# Private trophy bass lakes?



## HMT Atlanta (Jun 23, 2014)

Anyone know good private lakes around the state (or neighboring) for bass? Looking for an ego boosting trip...somewhere that doesn't require bass PhDs


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## Fishlipps Revisited (Jun 23, 2014)

HMT Atlanta said:


> Anyone know good private lakes around the state (or neighboring) for bass? Looking for an ego boosting trip...somewhere that doesn't require bass PhDs



and, that would boost your ego?


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## HMT Atlanta (Jun 23, 2014)

As opposed to getting my tail kicked? It would be a welcome change...


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## mtr3333 (Jun 23, 2014)

HMT feed you ego however you like. A good old dose of big pond bass and a picture will do you good. I used to hunt for ponds and stop to ask permission. You never know who will say yes until you knock.


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## Fishlipps Revisited (Jun 23, 2014)

if I have a bad trip (or trips), I see it as a failure on my part....and, I prefer to deal with it by trying to figure out what I didn't do....and, it makes me work that much harder....and, when I DO figure it out, THAT is what boosts my ego..

but, whatever floats your boat..


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## sinclair1 (Jun 23, 2014)

HMT Atlanta said:


> Anyone know good private lakes around the state (or neighboring) for bass? Looking for an ego boosting trip...somewhere that doesn't require bass PhDs


 I don't know if they even exist anymore, but I was invited to the CW Matthews lakes about twenty five years ago. I don't mention the catch because it didn't take skill, but would kill a few sig lines in the one day catch.
Before he did construction, he built ponds for people.


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## mtr3333 (Jun 23, 2014)

sinclair1 said:


> I don't know if they even exist anymore, but I was invited to the CW Matthews lakes about twenty five years ago. I don't mention the catch because it didn't take skill, but would kill a few sig lines in the one day catch.
> Before he did construction, he built ponds for people.



Eating cheese makes you smart?


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## sinclair1 (Jun 23, 2014)

mtr3333 said:


> Eating cheese makes you smart?


According to your sig line......yes


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## HMT Atlanta (Jun 23, 2014)

So lips are you available for private lessons? Seems that you have the answers.....


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## NCummins (Jun 23, 2014)

I get what you are saying. Some of the best fishing around here is in company ponds that are on lock down 24/7. One is an old chemical plant that closed in the early 90's. Friend of mine caught 3 ten pound fish and a few 5 pounders in a couple of hours. It is illegal, but I sure would like to catch some big ones. 
I mean i would rather catch a 6lb fish in a big lake than a couple 10lb fish in a pond......but how often do you get to go toe to toe with a 10lb bass?
Hope you find a nice trophy pond man.
I'd say start knocking on doors.


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## Old Dead River (Jun 23, 2014)

HMT Atlanta said:


> So lips are you available for private lessons? Seems that you have the answers.....



you should just fish rocky mtn pfa, good luck.

I know of one personally in the lower part of middle ga but they are not taking members.

if you're interested in catching a really big bass you'll be wasting your time fishing big lakes in this state. I'd focus on small impoundments from farm ponds to the electric only lakes. the prespawn is your best bet.


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## Fishlipps Revisited (Jun 23, 2014)

HMT Atlanta said:


> So lips are you available for private lessons? Seems that you have the answers.....



I have the answers for me...if catching fish from a managed pond boosts your ego, then, by all means, knock yourself out.....

that's kinda like the Houston Texans playing a PeeWee football team to make themselves feel better about last season...

I prefer a bit more of a challenge myself...


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## Old Dead River (Jun 23, 2014)

sinclair1 said:


> I don't know if they even exist anymore, but I was invited to the CW Matthews lakes about twenty five years ago. I don't mention the catch because it didn't take skill, but would kill a few sig lines in the one day catch.
> Before he did construction, he built ponds for people.



sounds like you caught it on live bait which isn't a big deal because I've seen artificials outproduce shiners firsthand, 5 of my 8 over ten lbs required a great deal of persistence and patience. the others I'm proud of the permission I had.

catching giant bass is 75% or more about location. Having access to the waters like you mentioned above is the real difference. It's also not "just" about ego, it's about appreciating giant bass. Championing the fish and possibly the body of water that produced it.

tell us about your live bait high fence escapades, photos too, I'm sure it would make an interesting post.


