# Pay ponds/lakes in CBUS??



## Buckeyeheat (Jul 7, 2007)

Hello all - would love to hear everyone's experiences with local pay ponds/lakes. I've never been to one, but would like to try one once or twice, just to see & learn and say I did it. What's out there? What's good?

Bass would be great, but would be interested in anything. I live north off of Sawmill, but interested in all of Central Ohio.


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## cmalinowski (Aug 25, 2007)

If you want to catch bass at a pay lake, I would recommend Hickory Lakes in Pickerington on Ault Road. Although I hate to pay to fish, sometimes I'll go there and it's really easy to just catch a ton of them, good sizes too. Not sure where your located but it's right near I70 so it doesn't take long to get there regardless where your coming from. The pass is good for 24 hours, so I'll typically pay and fish in the am, then come back in the evening to fish again. I typically use topwater but they'll hit anything you throw at them. A few years ago the guy that runs the place told me that I was the only person the ever shows up to fish for bass, everyone else fishes for cat fish.


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## lordofthepunks (Feb 24, 2009)

when i was a kid i went to a few pay lakes with my father. there was always a great expectation of catching a huge cat but the amount of people you were competing against for space was usually ridiculous. its true though, most pay lakes are usually heavily fished for shovelheads and blue cats. not so much bass. maybe its different now days with the economy in the gutter but everytime we went it was elbow to elbow people, lines being crossed by your neighbor and people using equipment that would have been more appropriate for great white fishing. not my cup o tea anymore.


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## cmalinowski (Aug 25, 2007)

The thing I like about Hickory Lakes is that it is a little more natural setting than a lot of the other pay lakes I've seen. The facility is basically a party/event facility - company picnics, weddings, etc. but they have four or five nice ponds with plenty of structure but still easy to walk around. I typically take my waders with me. Never run into hardly any other fisherman there, I think at night on the weekends it picks up but when I'm bass fishing it was always rare to see anyone.


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## GerardV (May 17, 2009)

Well, I'm glad I stumbled upon this post. I'm from pickerington and my son wants to catch bass, so we will probably give this place a try. Usually, we fish the bank at Buckeye and catch a lot of saugeye, catfish, crappie and bluegill there. But, he tells me he wants to catch a few bass, just once.


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## fid (Apr 8, 2009)

What's the cost of this place in Pickerington? Any know?


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## GerardV (May 17, 2009)

This might help.

http://hickorylakes.blogspot.com/


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## Ðe§perado™ (Apr 15, 2004)

Why pay for a lic. and then go pay someone to fish a lake?? Doesn't make sense.


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## GerardV (May 17, 2009)

Generally, I agree. But, fishing with a five year old often changes things. Without a boat, catching LMbass isn't easy, so I will pay a little to give him the experience. If he wasn't in the picture, then I wouldn't pay to fish.


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## Buckeyeheat (Jul 7, 2007)

Thank you for the info on Hickory! I called & it's $12 for a day pass (6-8). I might try it soon. There's a pond right next to me where I can pull in a lot of 15"-18" largemouth and because I'm still learning a lot, it's a great way to learn. However this pond is private (condo assoc) and I'm pushing my luck by fishing there. I still spend most of my time fishing the river (wading) and I'm learning about the resevoirs, but like I said, it's a good learning tool to have a private pond that's stocked full. Also, I want to be able to take my girlfriend to a place where we can consistently catch fish without her having to wade. $12 for a day of fun is pretty cheap if you're going to spend the whole day.


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