Public Vs. Private Lakes

[Bj7]

I have been fishing a private lake that isn't fished as hard. My question is, Do the bass react different in terms of movement and time of year? Thanks for your time.

[senile1]

Fishing pressure can affect the degree of difficulty in catching them, but the movements based on the seasons are similar for all waters.  (Exception:  In tidal rivers, fish position themselves based on the rising and falling of the tide.)  

[buzzed bait]

Private water bass are so snooty....  Always looking down on the public water bass....  

No, they don't behave differently per se.... but receiving little or no fishing pressure should make them much easier to catch with conventional methods.

[stk44]

One thing I've noticed about private water bass, is that they only will eat name brand lures. Give them an off brand tube and they will turn up their noses.

[WRB]

Every lake has basic bass seasonal periods that affect bass behavior and each lake differs in size, depth, man made or natural, prey sources and the terrain type they are located at, all combine to affect bass location.

Fishing pressure can alter bass location, the more skilled anglers a lake has fishing it affects the more obvious locations where the bass are at, depending on the size of the lake.

Private lakes usually are smaller in size and man made, reducing some of the variables, however the basic bass behavior is the same in public and private lakes if everything else is equal.

Tom

[xbacksideslider]

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/163970-southern-california-vacation-hawgs/

 

A post about SoCal private lake fishing, and access to Casitas is limited due to Quagga mussels so it is almost private.

[WRB]

Lakes Sherwood and West lake are private,closed to public entry, you must be a property owner or guest to wet a line at either lake. Lake Casitas is open to the public, rental boats are available and bass tournaments held there, it does require quagga mussel inspection of private boats and are require a qaurintine period that makes it difficult to fish other lakes.

Tom

[smr_hga]

I've been fishing a private lake across the street for two years now and have never even seen another person there ever. The best part is i literally can't remember the last time i haven't caught a bass there. I think private pomd bass are also more likely to bite popular lures due to the fact that they probably havent seen them before.

[Bass newb]

I just fished a permit required lake and it has very little traffic. I was expecting a bunch of bites. After 11 weeks of tough river fishing I wanted to lay down bucks $$ to get a piece of this exclusive action. What I got was one fish in three hours of fishing. That fish was the absolute biggest monster fish I've ever caught or laid eyes on. It was 5+ lbs. In the prior 11 weeks of pressured river fishing I never caught more than a 2lb 13oz fish.

Is that a coincidence? I don't think so. I'm going back again soon. I want another monster fish.

[the reel ess]

I find them a lot different. Private usually = smaller. So the seasonal patterns are a lot more condensed. If you fish a place that has no shad, fish won't be chasing shad up in the creek in the fall. They might be chasing something that doesn't behave like shad. The bass will be more likely to get shallow, but may not react the same. I fish a place that's maybe 30 acres that has gold shiners and fathead minnows and whatever was in the creek when they dammed it. Shad colors don't work as well as gold in there. There are bluegill too, but that pattern still doesn't produce like gold. When I fillet fish from there, they're usually gold-ish minnows in their gut. They love a gold Rapala minnow and Rat L Trap.

 

Seems to me in my limited experience with a private lake, the bass seem less likely to school up and cooperate to chase bait. Bigger bass also seem to be more loners. I don't seem to find a bunch of big bass in one spot. When they do school, it's almost always smaller fish.

 

There are crappie in there too and their patterns are also odd compared to big lakes. When they turn on, they're usually 4-6' deep and want a jig moving more like 3 MPH vs +/-1 in lakes. When they're inactive, they just sit on bottom.

 

Also, since most private lakes are shallow, bass can be caught shallow all year. Shallow is a relative term. If they go 6-8' deep, that's a lot different from 15-20'. You don't need a DD22 crank to get to them.

[the reel ess]

I just fished a permit required lake and it has very little traffic. I was expecting a bunch of bites. After 11 weeks of tough river fishing I wanted to lay down bucks $$ to get a piece of this exclusive action. What I got was one fish in three hours of fishing. That fish was the absolute biggest monster fish I've ever caught or laid eyes on. It was 5+ lbs. In the prior 11 weeks of pressured river fishing I never caught more than a 2lb 13oz fish.

Is that a coincidence? I don't think so. I'm going back again soon. I want another monster fish.