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## Old Dead River (Jun 23, 2014)

Fishlipps Revisited said:


> I have the answers for me...if catching fish from a managed pond boosts your ego, then, by all means, knock yourself out.....
> 
> that's kinda like the Houston Texans playing a PeeWee football team to make themselves feel better about last season...
> 
> I prefer a bit more of a challenge myself...



you've caught a LOT of your fish from a dnr managed small lake, many of them this year. How are you any different?


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## fish hawk (Jun 24, 2014)

Fishlipps Revisited said:


> I have the answers for me...if catching fish from a managed pond boosts your ego, then, by all means, knock yourself out.....
> 
> that's kinda like the Houston Texans playing a PeeWee football team to make themselves feel better about last season...
> 
> I prefer a bit more of a challenge myself...


Lets get this party started.
_*That's cold blooded!!!*_
http://www.nighthawkpublications.com/journal/2008/24/journal_5.htm
He was asking for himself not for you.


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## HMT Atlanta (Jun 24, 2014)

Fish hawk you are the man...Those are some outstanding specimens in those pix, the fish are nice as well. 

The intent of the question was pretty simple, just to see if anyone knew of a place where I could have better odds. Not much different than a hunting camp or other managed situation. Is a 90 lb spike off state land better than a 180 lb 8 point off camp land?

Yeah, agree that this is a never ending learning curve and pulling a big one from Lanier or other lake is more challenging and more rewarding but there are other considerations like time and work that preclude that.


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## Seth carter (Jun 24, 2014)

HMT Atlanta said:


> Fish hawk you are the man...Those are some outstanding specimens in those pix, the fish are nice as well.
> 
> The intent of the question was pretty simple, just to see if anyone knew of a place where I could have better odds. Not much different than a hunting camp or other managed situation. Is a 90 lb spike off state land better than a 180 lb 8 point off camp land?
> 
> Yeah, agree that this is a never ending learning curve and pulling a big one from Lanier or other lake is more challenging and more rewarding but there are other considerations like time and work that preclude that.


Any deer is a good one


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## WOODSWIZE (Jun 24, 2014)

Look up website for Donavans bass fishing club in Marion, AL -I got to go for free one time. I caught and released 5 that day over 6 lbs and lost a couple hawgs. Fun day.


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## T.P. (Jun 24, 2014)

Our deer club used to have about 25 acres worth of beaver ponds that as far as I know had never been fished until I tried it one day during turkey season in the mid 90's. My buddies didn't believe me so we went back the next weekend and caught in the neighborhood of 100 with who knows how many going 6-10lbs.

The pond couldn't have been more that 4' deep in the deepest spot and during the summer the water was HOT! But the fish were as pretty as any I'd ever seen, jet black almost. Then one day the dam busted and that was it. The beavers haven't fixed it since.


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## HMT Atlanta (Jun 24, 2014)

Danged slacking beavers...must be waiting for their checks from Washington....


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## T.P. (Jun 24, 2014)

It was awesome to fish...excepting for the snakes. I wish it was still around, I'd be there right now boosting my ego.


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## mtr3333 (Jun 24, 2014)

fish hawk said:


> Lets get this party started.
> _*That's cold blooded!!!*_
> http://www.nighthawkpublications.com/journal/2008/24/journal_5.htm
> He was asking for himself not for you.


How novel...

Back to the OP. I knocked on a farmer's door and he was excited for me to rid his catfish pond of bass. This is from one of the trips after a Summer T-storm with a model-A  bomber.


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## riprap (Jun 24, 2014)

Some guys in my old bass club use to go here and had good luck.
http://dreamlakelodge.com/


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## Old Dead River (Jun 24, 2014)

fish hawk said:


> Lets get this party started.
> _*That's cold blooded!!!*_
> http://www.nighthawkpublications.com/journal/2008/24/journal_5.htm
> He was asking for himself not for you.



he got outed earlier in the year by someone for fishing rocky mtn pfa religiously. those are two small lakes under 500 acres, one of them is a trophy lake open only part of the month with a special slot limit. That's a whole lot of management. For him to equate small water fishing to peewee football is abominably hypocritical- since he seems to have been doing quite a bit of it to great avail. I would not be critical of his success had he not've made such a scathing comment about small managed lakes.

having said that,  I don't frown upon small water, I advocate for it. And it can be particularly challenging when you're fishing it blind without electronics especially when there's a lot of fishing pressure. As for big fish, you catch them anywhere you can.


