How far will you travel for a 1 day fishing trip?

[WIGuide]

I'm lucky enough to live in an area where I have over 100 different lakes within about an hour and a half drive so it's usually that's about the max, but there are a few places I like to fish that are a little further away. A few places on the Misissippi are 2-2.5 and that's about my max for 1 day, if it's longer I'll spend the night and at least get a 2nd day out of it. 

[ironbjorn]

I can be very spontaneous and not really think things through in general. When my mood is on this level I'm very much so a "yes man." I've traveled from the Indianapolis area to Tennessee just to fish a friend's pond for a couple hours. I've traveled from Illinois to Michigan for a Smallie day trip. I've traveled 200 miles from Indiana back to my hometown in Illinois to fish the river with a friend for a few hours. Things are only as difficult as we make them. I just do things. Life is short.

[Striper9]

Anywhere from 5-45 minutes depending where I go. Most of my fishing is done 15-30 mins away

[TcRoc]

The most for me on a one day trip is a hour so… my problem anymore is even getting out .. ?

 

[Derek1]

3 hours ago, ironbjorn said:

I can be very spontaneous and not really think things through in general. When my mood is on this level I'm very much so a "yes man." I've traveled from the Indianapolis area to Tennessee just to fish a friend's pond for a couple hours. I've traveled from Illinois to Michigan for a Smallie day trip. I've traveled 200 miles from Indiana back to my hometown in Illinois to fish the river with a friend for a few hours. Things are only as difficult as we make them. I just do things. Life is short.

Couldn’t have said it better. 

[Bankbeater]

There is a park with three smaller sized lakes on it about 2-1/2 miles from my house.  The farthest I will drive these days is about 1-1/2 hours.  Usually my trips are about a half hour from the house.

[thediscochef]

I max out around 3 hours for a day trip, my general rule is that I want to spend at least as much time fishing as I do driving, but there's only so many hours in a day. A 12 hour day, with any activity, is fatiguing. I usually stay within 30 minutes of home.

[txchaser]

90 minutes is about the max for me, otherwise I'll try to stay overnight. 

[papajoe222]

I'll drive up to two hours and my 'normal' commute is just under an hour. There are a couple of lakes that I can be on the water twenty minutes after I pull out of my driveway, but I don't frequent those. Once a week if that often. My 'home lake is a 35min. drive and produces a few 6lb. bass every year. For numbers, I travel out of state, either Indiana or Wisconsin.

[Mike L]

A few of the smaller lakes are about 1-11/2 hrs away. Okeechobee is 2 
 

When fishing tournaments on lakes further north and more centrally located in the state I’ll push it to 3, any more I’ll just spend the night. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

[Fishin Dad]

Most of the lakes I fish are within an hour of the house.  Some are 10 minutes.  I have taken a 3 1/2 hour day trip a couple times.   Get up at 3 am, drive to pick up my buddy 45 minutes north, continue north to get to the lake around 6:30, fish until about 8:30 pm and drive home.  It can be brutal, but I usually catch about an hour nap during the day.  The next day I am shot though.  Getting too old for that stuff, but it is a fun time with buddies.  

[12poundbass]

I have a couple dozen lakes within 30 minutes from me. I typically drive no more than 15 minutes. 

[Zcoker]

I don’t have a maximum that I would drive in a day (or night) but I try to hit the areas that are the highest probability to get good fish. I don’t usually waste my time on places that are fished out or crowded. My driving not only consist of miles of highway but also miles of off-road, which can be wild when the weather acts up! As far as an average goes, maybe 2-3 hours for the bass. Then there’s the water miles lol All adds up, salt and fresh. My truck is 3 years old and I have 100k miles on the clock, mostly fishing. Costal fishing during events like Tarpon season can cover a good portion of Florida’s east coast. Same with the sharks. Lotta driving to find the fish! 

[MickD]

I regularly drive 2 hours one way to fish.  When I go that far, it's a long day.  But often worth it.  

[N Florida Mike]

Generally, my limit is 1.5 hours. And that’s if someone else goes with me. I have plenty of water to fish within that time frame. 
I’ve gotten to the age where I don’t see as well at night, so I’m not into driving home after dark for very far, and being tired on top of it…

[the reel ess]

I went to Florida. But generally, if I'm going to be fishing from a local person's boat, I'd do 2 hours. If I'm doing everything I try to stay on an hour radius. There are still plenty of places I haven't fished on that circle.

 

[DaubsNU1]

Two lakes are close to the house...one is a 5 minute drive, the other a 10 minute drive. I like them very much.

 

There is a lake that holds bigger bass about 30 minute drive. I generally fish those three lakes.

 

There are probably 4-5 good bass lakes in the area I could fish, most within an hour of my house. 

[Boomstick]

I have gone as far as two hours twenty minutes or so, but usually keep it 90 or less.

[Alex from GA]

I usually don't travel at all but there are 3 ramps within 5 minutes of my house.  When I go for the GA Bass Slam in a kayak I'll go up to 2+ hours.  When I'm in Central FL there are 5 lakes, 2 rivers and the gulf within less than an hour.

[JediAmoeba]

2 of us? 4-5 hours. By myself? 2 hours.

[fishingram24]

Anything over 2 hours is probably an overnight trip. Most of my trips are within 30 miles one way, to old for those long day trips now.

[webertime]

Champlain is minutes and St Lawrence is 3 hours.  Both are day trips

[Troy85]

My standard drive is about 45-1 hour depending on traffic.  I'll drive up to about 2 hours for a day trip.

[RB 77]

Favorite lake for years was a two hour drive away. Drove past several lakes in my own county to get to it. It was a red hot spot for years. Severe drought closed it down for a hot minute and even when the lake came back up it just seemed to fish different. A handful of more of the local lakes started to fish better and haven't been back since. I would like to check it out again after all these years though. 

[J Francho]

On 5/24/2023 at 10:05 AM, webertime said:

Champlain is minutes and St Lawrence is 3 hours.  Both are day trips

I'm not sure if I'd ever fish anywhere other than Champ if I were that close.