# AEP Quest!!



## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

:B Well guys.....im thinking about doing the journey this spring with a buddy down to the AEP heavenly acres! LoL 

Butttttt theres an issue....I do not know much of anything down there!!!!!....ive seen you guys post photos and so forth....and its made me quite envious to say the least! LoL....so my question to you veterans is.....WHAT DO I DOOO!! lol

Any really good areas for targeting largemouth?? I would be heading down early/mid spring.....can you bank fish?? Bring a Kayak? Raft? Anyone have an areial map or know where I could get one?? Good local hotels or cabins for a good price??? Any stories or experiences that could help me out would be appreciated!! We are going to bring a few camera's to video our trip so I can post it up on here on our return!!! 

Any info at all guys I would appreciate a lot...like I said were kind of going in it blind...but think itd be an awesome trip! :B


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## JignPig Guide (Aug 3, 2007)

Scum_Frog said:


> :B Well guys.....im thinking about doing the journey this spring with a buddy down to the AEP heavenly acres! LoL
> 
> Butttttt theres an issue....I do not know much of anything down there!!!!!....ive seen you guys post photos and so forth....and its made me quite envious to say the least! LoL....so my question to you veterans is.....WHAT DO I DOOO!! lol
> 
> Any info at all guys I would appreciate a lot...like I said were kind of going in it blind...but think itd be an awesome trip! :B


I'll say - Print out a permission slip and sign it. Then print out a map. Then print out the camp-site map. You can get all of these from the AEP web-site. 

I have a campsite review on my web-site of a few of the campgrounds in the area. If you are interested.

If you go exploring. Take a compass or a handheld gps of some sort. You can get lost pretty easy. I urge you to go go go!!! Take your fishin' gear and go! Whether you're fishing from shore, or from a kayak/canoe/belly-boat. You'll love it.


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## turkeyt (Apr 13, 2006)

J&P is right on and everywhere you walk you will find ponds. Lots of them are shown on the AEP maps. There are so many ponds that i doubt you could fish a 1/4 of them in a persons lifetime. Some have lot's of smaller bass with an occasional good one. Some have some biggun's and some have very little due to wash out or silt in. You should have no problem finding good water. Make sure you take anything you can find to repel ticks. They seem to like repellent and you will be suprised how many you will pick off of yourself. Do not get too over confident and think some of those ponds are not too deep. When you see a highwall pond and the water looks geen, chances you could hide a river tug in one. Start out on foot and check out every pond you can see and the ones in the hollows you can't see. Buckeye Trail goes through the area and goes by campsite and by some good fishing. Just stay safe and go at your own pace and you will have a good time. Once you get a plan on how you want to fish the place you can decide on a Yak or tube or walk.


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## Harbor Hunter (Aug 19, 2007)

I love the place,but the ticks have become so numerous down there I finally quit going.The last time I was there I picked several off of myself,then spent the next couple of days getting them out of my truck.If you have a good map you can find some real good lakes near Reinersville,we like to call the area "old Ohio Power",the area behind campsite C,or over the big hill has some good lakes.I started fishing down there in the mid-70's and have probably fished 40-50 different lakes most aren't even there now,there used to be a few I knew of that had giant smallmouth in them,and a couple even had muskies.Common logic tells you the farther back you're willing to walk,the better the fishing,but some of the ones near the campsites produce big bass too.


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## fisher person (Jul 2, 2004)

I've been going down there for aboutr 15 years now and have gotta say, the float tube or an inflatable raft is the way to go if you want to get off the beaten path.
Kayaks are ok down there if you want to fish some of the lakes near the roads. It took me a few yers to figure out that packing light is the way to go.

It's great there, clear ponds, murky ponds, deep, shallow, easy acces, off the beathen path ponds, something for everyone...


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## Davidd (Jan 23, 2011)

great info guys. I printed out a permit off of AEP website. Question is do I just bring it down to get it signed or do I have to mail it and have it returned with permission? Another thing is I heard the tic problem is bad. What are common precautions i would need to take besides bringing bug spray with deet.


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## Fishing Flyer (May 31, 2006)

Carry the permit on you at all times. For tics, bug spray with DEET will definitely help. Wearing pants also helps, and tuck in your shirt. Finally, you'll have less exposure if you use a float tube or kayak. If you float tube, hiking in with your waders can also help. You might not want to spray your waders because bass are sensitive to DEET. 


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


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## JohnPD (Jun 12, 2012)

Davidd said:


> great info guys. I printed out a permit off of AEP website. Question is do I just bring it down to get it signed or do I have to mail it and have it returned with permission? Another thing is I heard the tic problem is bad. What are common precautions i would need to take besides bringing bug spray with deet.


No, just print it out and sign it, carry it with you when on their land at all times, just as you would your fishing license.


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## Davidd (Jan 23, 2011)

John PD and Fishing Flyer thank you for all the info. Didn't know bass can sense deet, I would of gone crazy and sprayed my waders. Will bring my kayak so I will be hitting the near by lakes. I am still in the planning stage and you guys helped out a ton.


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## fishingredhawk (Apr 14, 2004)

Now's a good time to get there. Guys are whacking 'em. Here is a current report: http://www.ohiobassblog.com/aep-reports/


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## afellure12 (May 14, 2012)

Man, reading all this makes me really want to head out there with a fishing partner and do some exploring! I just started getting into the idea of bass fishing last year, but didn't actually do it that much (mostly concentrated on catfishing), and never have actually caught a bass while targeting bass.


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## afellure12 (May 14, 2012)

Any of you guys know if there are any catfish populations in any of these? Also, do any of you know of turtle populations?


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## BuckeyeBassMan (Jun 8, 2004)

Catfish- You can find some lakes with catfish, but not all of them. To the best of my knowledge, ponds around Campsites C and K would be your best bet for catfish, though I have never heard of anyone catching very big ones.

Turtles- I see large Snappers quite often. I fish off the beaten path, and I don't know about the easily accessible ponds, but I would think they would be in there as well.


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