# Lake off of Route 4?



## HuberCatman (May 1, 2008)

There are a large group of lakes off of rt 4 by lower valley pike. Most of it is a gravel facility but there are 3 or 4 lakes that look like they haven't been dug for a long time. I've heard rumors that it is a private club, etc.

Anyone know any details about this? Is a club? How do you join?


I know people fish it because I see boats on the lake in satelite pictures and there are docks on part of the lake.

Any help would be massively appreciated.


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## wader (Dec 9, 2004)

Don't know if its a club or not, but the landowners around the pits have access to it. I do know that it is vigorously defended against trespassing. Hilltop Materials owns the fields to the southwest, you may want to inquire there about access, but they will likely tell you no.


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## HuberCatman (May 1, 2008)

I've actually been kicking around the idea of writing a letter to hilltop and requesting permission. Even signing a waiver of responsibility to cover their butts or pay a fee or something. I've heard of people that have fished the lakes and gotten some monsters out of there. Some said they've even stopped fishing due to it taking the sport out of it.

H*ll for me I only fish maybe once or twice a month so all I'm looking for is a better place than friggin Rainbow. I love the place but the scenery is getting old.


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## iteech (Apr 4, 2005)

Hilltop has lots of lakes in several different areas--they also own the big lake across from Rainbow Lakes and the one behind it to the left. I asked for permission one year for that particular lake; it looked so "fishy" to me. I emailed the president of the company (this was several years ago--I swear I do not remember his name or how I found it) and just asked him. I told him we'd pick up trash, check water conditions etc (which we did). To my utter surprise, he told me to go to the Hilltop office and pick up a pass for me and my family for the year. We fished those two lakes and went to several other Hilltop lakes in the area also--and again, I cannot remember if we hit the ones you are describing--but I can tell you this: the fishing was not good in any of them. Honest. I do not know who this person was that "caught so many it wasn't sporting", but I'd like to talk to them! We were roundly disappointed every time we went. Some small bass, never one over a pound--and the occasional bluegill. That was it--and we must have gone 50 times that year, just CONVINCED we were doing something wrong, and we'd catch a bunch the next time. Never did! I've been told by a Hilltop employee that they quit letting anyone but HT employees on the lakes, 'cause they had so much trouble with people making a mess. That's who you're seeing on the lakes...and as far as I know, that's the only people who will ever be allowed to fish them. In my own experience, that's not much to mourn about...


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## HuberCatman (May 1, 2008)

That really surprises me. As big as some of those lakes are and as underfished as they'd have to be you'd think there are lunkers in there. I've fished other gravel areas (albeit a little sneakily) and always made a killing. I don't know how many 'gills and bass I'd catch in a day. These were in my more 'daring' days (before I had a kid and household to worry about). Got busted a couple of times and it turned me off from sneaking onto private property.

I'm going fishing in the early AM tomorrow morning and I really do not want to go to Rainbow and get skunked yet again. 

I live in Huber of course so anything around there is good. I just don't have a boat nor do I want to trek 1 hour away from my car. Some of the areas I've thought about are:

GMR: Ross Road, 571, Tippacanoe.
Mad River: Spangler rd or Enon rd
LMR: No idea where to park to get to it
CJ: The spillway, the dropoff between the beach/boat ramp, the breakwalls @ the docks, ????

Any suggestions?


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## HuberCatman (May 1, 2008)

I ended up doing a drive by of lower valley pike. I've never driven down there and Lyre lake is almost smack in the middle. When I drove by someone was entering the drive way and I had a half a notion to stop and ask him about it. But decided against it.

If anyone is/was a member I'm very interested to know how to become a member and/or tag along to fish it.


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Huber, you must know someone who is a member to sponsor you and the list is like 10+ years long to get in, lastly if you have to ask how much, its more then you can afford.

I have fished it with a now ex employee a few times, decent fishing but not worth the money they are looking for, its really a nice place to take your boat, still cant figure out how the state record Northern Pike is allowed from a "Pay to fish/private lake"

I used to have permission to fish all the Hilltop lakes from about 88-95', sister was an employee.Yes, at times the fishing was pretty good but usually you had to work your butt off to find quality fish, towards the end, i started to figure out which lakes held the best populations of what I was loooking for. Saw many 5-7lb LM bass swimming around but never got any above maybe 3 lbs, took a ton of 14-16" White crappies and a few 10+" Perch and several real nice double digit channels.

Salmonid


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## BigDave (Jun 3, 2004)

My dad used to be the foreman at Martin Marietta which was then American Aggregates . We fished Lyre lake under his pass and the bass fishing was really good. They stocked northerns and I agree that they shouldn't have allowed it to be a state record. My brother used to work for Hilltop and we fished and hunted all their lakes. Fishing was OK . He used to win all their tournaments they had for employees as he knew where the fish were. Barrett now owns Hilltop and they decided he wasn't one of the suck ups so he no longer works there. Good luck getting in to Lyre as they were idiots when dad worked there 25 yrs ago.


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## HuberCatman (May 1, 2008)

I kinda knew that Lyre was that way. Nothing gets my goat more than seeing beautiful bodies of water that I can't fish. 

What makes it worse is that I'm always driving by gravel pits. So I see these big lakes with huge "no trespassing" signs. Bah!


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## smallwaterDon (Jul 5, 2006)

HuberCatman said:


> I ended up doing a drive by of lower valley pike. I've never driven down there and Lyre lake is almost smack in the middle. When I drove by someone was entering the drive way and I had a half a notion to stop and ask him about it. But decided against it.
> 
> If anyone is/was a member I'm very interested to know how to become a member and/or tag along to fish it.


Lyre Lake is owned by the gravel company but is leased by a group of
outdoorsman. It is a private lake. I've been there and it has plenty of fish in
it. Only way to get in is to sneak or know a member. As for the other big
lakes that are owned by Hilltop I have fished the one off 235 passed the
drive-in and not sure what the other guy was doing but we catch dozens
of fish from that lake. Again, I was with someone who had permission to 
be there. Saw some of the biggest bass in my life swimming in that lake. 
We caught plenty of large crappie, gills and a ton of bass. Just my 2 cents 
on those lakes. Any place good to fish is going to take a little work. Either
wading the river (LMR or GMR). West Carrollton should be one of your better
places to go. Smallmouth, Sauger, channel cats...all swim there.


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## ROCKS (Apr 5, 2008)

They have a waiting list about five years long.Good Luck


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## WalIkng (Nov 28, 2007)

There is very good fishing in those lakes. I have caught pretty much every fish species in the lake, walleye, tons of pike, jumbo perch, crappies, and bass.


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## Mrsnspectr (May 21, 2008)

Instead of Rainbow have you tried Spring Lakes on Taylorsville? The old duck pond place? They are trying to keep their membership low and stay family friendly, but will also allow day-passes. A good friend of mine says it used to be the best place around here to fish. Haven't checked it out yet myself, but I did talk to the guy - one year family membership is $195.


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## HuberCatman (May 1, 2008)

I've thought about that one alot actually. I live less than 2 minutes from that pond (back off of longford).

I think that I'll try that place next actually.


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