?

 

Bear with me here Glenn I will not be advertising just looking into the possibilities. Thanks.

Look into Trophy Country in Missouri.  Apparently there is a want or need by some, but it would have to be managed pretty well.  I believe a few folks from the site have been there, and have good things to say as well. (I have not personally been there, but did look into it after recommendations here) 

http://trophycountry.com/

[slonezp]

Look into Trophy Country in Missouri.  Apparently there is a want or need by some, but it would have to be managed pretty well.  I believe a few folks from the site have been there, and have good things to say as well. (I have not personally been there, but did look into it after recommendations here) 

http://trophycountry.com/

That looks more like a game farm with fishing as a side note. There is a bass and gill club in Plainfield IL which is for fishing and bird hunting, but membership is limited to 300 people. The only way you can get a membership is if someone is selling theirs and they go between 3k-5k plus an annual fee of a couple hundred bucks.

[Gatorbassman]

You have to look at the economics of it.

How much does it cost to maintain a fishery that produces 10lb bass consistently? 

How many people can fish the place without having a negative affect on the fishery?

How much do you need to charge that number of people in order to maintain the fishery pay the insurance and make a reasonable profit?

Do you have to capital to lose money for the first few years? 

[derekxec]

plenty of good free places to fish lol

[tomustang]

Might as well pay someone to fish for me

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Might as well pay someone to fish for me

I'm available and up to the task

[Diablos]

I would rather pay a guide on an excellent public lake than farm fish in a managed area.

[Scott F]

I have fished in lakes that were privately owned and managed for trophy fish. Believe me, it is not as easy as it sounds. It is not open to the public, you have to be a member or the guest of a member to fish there. The lakes are loaded with huge fish, but being small lakes, the fish have no place to hide. There are only a few people allowed to fish on each lake each day, but someone is fishing there all the time. The bass have learned to avoid the (small) boats and are hard to catch especially for someone who hasn't spent much time there and hasn't learned the tricks to get them to bite

 

Maybe the guys who frequent this site are not the prime customers for this type of operation. The place I was at was run like a private golf course country club. Members are well to do business men and companies who bring customers out to do business while fishing instead of golfing. They also offer duck and pheasant hunting as well as trap and skeet shooting. There are a lot of guys with more money than time who would like a short cut to a wall hanger. I don't think many of them post on these forums.

[Fish Murderer 71]

Pay to GO fishing?  ummm....  only when I want to go deep sea fishing ( and thats because I dont have a boat that can get me where I want to go... yet).

I'll catch that 10+ pounder one day, and it'll be worth all the hard work and dedication to the sport.  

[DelcoSol]

I am a member of a local area of lakes. The reason I pay is because living near the city there are no local lakes that allow use of a gas outboard. Also, the money keeps the traffic down. There are three large lakes with many species of fish and it also includes a campground area to use. For me and a guest it cost $850 a year for membership fees. It is steep I know but in order for me to be able to use my boat I would need to drive nearly two plus hours into NJ so it saves me money on gas and vehicle maintanence. We split the fee so for $425 for the year each we have unlimited access to the lakes and camping. This is my first year there and between the membership and the help of Bass Resource, my buddy and I are having our best year fishing ever.

[Grizzn N Bassin]

No sir I'd pay for a guide and take a trip. To Mexico

[Surveyor]

Thanks to all that took the time to respond and or "like".

I really appreciate and respect your replies.

[lanzbass]

I know of place here in Mexico that charges per pound. You pay for what you keep , not catch !

The money they make is by renting boats , reels, rods, tents and cabins, and after fishing is done you can BBQ up some of your fish you kept at the BBQ site .

Theirs a 15 dollar camp and fish fee that's good for 24 hours. They also have a restaurant and tackle shop and a monthly drawing for the biggest fish caught .

I took some people there 2 or 3 times and they seemed to have a good time

[Bluebasser86]

There's lots of pay to play places, a couple not far from me. I think some guys are thinking that you are pretty much promised a monster bass at those plays, not true, it just makes it so you at least have a shot at one. There's a place called Anglers Paradise in southwest missouri that looks like it would be a good time. To me it just give a guy a shot at a fish he may otherwise not even have a chance to catch in public lakes. There is certainly a market for it I think but like Glenn said, it has to be a ton of work and not cheap at all. 

[SirSnookalot]

Not an easy answer.  I just got a personal message from a very well respected BR member telling me that bass in my area have been caught up to 10 lb, I'm not surprised as I've done it the same places.  The answer is no I would't pay as it's already available to me for free.  I would pay for species that are not common to my area, whether it be a guide or some type of a retreat, baramundi comes to mind.

[MitchTBF]

I think that I would pay for something like that if I was taking someone who fishes maybe 10 times their entire life, or if I had a family member who was interested in my hobby. if there was someplace like that near me I would definitely take my Dad and brother there.

[AK-Jax86]

Not a lot of people are fans. If it were some type of fishing resort where room and mayne even food is included then I can see people being interested. Me and my buddies in FL are looking for a reasonable rate for a lodge fishing trip

As far as the increased chances of a double digit that defeats the purpose we all fish. It's for the chance we find a spot where we hook into a 10lber I had it twice that I've clearly seen the fish and maybe more on miss strikes and hook sets never kno. But that's the joy fishing to me and I am sure a few other hare my view

[WRB]

Ray Scott's bass retreat is a successful pay to bass fish operation, take a look at his venue.

Tom

[Sam]

There are places business professionals and others go to enjoy private fishing. One of the nicest is in North Carolina. Here is their link:

 

http://kingfishersociety.com/fishing.html

 

If you have a nice place to fish and stock it with only females you can do very well.

 

However, you will need more than a pond and a dock. A place to purchase food, tackle and if possible, a small motel for your guests to stay and a full breakfast prepared by your staff plus lunch for the boat and then dinner.

 

Check out "Private Fishing __________________" (state) and you can find places that charge to fish, what they charge and their layout.

 

Good luck.