How many secret lakes do you guys have?

[A9]

Just curioous to see if any guys have a bunch of little zipperlips like I do. I'm not asking anyone to name any of theres or tell whereabouts they are, just how many little lakes do you guys fish that you consider "secret"?

I have about 5 good little bassing spots that no one would think have bass in them.

[kartman253]

I have a few secret little spots i fish around kent some well known , some not known at all, theres at least 5 that i try to fish each month ,all produce great fish, some only a couple feet deep , some of thes places are listed but most are not. thats why there secret :P

[bustin]

I just moved to Spokane and definately would like to find some.

[littleriver]

Most of my secret places are so secret that even the fish don't know about them yet.

But I keep showing up from time to time just to see if one or two have stumbled into the spot.

[A9]

I know some guys who have stocked a few little drainage ponds (about a half acre in size) with bass from a lake down the road. 6 years later, I can catch fish there...

[A9]

Bustin:
Get on google earth or maps and poke around. Then, go check out those little ponds and see if their aren't any bass hanging in them. You'd be suprised...

[fishunt83]

I have four lakes that are all about five feet apart. They are great for some small bass. Only fish them if I want to catch a fish and release

[A9]

Well fishunt83 do you actually even keep bass anyways?

I've heard they aren't very desirable in terms of taste...

[raffensg64]

Just one. Thankfully it's not on any maps, at least the ones I have! It's 3.5 miles off the beaten path, uphill, through rattlesnake infested areas, and churns out cookie-cutter 15-16" rainbows. Additionally, it has zero bank access due to the brush, trees and steep rocky slopes. And thankfully again, most folks laugh at the idea of walking with pack and gear 3.5 miles uphill just to fish! Lots of people actually know of this lake, fortunately most of them aren't fishermen. The WDFW, God bless em, packs in 1000 fry every year or two.

[bustin]

Raffen please share your secret with me. Speaking of snakes I came across a bull snake Thursday at West Medical, I thought it was too cold out to see anysnakes. Being a westide person just moved over, it really scared me.

[Matt]

Well fishunt83 do you actually even keep bass anyways?

I've heard they aren't very desirable in terms of taste...

No way man. I love eating bass, smallies taste great and largemouths make nice beer battered fishsticks. I generally only keepthe smaller ones in the 1 lb range, the bigger ones can live another day!

Matt

[fishunt83]

Personally I dont keep the bass. I have a buddy that does so if I am fishing with him I will let him have it. Other wise I release and only fish bass for the sport

[A9]

Well fishunt83 do you actually even keep bass anyways?

I've heard they aren't very desirable in terms of taste...

No way man. I love eating bass, smallies taste great and largemouths make nice beer battered fishsticks. I generally only keepthe smaller ones in the 1 lb range, the bigger ones can live another day!

Matt

I'll never try one....Theres a reason why you have never seen "largemouth or smallmouth bass" on any dinner menu on any restaraunt...

[Easy Limits]

I gotta get me one.

[fishunt83]

Well fishunt83 do you actually even keep bass anyways?

I've heard they aren't very desirable in terms of taste...

No way man. I love eating bass, smallies taste great and largemouths make nice beer battered fishsticks. I generally only keepthe smaller ones in the 1 lb range, the bigger ones can live another day!

Matt

I'll never try one....Theres a reason why you have never seen "largemouth or smallmouth bass" on any dinner menu on any restaraunt...

I cant say they are disgusting at all and I agree with you 100%. But if they did put one on a menu next to a nice smoked salmon.....which are you gonna choose?

[gpc]

I have a secret pond in the potholes. You have to hike down a cliff hop over a barbed wire fence then walk another mile after that you hike through a swamp like area and the pond is all yours. Dont ask me how I found it. From the cliff up above we saw some huge bass thats why we tried the pond. When we got there we found bluegill redds with a whole lot of HUGE bluegill after we caught one another HUGE fish would steal his redd. When it was all said and done we walked away with 20 bluegill and the smallest one was a pound, the biggest was just under 2lb. I found this back in 2005 and havent been back yet. Yea the walk was that bad especially after hiking back with 20lbs of bluegill (and it was memorial day weekend, HOT weather) and putting back a few too many cold ones. Id say it was probally a 10 mile round trip hike

[MikeFishes]

Bustin:
Get on google earth or maps and poke around. Then, go check out those little ponds and see if their aren't any bass hanging in them. You'd be suprised...

What's the best way to go and find out who owns the land to get permission and tips on access? There are a few little ponds near me that I'd like to try and see if anything is there. But I don't want to anger any landowners (I know I'd be a tad ticked if I saw some guy fishing in my pond without permission).

[beerman1981]

Bustin:
Get on google earth or maps and poke around. Then, go check out those little ponds and see if their aren't any bass hanging in them. You'd be suprised...

What's the best way to go and find out who owns the land to get permission and tips on access? There are a few little ponds near me that I'd like to try and see if anything is there. But I don't want to anger any landowners (I know I'd be a tad ticked if I saw some guy fishing in my pond without permission).

The best advise I can give you, is figure out who owns the land. If you have to, email fish and wild life and tell them exactly where the lake is, and they will give you all the info. I have had to do this. Once you figure out the land owner, contact them in person, looking decent, and be very polite. Tell them you will only catch and release, report unauthorized trespassers, clean up not only your trash, but others trash as well. And of course, stay good to your word. Convince them you will only improve their pond, basically.

Beerman

[A9]

Yea just be polite about it if your going to try and fish on one's private land/lake....I've never done this, but have read stuff and have heard that most landowners are fine with this...

[fishunt83]

My secret lake is owned by a private owner, but he is a developer and has no plans of getting rid of the lake. He is fine with us fishing out there. He gave us his phone number because it does say "No Tresspassing" before you pass the gate...aka its a walk. So if the cops or anybody else gets mad then we just call him and get it all cleaned up.