# Info Wanted: AEP Recreation Land



## fisheye (Apr 11, 2004)

I would like to fish some of the AEP ponds/lakes but need some help on which ponds are good for fishing. I'd like to target trophy bass but I do enjoy fishing for nearly any species. I've obtained my permit and have a belly boat and waders.

It's a long drive for me so I'd like to at least have a game plan and not waste a lot of time "looking" for fishable waters. It looks like there are ponds in Guernsey, Noble, Muskingum & Morgan Counties.

I've also heard that many of the ponds are now privately owned. Is there a current listing of those open to the permit carrying angler.

Any information would sure be appreciated.

Any good maps available?
Stocking reports?
Creel Survey reports?

Please drop me an email at [email protected] if you can be of any help.

Thank you all


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## sgofish (Apr 12, 2004)

When do you plan of on going there?


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## fisheye (Apr 11, 2004)

I'm making a trip down to that area tomorrow to do some looking around. Hopefully I can pick up a good map of the area and maybe some pointers from the locals. I just picked up a new portable GPS unit so coordinates would be helpful also. I'm sure this is just the first of many trips.


Thanks


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## Warpath (May 23, 2004)

Didn't they give you a color map when you got your permit at the DNR? I thought it was helpful in finding the lakes. I lied Sawmill and Sand Hollow the best when I went last year. Last year Sawmill was drawn down for some repair on the dam I think, but maybe it's back up now.

Eric


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## River Walker (Apr 7, 2004)

Most of the lakes I used to fish for trophy bass are no longer there,but a couple still remain,and are very productive.If you don't have a map yet,it will be hard to explain where they're located,as I no longer have a map either.A couple are fairly easy to get to,and one is a bit more difficult.If you're coming down Rt.83 south,go a few miles past Windy Hill,be watching for a road that's(I think)called Oak Grove,make a right and go a mile or two,you'll see a cemetary on your right.There's a real nice lake down the hill behind that cemetary.Right across the street from the cemetary,there's a road,follow that road(don't veer off it anywhere)past Campsite "C",and it will dead-end onto an old haul road,make a left here,and you'll see 2 or 3 lakes on your left as your following the road out to Rt.83.The first 2 lakes on that road have produced many nice bass for me over the years.Another great lake for me has always been the one right across the street from the little campsite on the intersections of Rts.83,78 and 284.Park right at the camp,walk across 284,and you should find the path that leads down to the lake.It's a pretty big lake,and has a lot of big bass in it.


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## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

Just a few words of caution
Trophy bass ponds will not stay that way for long if they are advertised on the Internet for everyone to see.

My best advice on fishing AEP for BIG bass is to hit as many ponds as you can. I have only been going for a few years, it is a 3hr+ drive for me, but I have learned a few things about the area. The fishing in any particular pond can change dramatically in a very short time period. There are ponds where I caught very nice bass in the spring that were DEAD only a few months later. Conversely, there are ponds that did not produce anything in the spring that were dynamite in the fall! As a general rule, the harder it is to locate a pond, the better the fishing. However, there are some MONSTERS in the roadside ponds.


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## River Walker (Apr 7, 2004)

That's why I only mentioned 4 ponds out of over 300.All 4 of those ponds are relatively easy to access,which means many people know them.The remote ponds do have better fishing as a rule,but as you stated,many of the roadside ponds hold huge bass for the guys that know how to catch them.I've always felt that the vast majority of people that fish there are just recreational fishermen anyway,so leaking out a little bit of info should be harmless-besides,some of the best lakes I've ever fished down there-were told to me.


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