It can be that way in the reservoir I most often fish. Several times this summer I caught a 5+lb fish when they weren't biting. I caught 5 bass over 5# this year and had a couple more get away. A couple times on topwater. I'd pay for that privilege if I had to. I'm 45, so at this point in my life I'm not about the numbers. I'm trying to catch the biggest bass I can and there are good ones there.

[bigbill]

I fish one private pond deep in the woods. The fish are very aware you are there. They won't hit bass lures. They eat sunfish.

At a nearby public place thank god not everyone knows how to fish for bass. Now at are larger public lakes most of the areas I drive by this is no one fishing. I would drive by everyday logging and never seen anyone fishing. These are some great spots to fish.

I was logging on top of a hill were one lake has a double dog leg inlet. There was a northern pike in each dog leg chasing baitfish.

Don't underestimate a small place having only smaller fish. It's how healthy the eco system is.

My point is stop and fish anywhere you can.

I need to make some deals with the people who owns these private places maybe swap some welding or mechanical work for permission to fish.

[atcoha]

A public lake about an hour from me produces absolutely nothing in almost 18 years. Another one 2 hours away has been ok certain times of the year, mostly dinks, some guys bed fish and catch the 10-13# fish. I have had no such luck. I do fish the creeks, and catch some 1-3# fish all the time, and not that far from me. I do go to a private lake a couple hours and 2 states away sometimes, only been skunked once when a BAD cold front came through the week I planned to go, I went anyway, knowing better, but oh well. Aside from that time, we always catch good bass 1-5# all the time. There are some 10# fish in there, I just stay about a 1/2 day and head home. It is catch and release only, but that's great for me. Ya, it costs $ but worth the trip for me. I'm not picky, as long as it produces, I will go. 

[hatrix]

I do agree that in smaller water any bass that's around 4# or more is a loner. Fish also don't group up and school like they do on bigger water. You might find a school of 5 or 6 2#ish fish but that seems to be about it. They also are usually moving when you do see them. You can pull a bunch of fish out of a area but I feel they are independent of each other. If what they are preying on doesn't school then it seems the bass won't either. It is also questionable if it is actually easier to catch big fish. You have very limited opportunities to trick a big one on small waters and if you blow it could of been one of just a handful of chances you had for the day unless they places is loaded with big ones for some reason.

You bes chance on private/smaller water to actually really target them is the spawn and summer so it seems to me. Spawn is obvious why and the summer is because they rule over all othe small fish. The super fishy spots like under these branches next to that stump and taken over by a big one. It provides shade and a excellent ambush point and that fish will keep sitting there for a good period of the year. Even if you scare it off it will come back so you have another chance.

[BassThumb]

Luckily, I have access to a 80-acre private lake nearby. The property owners let me drive through their lawn to launch my boat using a private concrete access.

 

The bass in that lake are basically 'virgin' fish; they'll hit anything you toss at them. They're not conditioned at all. If anything, they seem to be generally more aggressive under all circumstances, and more likely to be caught using run-and-gun tactics (as opposed to slower, bottom-contact fishing).

 

I don't fish it as often as I would like because I don't want to wear out my welcome, but it's as close to a sure thing as a lake can get. I've never seen a public lake like that.

[GetJigginWithIt]

Whether I am fishing the private lake near my house or public water, I use the same tactics and catch the same qty and quality of fish on a regular basis. I do don't see a difference fishing either body of water.

[soflabasser]

   I fish both types of waters and both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Private lakes usually have bigger bass( in South Florida), but you first need to get permission to fish them. I have done this and release all bass and pick up trash so I can continue having the invitation to fish these lakes. Public Lakes seem to have more bass, so you can catch more in a day(in South Florida), but you have to experiment more with different lures and retrieves since these bass are highly pressured by fishermen. Other variables need to be taken into consideration as well such as water temperature and water level which affects all lakes regardless if its a public or private lake.

[Paul Roberts]

I haven't found much difference between public and private water in terms of bass behavior. The exception might be waters where bass are fed -I've seen bass lined up to get their rations.

 

Fishing pressure is the only thing that tends to be different, and you just have to learn how to work around that. It comes in two flavors: Generally educated fish -general exposure to angling (and it doesn't take all that much fishing pressure to edify a population of bass.). And the short term effects of others fishing the water in front of you. One can learn to work around either.