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## Old Dead River (Jun 24, 2014)

I'd stay away from that nighthawk publications, I'd check the lease out in marion, al first, if you want to go once in a while and have a great time I'd go to dream lake. it's expensive but I have a friend who has had many great trips there.


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## Old Dead River (Jun 24, 2014)

and Ocmulgee pfa will eventually come back online, maybe by the time you're ready to retire it will be full pool again though it won't be an easy lake.


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## Dustin Pate (Jun 24, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> you've caught a LOT of your fish from a dnr managed small lake, many of them this year. How are you any different?



You can go back and search but Fishlipps has posted a ton of pictures of giant bass from large public lakes. He has nothing to prove in that regards.


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## Old Dead River (Jun 24, 2014)

Dustin Pate said:


> You can go back and search but Fishlipps has posted a ton of pictures of giant bass from large public lakes. He has nothing to prove in that regards.



he blatantly knocked small water bass fishing, managed etc. a lot of his fish came from a location identical to what he criticized. Had he not have made such a lofty condemnation of managed small water I wouldn't have had to pull him up on the calling the kettle black. Sing his accolades all you want. Fortunately, not everyone is as stupid as his avatar suggests.

the bikini bass photos look mediocre but that Donovan one in Alabama looks good... might be worth checking out.


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## Randy (Jun 24, 2014)

You can also snatch bedded fish off the bed.  That improves you weight ratio a lot.  I know of a private lake near Selma AL but you have to know someone to fish there.  I caught 7 over 8 pounds in one day on a photo shoot there.  Some on fly rod.


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## fish hawk (Jun 24, 2014)

Fishlipps Revisited said:


> and, that would boost your ego?





Fishlipps Revisited said:


> if I have a bad trip (or trips), I see it as a failure on my part....and, I prefer to deal with it by trying to figure out what I didn't do....and, it makes me work that much harder....and, when I DO figure it out, THAT is what boosts my ego..
> 
> but, whatever floats your boat..





Fishlipps Revisited said:


> I have the answers for me...if catching fish from a managed pond boosts your ego, then, by all means, knock yourself out.....
> 
> that's kinda like the Houston Texans playing a PeeWee football team to make themselves feel better about last season...
> 
> I prefer a bit more of a challenge myself...





Dustin Pate said:


> You can go back and search but Fishlipps has posted a ton of pictures of giant bass from large public lakes. He has nothing to prove in that regards.



But what does his post have to do with the original post and the question that was asked.......The original poster didn't ask  for opinions on fishing smaller private trophy managed waters,just where would be a good place to go....Fishlipps opinion is not everyone's and his style of fishing or what makes him happy is not everyone else's.I just found it odd that he doesn't like anyone trolling his threads but he don't mind doing it to someone else's. funny!!!


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## Dustin Pate (Jun 24, 2014)

Fellow's keep the name calling junk down.


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## GaMudd (Jun 24, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> he blatantly knocked small water bass fishing, managed etc. a lot of his fish came from a location identical to what he criticized. Had he not have made such a lofty condemnation of managed small water I wouldn't have had to pull him up on the calling the kettle black. Sing his accolades all you want. Fortunately, not everyone is as stupid as his avatar suggests.
> 
> the bikini bass photos look mediocre but that Donovan one in Alabama looks good... might be worth checking out.



Really ODR, you might want to ratchet that down a notch.  Quite some time ago (before he started catching so much grief on this forum) Fishlipps noted that he logged every bass over 5 pounds.  I think at the time, the number was somewhere around 560ish.  That would make a pretty impressive sig line, don't ya think?  I would speculate many of those fish were not caught while on the bed in a 500 acre lake.  I'd bet that it is the result of a lot of time on the water.  I think the gist of his comment is to work through the problem and figure out whats working for you and what isn't.  I wish I had caught a 1/10th of those fish, but I'm still working on it.


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## Hooked On Quack (Jun 24, 2014)

Dang, thought I wandered into the PF . .


