Are there any private membership lakes in your area?

[livemusic]

Private lake membership is happening in some areas. Do you have any in your locale? I just became aware of one. A friend is a member and is catching lots of big bass. Of course, the lake was stocked with fast-growing bass. Membership is $3600/yr and my normal reaction is geez that seems super high but I think of what I used to pay for the country club golf membership and it doesn't seem so crazy, lol. For a place that isn't overfished and has big 'uns... hmmm...

[WRB]

Yep, we have several.

[AManWearingAHat]

I don't know that we have any locally. Those are some stiff fees. Though, with the state of a lot of the public fisheries local to me, it doesn't seem as crazy if it means landing some quality fish and not getting skunked as much. Especially if the lake and the fish populations are healthy and well cared for.

[J Francho]

I've fished Richmond Mills Lake.  Those fish are well fed and grow big.  Pretty interesting day on the water.  I'm not sure it's worth the $1200 per day rate, but if you are looking for a guaranteed good day with nice fish, you'll get it.

 

[Captain Phil]

About twenty years ago, I was a member of a group of anglers who paid to fish a private rock pit.   There were about a half dozen of us in all.  This rock pit was quarried when Disney World was created.   One of the drag lines was still in the pit.  The rock pit was over 100 feet deep and meandered over 30-40 acres.  The water was crystal clear and full of huge bass. The best way to fish it was with large wild shiners.   I took my son fishing there one winter morning.  We took seven dozen 8"-10" shiners with us.  We ran out of bait by 11 AM.  The average bass we caught was seven pounds.  A few of them were real giants.  Back then the fee was $600 a year.  If you ever get a chance to fish a pit like that, go for it.  I still think about it today.

[WVU-SCPA]

Only membership trout streams around me.

 

There are several "gated community" lakes within the area.  No fee to fish, just required to be with someone that is in the HOA and any boat has to be registered there.  Makes them a little tough to get on as you need to know someone that lives there + has a boat registered.  One of my childhood fishing buddies had his grandmother claim us for summer residence one year so we could have free rein. 

 

[Bankbeater]

Way back in the day my Dad belonged to one that was across the river in Illinois.  Membership fees were around $25 a year.  The catch was that to become a new member you had to have an active member vouch for you.

When the membership was opened to the general public the yearly fee skyrocketed. My Dad quit after that.

 

[soflabasser]

I much rather catch my bass from public waters. 

[the reel ess]

The clemson Univ extension near Columbia, SC has a few lakes they are managing. They don't advertise it and you have to get on a list. No motors. They're using it to determine what catch and release vs. keeping fish is doing to the population. I've heard they make you keep a certain limit if you catch enough. There might be a slot. I know of one person who I believe is fishing there regularly and he posts a lot of pics of big bass on his social media.

[Jaderose]

There actually is one less than a mile from me.  It's a dumpy looking place that I am not interested because last I heard they wanted something like 400 or 500 a year to fish a 3 or 4 acre pond that looks completely uninteresting and the one time I checked it out, I was  told quickly and rudely that unless I was a member, I was trespassing.  I wasn't fishing or really doing anything.  Just looking at the water.  Screw that.  

 

ps...It might not have helped when the guy told me the dues and I laughed and said you're kidding* me.

 

*I did not say "kidding"

[Vilas15]

Very fortunate my state (WI) has an abundance of public land and great stream access laws. The waters and wildlife belong to the people of the state. I could tell you a hundred lakes and don't know of a single one that is private and charges.

[lynxcat]

Dallas area has lots of private water options. I haven’t pursued any of them. 

[livemusic]

1 hour ago, Vilas15 said:

Very fortunate my state (WI) has an abundance of public land and great stream access laws. The waters and wildlife belong to the people of the state. I could tell you a hundred lakes and don't know of a single one that is private and charges.

 

I have never been there! I bet it is beautiful. Is it good fishing up there to where you can catch a lot per day? I don't care about size unless they are tiny dinks, lol. I gotta get up that way fore I die. Whatever species.

[DitchPanda]

There is a sportsmans club in my town that has access to a series of connected old gravel ponds that have been stocked with a number of species. They rent or I guess lease the land from the gravel company that still owns the ground. I have a buddy that became a member last year..they have a few fundraisers and yearly dues of $100 I think per member to pay the lease and also go towards fish stocking. Its closed membership so someone has to either give up there spot or die and even then you have to be sponsored by a member and voted on by the group to get in.

