When I was a kid, and yes, that was a long time ago, so this is ancient history, but bare with me. When I was a kid, almost a half century ago, and in a rural area dominated by farms and ranches, it was possible to wander up to someones door with a fishing pole in hand, and ask permission to fish in their pond or lake. In most cases, they allowed the small intrusion into their daily lives. The same was true of hunting rabbits, squirrels, and quail. Just mind the cows, and close the gates.

Today in that area, the quail are gone, houses and businesses have sprung up, and the hospitality once afforded young fishermen and hunters has all but diapered as well.

Fishing private bass lakes today

If you want to fish on a private lake or pond today, it may be a little more complicated. You still need to get permission, but that will probably be a little more difficult than it once was. Be certain that you have the permission of the actual owner of the property. Things can go bad pretty quickly if you get permission from the village idiot thinking that he is the owner.

Take care of the owners property, be kind to his place. Follow his rules.

When fishing on someone else s lake you need to keep a few things in mind:
Always make sure your boat and gear are clean and free of any weeds you might have picked up at the last lake you fished. Pay attention to the trailer, the wheels, the fenders, anything that might have gone into the lake. Pay attention to your boat hull, and your prop. Empty any bilge before you leave any lake. Check your tackle as well. Even small fragments of invasive weeds can reproduce at levels beyond human imagination.

Private fishing lakes Texas

Now back to the permission part. There are now organizations that put together private lake fishing packages, which are scheduled with the owners, with permission obtained beforehand.

This is prevalent enough that the Texas Department Of Parks And Wildlife has offered advice for Texas lake owners on using this method as a means of making extra money from their property.

You might want to try this out for a unique Texas bass fishing experience. There are some tremendous bass lakes owned privately in Texas, such lakes offer a variety of fishing experiences that you may not be able to get on our public waters.

Exotic lake weeds like Hydrilla, and Salvinia are already starting to grow, and they would just love to take over your favorite spot. If you spot anything unusual, let the folks at the Parks And Wildlife department know about it.

Other things that can be done to stop the spread of exotic lake weeds are just a simple matter of being vigilant, and practicing good boat and equipment hygiene. Things like:

• Check the outside of the boat for any non native plants  before you leave an area.
• Check the prop especially, because you know how weeds love to get tangled there.
• Make sure your live well isn’t hiding any fugitive plant material.
• Do the same with any bilge for the same reason.
• Make sure your lures haven’t grabbed onto something that might get a start in another lake. You would be surprised how much of a problem can be started by a minuscule particle of the wrong kind of plant!
• Check your boat trailer from tongue to tail light for aliens as well.

By doing these things you will be helping to preserve the health of our Texas public and private lakes for yourself and others! For that, let me thank you ahead of time, and say: Happy angling!

Bass Lakes Texas provides lake maps of  Texas bass fishing lakes. To find the lake map you are looking for, just click on it’s name below and get to the lake on time to haul in the big one:

If you share our passion for our Texas bass lakes, we would love to hear from you. You can do this in several ways, you can add comments in the comment section at the bottom of each page, or, you can email us with anything you would like to share. Our email address is fish@basslakestexas.com.

Stories, pictures and other bass fishing information

Tell us your story about the one that got away, share your pictures of the ones that didn’t, or let us know about any problems, solutions, tips, tricks, or anything else you think that other readers might like to know.

Bass fishing guides, taxidermists, and other services and supplies

If you provide a guide service for any of the lakes listed on this site, we would love to hear from you! We offer a free basic listing for you and your service. Please send us the details like name, address, phone number, and anything else that might be needed for our readers to get in touch with you. We will have a spcial page for guide services, taxidermy services fishing supplies, boat dealers, and marinas. If you would like a page of your own, contact us for details.

Guest bloggers

If you have a lot of fishing tales, and want to share them with a wider bass fishing community, we offer guest blogging. You can have your own blog on Bass Lakes Texas! You can share your bass fishing stories, your tips and tricks, or anything else pertaining to bass fishing. It’s fun, and it’s free!