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## Old Dead River (Jun 24, 2014)

GaMudd said:


> Really ODR, you might want to ratchet that down a notch.  Quite some time ago (before he started catching so much grief on this forum) Fishlipps noted that he logged every bass over 5 pounds.  I think at the time, the number was somewhere around 560ish.  That would make a pretty impressive sig line, don't ya think?  I would speculate many of those fish were not caught while on the bed in a 500 acre lake.  I'd bet that it is the result of a lot of time on the water.  I think the gist of his comment is to work through the problem and figure out whats working for you and what isn't.  I wish I had caught a 1/10th of those fish, but I'm still working on it.



oh no, I don't think so. I'm not gonna let anyone feed me a mouth full of excrement and tell me it tastes like sugar.

my comment was simply about the incredibly pompous pee wee football comment, that and nothing else. I am not challenging your buddy's legacy or fishing prowess  from the past or present, but I will take issue with the statements he made in this thread. Rocky Mountain has been on the map as a trophy bass fishery for sometime - they have a trophy lake there. It is well known for having produced big fish out of both lakes. The lakes are 252 and 357 acres respectively= small water. You run a big boat and electronics over that long enough you're going to find some fish, especially since we've already established that it's one of the premier places in the state and most certainly for big fish in north Georgia. No wonder he's been posting droves of big fish this year and last. those multiple 8#s and even a 9#s just aren't coming from the big lakes as commonly, Lake Seminole would be your best bet probably.

I had a similar/better experience at Ocmulgee pfa which was even more of a trophy lake than rocky mtn and you won't ever see or hear me hate on people for fishing small water or trying to increase the odds of hanging a big bass. The op has a different modus operandi than a lot of you on here, seems like the fella wants to catch a big bass, I'm going to encourage him in the quest.


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## fish hawk (Jun 24, 2014)

Last time I checked landing a big bass has more variables involved than just location......
First you have to get it to bite .
Then you have to have a good hookset.
Then you have the fight!We all know that a lot of different things can go wrong here.Wraps around a stump and breaks off,jumps and spits the hook,pulls off...etc.
And the landing,which is where a lot of big bass are lost.
I'd say it takes just as much skill to land a big bass from a pond as it does a lake. I don't know...call me crazy


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## NCummins (Jun 24, 2014)

If you have the opportunity to fish a lake 7 days a week, you'll catch hundreds of fish over 5 pounds. I'm not impressed. Go drive 6 hours away to a lake you've never fished and load the boat, thats what deserves respect in my book.
If OP wants to catch big pond bass, good for him, sure is better than playing xbox. Some of you are rediculous. Whats next, you gonna call the 80year old man a dummy for fishing blugill under a bobber? Get real.


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## doomtrpr_z71 (Jun 24, 2014)

Little River plantation is supposed to be awesome near ashburn, if you can afford it.


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## Old Dead River (Jun 24, 2014)

fish hawk said:


> Last time I checked landing a big bass has more variables involved than just location......
> First you have to get it to bite .
> Then you have to have a good hookset.
> Then you have the fight!We all know that a lot of different things can go wrong here.Wraps around a stump and breaks off,jumps and spits the hook,pulls off...etc.
> ...



you are not crazy, you are absolutely correct. I was merely stating that location is the most important thing because if the big fish aren't there, you can't try to catch them.

here's another factor that is largely discounted for small water bassin, pond especially, big pond fish are often very tough to catch unless they're on bed, esp. when they have plenty of options for food


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## NCummins (Jun 24, 2014)

Not to mention if they have been pressured by fisherman since they were 8" long. Bass don't het big in a pomd being stupid.


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## Old Dead River (Jun 24, 2014)

NCummins said:


> Not to mention if they have been pressured by fisherman since they were 8" long. Bass don't het big in a pomd being stupid.



yep, and even harder to catch if the pond is bass crowded because you have to go through so many mouths to even make a presentation to the big fish


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## fish hawk (Jun 24, 2014)

I don't know anyone, after catching a 10 lb bass from a pond,that would say........now that really sucked!!!


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## Old Dead River (Jun 24, 2014)

fish hawk said:


> I don't know anyone, after catching a 10 lb bass from a pond,that would say........now that really sucked!!!



nor do I, and like the jaymax guy said, there is something to be said for the real tenner, these porstaffers nonchalantly  boast of catching droves of 6-10 lb bass or having a day that would nullify someone's sig line. well, any of yall got a scale or a tape measure?? bass can look really big when they're jumping but let's have some empiricism, a weight and/or some measurements.