[Deleted account]

Yes.

[N Florida Mike]

We have Bienville plantation around 70 miles away. I went there once with a member. I think the area he had paid to fish was 800 a year, and that was the cheapest they had. It was a really interesting place to fish. It was extremely easy to get turned around in there. Islands, channels that connected one body of water to another. My friend ( who had fished it a lot ) got turned around consistently all day. It was absolutely the murkiest water Ive ever fished. I think we caught 3 fishing hard all day. And they werent over a pound. The only boat we passed  had almost a limit of nice specks at least.

At the end of the day my friend said he didnt think he was going to renew.

I couldn’t say I blamed him.

[Catt]

World renowned Grosse Savanne Lodge; freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing, waterfowl hunting, & alligator hunting.

 

Search YouTube for Zona & Hackney or Zona & KVD at Grosse Savanne.

[TnRiver46]

There aren’t even lakes in my area, much less private ones 

[RDB]

14 minutes ago, Catt said:

Search YouTube for Zona & Hackney or Zona & KVD at Grosse Savanne.

I’ve seen those on the Outdoor Channel...loaded with bigs.

 

Texas has a lot of trophy managed private clubs.  Many of the ranches offering trophy deer hunting have added trophy fishing to their menu’s.  There are also a number broker type groups that pool landowners to provide members numerous fishing locations.  I’ve never fished anything other than public.  The sad part is when I was a kid, getting permission to fish a farm pond was as simple as asking.  Today you pretty much have to know someone.  Fishing, much like hunting, has become such a big business in Texas.

[GreenPig]

There's a 200 acres mill pond that's $200 a year 150 miles from my house. A third of it appears to be flooded Cypress trees. I've been considering joining for a couple years and likely will this year. It's trophy managed(C & R) for LM and is electric only. Huge difference from the deep clears water I usually fish.

[Junk Fisherman]

We have a few in the Chicagoland area.  I used to be a member of one.  It had a membership that was about 4K which you could sell and yearly dues of around $200 per year.  It was nice in that about half the members only belonged so they could duck and goose hunt.  Unless it was a beautiful summer weekend, you'd have the lakes to yourself.  I sold my membership since it was an awkward 45 minute drive for me and I bought a new boat for fishing bigger water.    

[Vilas15]

23 hours ago, livemusic said:

 

I have never been there! I bet it is beautiful. Is it good fishing up there to where you can catch a lot per day? I don't care about size unless they are tiny dinks, lol. I gotta get up that way fore I die. Whatever species.

It all depends what species, what lake, what season. Can't guarantee anything for you. Im finally learning the lakes in my area and catch some nice fish but dont catch very many.

[Bluebasser86]

There's lots of residential lakes, but no private membership lakes that I'm aware of. I grew up fishing one but it got bought out and because a residential lake. Loved fishing that place and it wasn't expensive at all, $200 for our family of 4 for the year. Pretty much taught myself to fish on that lake.

[fishingtx]

We've got one. My dad actually manages it , but there isn't enough money in the lake fund to do much. We desperately need an aerator but the lake fund can't  afford one.

[OCdockskipper]

There is a small lake close to my house, Oso Reservoir, that at times in its history was a membership lake.

 

Built in 1979, it was designed as a "recaptured water reservoir" (i.e., urban runoff) and was off limits to the public.  As development in the area got closer, fisherman like myself discovered it was full of chunky bass.  Of course, the side effect of fishing it was getting arrested & hauled of to Santa Ana jail (full story another day).

 

After about a decade of trying to keep people off the lake, the Mission Viejo company changed tactics and leased the lake to a company that made it a membership lake.  I was able to fish it as a guest and it still produced a lot of healthy fish, without having to ride in the back of a police car at the end of the day.  However, I think the guys they leased it to were better at fishing than running a business, after about 4 years they went belly up and the lake was again closed to the public.

 

With housing now being built within 100 yards of the lake, the cost of trying to keep fisherman out was a losing battle.  The Mission Viejo Company then granted a lease for using the lake in exchange for security to the Boy Scouts.  It has been that way for over 20 years and while the Boy Scout logos are on the entry gate & fencing, I never see any kids out on the water.