Rutland Farms Tifton might be worth checking out


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## HMT Atlanta (Jun 25, 2014)

Well who could have expected a somewhat benign question to generate such conversation? And ego was the wrong word to use there, it's not an ego thing. While I've caught fish I've not had a horse bass on the other end just yet. The intent was just to see if you fellas knew of somewhere that played a role similar to a managed hunting camp. I know what I know and more importantly know what I don't.

Anyway, there are good suggestions in there so I appreciate the input...


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## Joel (Jun 25, 2014)

HMT Atlanta said:


> Well who could have expected a somewhat benign question to generate such conversation? And ego was the wrong word to use there, it's not an ego thing. While I've caught fish I've not had a horse bass on the other end just yet. The intent was just to see if you fellas knew of somewhere that played a role similar to a managed hunting camp. I know what I know and more importantly know what I don't.
> 
> Anyway, there are good suggestions in there so I appreciate the input...



Used to not be that way around here.  That's why so many of the people that actually contributed positive comments have left or seldom post.  Now if you post something that someone doesn't like, you can bet you'll heat about it.  Good luck finding a place to catch a trophy.  It doesn't matter what these guys think anyway.


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## Randy (Jun 25, 2014)

This^^^^^


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## Old Dead River (Jun 25, 2014)

Joel said:


> Used to not be that way around here.  That's why so many of the people that actually contributed positive comments have left or seldom post.  Now if you post something that someone doesn't like, you can bet you'll heat about it.  Good luck finding a place to catch a trophy.  It doesn't matter what these guys think anyway.



people  are free to their opinions here, we actually defended the op's original intentions and provided him with many suggestions. holding people accountable for being hypocritical is not trolling. done a pretty good job of keeping it about the issue and not the person.


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## doomtrpr_z71 (Jun 25, 2014)

Rutland farms isn't a bad choice on a budget. Me and another forum member fished it two weeks ago and it wasn't spectacular,  but we have caught really good fish in the past there.


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## Old Dead River (Jun 25, 2014)

doomtrpr_z71 said:


> Rutland farms isn't a bad choice on a budget. Me and another forum member fished it two weeks ago and it wasn't spectacular,  but we have caught really good fish in the past there.



I've heard mixed reviews, catch and release is compulsory, I wonder what they're doing to keep the fish from stacking up. I spoke with one of the gentlemen that owns it on the phone last year when I was intent on heading down there and he mentioned they would move fish around after tournaments. I would imagine they have someone monitoring those lakes.

add lake paradise at paradise pfa to your list, there are big fish in the lake, whether you can catch those gizzard fed giants is another question.

lake paradise is the perfect example of the small water vs. big water argument collapsing into a fallen house of cards. that lake is tough as nails. I don't like it but I know there are some teenagers there


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## Old Dead River (Jun 25, 2014)

NCummins said:


> If you have the opportunity to fish a lake 7 days a week, you'll catch hundreds of fish over 5 pounds. I'm not impressed. Go drive 6 hours away to a lake you've never fished and load the boat, thats what deserves respect in my book.
> If OP wants to catch big pond bass, good for him, sure is better than playing xbox. Some of you are rediculous. Whats next, you gonna call the 80year old man a dummy for fishing blugill under a bobber? Get real.



I used to fish a neighborhood pond several times a week. it never got old

fished Ocmulgee 1.5 times a week for a month while it was good. I wish I had've fished it daily.


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## doomtrpr_z71 (Jun 25, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> I've heard mixed reviews, catch and release is compulsory, I wonder what they're doing to keep the fish from stacking up. I spoke with one of the gentlemen that owns it on the phone last year when I was intent on heading down there and he mentioned they would move fish around after tournaments. I would imagine they have someone monitoring those lakes.
> 
> add lake paradise at paradise pfa to your list, there are big fish in the lake, whether you can catch those gizzard fed giants is another question.
> 
> lake paradise is the perfect example of the small water vs. big water argument collapsing into a fallen house of cards. that lake is tough as nails. I don't like it but I know there are some teenagers there



I can tell you there's no dinks in rutland, the smallest fish Ive caught was 2lbs. Honestly, I think they have the farm mexicans  catch the small fish and keep them. Personally, I hate paradise pfa and have given up fishing there. I have to many farm ponds to fish that I actually catch fish in to mess with paradise. I gave it 4 years, it was time to move on.


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## caughtinarut (Aug 19, 2014)

It is catch-n-release at Rutland Farms. We do monitor the fish and from what we have seen the fish are healthy. After the tournament the fish are released back into the pond they were caught. If you have any questions send me a pm. Also there will more information available on the rutlandfarms website.


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## Wander (Aug 20, 2014)

caughtinarut said:


> It is catch-n-release at Rutland Farms. We do monitor the fish and from what we have seen the fish are healthy. After the tournament the fish are released back into the pond they were caught. If you have any questions send me a pm. Also there will more information available on the rutlandfarms website.



Perhaps I missed it in an earlier post how much do you charge to fish?  There is very little info on the website other than the fact that you have 20 pondsl...  No sizes no ramp info.  No info on motor restrictions no cost etc...


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## Old Dead River (Aug 20, 2014)

wander give them a call they will put you in touch with someone that knows


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## Saltwater Junky (Aug 23, 2014)

its not a trophy if its caught from a private pond, i dont care if its 15lbs.  

its like shooting massive deer in those fenced in area "hunts"  

im with fishlips,  houston playing a peewee team... same thing.


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## Seth carter (Aug 23, 2014)

Saltwater Junky said:


> its not a trophy if its caught from a private pond, i dont care if its 15lbs.
> 
> its like shooting massive deer in those fenced in area "hunts"
> 
> im with fishlips,  houston playing a peewee team... same thing.



Why do you give a flying frog flip if sombody catches a big bass in a pond ? Just because you can go to big lakes an drive around in your fancy boat looking at your fish finder untill you spot fish then catch them other people can't so if I wana call a ten pound farm pond bass a trophy put it on the wall eat it whatever I wana do I bet most of the decent people on here would agree it was a trophy and congradulate me on it.not whine because we dont fish the way you do so its wrongare you like ten?can't come up with your own post so you just agree with the other post without provideing any input just that you agree


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## BoosterC (Aug 23, 2014)

Seth carter said:


> ... if I wana call a ten pound farm pond bass a trophy put it on the wall eat it whatever I wana do I bet most of the decent people on here would agree it was a trophy and congradulate me on it, not whine ...





Saltwater Junky said:


> its not a trophy if its caught from a private pond, i dont care if its 15lbs.
> 
> its like shooting massive deer in those fenced in area "hunts"
> 
> im with fishlips,  houston playing a peewee team... same thing.



LOL  ... with talk like that it's obvious he has never caught a 10 lb bass.  I'd be high fiving with  Seth.


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## HMT Atlanta (Aug 24, 2014)

Just to circle back since I posted this question, "trophy" was the wrong term. The point of the post was to see if there were a few managed ponds around that were worth the trip and cost.

Like everyone, my time is limited and many times I'd rather stacked the deck and bend the rod than develop a book of knowledge on a lake. Clearly that's important but I just wanted to reiterate the spirit of the ordinal question - could have been better presented for sure.

And I agree on the idea of managed vs non managed; I think I'd enjoy a trip to a game farm but I'd keep that in perspective as far as "trophy"


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## Old Dead River (Aug 24, 2014)

Saltwater Junky said:


> its not a trophy if its caught from a private pond, i dont care if its 15lbs.
> 
> its like shooting massive deer in those fenced in area "hunts"
> 
> im with fishlips,  houston playing a peewee team... same thing.



fishlipps caught a lot of his big fish the past few years from small managed lakes. big bass in ponds can be very tough to catch unless they're on bed. big bass on bed in public ponds can be nearly impossible to catch. I had a 10-12 lber beat me this year. I have a witness to it.

a lot of people that think and I talk as you do don't have any double digit fish under their belt. I say catch them wherever you can. they're not common that's for sure.


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## fish hawk (Aug 25, 2014)

A trophy is what you consider to be a trophy.Not what someone hundreds of miles away considers one to be.
If I want to catch 10 five lb bass out of a fish tank,mount them,put them on the wall and call them trophies than that's my business!!!


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## Saltwater Junky (Aug 25, 2014)

shooting fish in a barrel.


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## Tmpr111 (Aug 25, 2014)

Saltwater Junky said:


> shooting fish in a barrel.



So if one only has access to small waters, are you saying they can never claim "trophy" simply because they may not be as fortunate as someone who can afford a boat or opportunities elsewhere?  I personally think the "fish in a barrel" thoughts are overrated.  I know "barrels" that are often harder to catch fish from than other public waters.


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## KyDawg (Aug 25, 2014)

I fished a private pond in South Georgia for years, it was about 10 acres and covered with submerged timber. There were lots of days when we never got a bite and I also lost several nice fish that got hung up in all the junk. Call it a barrel if you like, but it could be a challenge getting a nice bass out of there.


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## Old Dead River (Aug 26, 2014)

KyDawg said:


> I fished a private pond in South Georgia for years, it was about 10 acres and covered with submerged timber. There were lots of days when we never got a bite and I also lost several nice fish that got hung up in all the junk. Call it a barrel if you like, but it could be a challenge getting a nice bass out of there.



this


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## Old Dead River (Aug 26, 2014)

Saltwater Junky said:


> shooting fish in a barrel.



 just because they are there doesn't mean they will bite or that you can catch them. that's my point. Especially if they have plenty of easy meals. During the spawn it could be easy but afterwards your best bet would be a large, fresh live bait and some patience.


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## ghadarits (Aug 26, 2014)

http://www.bienville.com/pages/fishing/index.php

Bill dance used to film 90% of his shows there. Its real fishing though so sometimes its like catching fish in a barrel and other times you would think there isn't a fish within 2 miles of the pond your in.


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## Old Dead River (Aug 26, 2014)

I think ocm pda was the ultimate compromise because you knew lots of big fish
Lived in the lake but I've never known anyone to say fishing there was easy.
Seen a not of bassboats with the latest and greatest go home empty handed. When you stock them at 10 an acre instead of 100 that will do that


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## caughtinarut (Aug 27, 2014)

PM sent Wander


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## Graphite (Aug 28, 2014)

Big Metz is considered a trophy pond/lake here on Ft. Stewart with a few Georgia record holders. It is closed year round and is only open quarterly for a few weekends then is closed again because it is extremely close to a training area on base but anyways.... I went out there the last day it was open for the quarter and I caught one bass the entire time I was out there, it was barely over 1lb. Yet my personal best was from a no name body of water that had low fishing pressure and he was over 8lbs within the first 30 minutes of being out there I had two bites from two different bass that were hogs... and caught a bunch of dinks.. 

Just because it's considered a trophy fishing area doesn't mean you're going to be getting bites every 5 minutes and it surely doesn't mean you're going to be ripping some lips on hogs.  

Fishing is slim around here for me, everywhere I have access to is has heavy fishing pressure and all of the bass are stunted but I'll take a dink over getting skunked any day. Not to mention people in my area are very secretive of their fishing spots.


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## Cbrad (Sep 3, 2014)

NCummins said:


> I get what you are saying. Some of the best fishing around here is in company ponds that are on lock down 24/7. One is an old chemical plant that closed in the early 90's. Friend of mine caught 3 ten pound fish and a few 5 pounders in a couple of hours. It is illegal, but I sure would like to catch some big ones.
> I mean i would rather catch a 6lb fish in a big lake than a couple 10lb fish in a pond......but how often do you get to go toe to toe with a 10lb bass?
> Hope you find a nice trophy pond man.
> I'd say start knocking on doors.



Where is his place at?


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## EverGreen1231 (Sep 4, 2014)

HMT Atlanta said:


> Anyone know good private lakes around the state (or neighboring) for bass? Looking for an ego boosting trip...somewhere that doesn't require bass PhDs



My Grandad used to tell me stories of beaver ponds around Line Creek that held more 5 -10 pound bass than you would know what to do with. I don't know that they exist anymore; it might be worth an investigatory trip. If your fortunate enough to live somewhere that has a history of beaver activity you could likely find a small pond with a couple nice, "stupid" fish in 'em. The only thing is, they might take a little effort to find.
Small, private waters will get you the results you want. The best way to access them is, simply, stop and ask. The worst they'll do is shoot at you.


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## cpculp (Sep 5, 2014)

There are some great fishing lakes in subdivisions all around north Georgia. I consistently catch big fish from the 20 acre one in my community. Meeting someone who lives in a community to give you permission is the key. Most of these lakes see little pressure.


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## Cbrad (Sep 6, 2014)

mtr3333 said:


> How novel...
> 
> Back to the OP. I knocked on a farmer's door and he was excited for me to rid his catfish pond of bass. This is from one of the trips after a Summer T-storm with a model-A  bomber.



Where is this pond located?


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## notnksnemor (Sep 9, 2014)

Saltwater Junky said:


> shooting fish in a barrel.



The trick is to own the barrel


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