Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Private Ponds

My best guess is the only ones that would allow the public to pay to fish would be two groups.

1. Owners that had little interest to care for their ponds or what shape they are in so figure a little income from something they do not care about anyway is more than they would have otherwise.
2. Owners that specifically have their ponds for a "for profit" enterprise.

My pond is for my wife and I enjoyment, my family and my employees. If I counted the cost per pound of fish I have in my "investment" there is no way I could ever charge enough to cover the cost. It just has to be for the fun of doing it as a hobby. So putting up with the general public and the low to moderate percentage of A-holes that exist in any population would never be worth any reasonable amount of money involved. Plus it is my back yard. Do I really want strangers in my back yard? I think not, being the general anti-social type I am.

So in my case, no way no how.

As far as anglers willing to pay, probably a few. But they would likely expect good fishing if they were paying.

I might consider a non-fee PBF get together some day though.

Fish Omaha; Fish in private ponds become hook shy pretty quickly. To keep that from happening, I severely limit the fishing in my ponds including me, friends and family. Most of us put a pretty high value on privacy and quiet times.

The fee to let the public fish would have to be pretty obscene.

We start with purchasing land. Not just any land but land suitable for retention of or impounding water. It has to be a big enough parcel for runoff from rains to be impounded. It also has to have the right loamy soil to hold together for a dam. Expensive! Buying land that has a good sized pond/ponds? Even more expensive!

Once we have the right land, we begin constructing a pond. There is nothing cheap about moving dirt with a dozer. Expensive!

Wait for rains. Inexpensive!

Finding that the pond leaks and needs repair. Expensive!

Checking water quality for suitability as a place for fish too live. Not too expensive but more than most people have left over from monthly pay check.

Finally, we buy fish and stock them. We buy babies and wait for them to grow up so we can fish for them. That takes several years. This is the cheapest part of the picture.

Most of us choose to feed our fish. In my case, on my small ponds, that's about $100 to $150 per month.

After all of the above, we get to fish our pride and joy. But, not as often as we would like. As stated above, fish in private impoundments can get hook shy pretty quickly. So, we have to ration our enjoyment. To provide a quality opportunity for the public, we would have to limit it severely. Nobody would pay to fish where the decent sized fish have learned what the foot steps on the bank mean. And then, we couldn't enjoy it either. At this point, I ration my friends and family(including me) to no more than once a month.

To sum it up, it would be neither financially feasible nor personally rewarding to let the public fish our ponds. I've often compared this to leasing out my unused spare/guest bedroom.

Omaha, I am very curious.How much money would you expect someone to offer to pay to fish a pond for a day?? It ain't happenin at my place but just want to know!!

I just can't see a meaningful dollar amount that would encourage me to open up my pond to another person.

Thank you to everyone!!! This has helped.

Fish Omaha, as you prepare to write your report, please let us know your thoughts after reading the responses to your questions.

What were your personal thoughts on this subject and if so, how have those thoughts been changed or influenced by the above pond owner's responses?

Then, in contrast to posing this question to passionate (and in some cases professional) pond managers/owners, if you really want to dig deep, start driving the country-side to stop and visit with property owners with farm ponds. These can easily and readily be found on your County Assessor's website and/or Google Earth. And pose those same questions.

Group A: Pond Boss members
Group B: Rural farm ponds (Non-Pond Boss members)

Could make for an interesting paper, and I for one would be interested in your findings.

Dave, after reading your response, it reminded me of a remark I used to use when someone would ask if they could borrow my motorcycle to ride.

I would tell them there are two things I do not loan out. My wife and my motorcycle. Maybe I need to add the pond to that.

I just started my pond operation last fall, and there is no way I would consider it. I have had to strongly discourage neighborhood boys from bucket stocking already, and there is no way I would consider fish for pay when the pond matures, for the variety of reasons already stated.
When things are ready, only close family, friends, and other pond owners that have reciprocal agreements with me could fish it at times, in accordance with any management plan.

Well, I value my privacy, peace & quite and I don't need the money. Why would I compromise this view for a few dollars?

Just an example I had recently.

I had an employee ask "hey can I come out and fish this weekend"?

I said sure.

An hour or two later employee said "you mind if my Dad and brother come too"?

I said yes that will be ok.

So on the Saturday...14 people from his family show up at different times throughout the day...they didn't all fish...but they want to ride the ATV's, kids using sling-shots into the lake constantly, people in and out of bathrooms all day. It all turned out ok, nice people, and this guy is a great employee...but who the heck would want that on a weekly basis? I guess someone younger than me. And at least I knew these people. I want quiet, solitude, and maybe a friend, or family member. A picnic party maybe once a year is fine, but my party days are in the rear-view mirror

Dang, Zep!! That is off the hook!!

14 people showing up!!!

No way!!!

I've met a very few PB brothers. I would let any PB old-timer come to my pond because they understand and share my respect for my fish and all the effort to build an ecosystem. They offer me camaraderie, knowledge, and would likely be amused by my expectation of measuring everything.

I've had colleagues and friends ask when they can come fish my pond. So far, my response that even I am not allowed to fish the pond has put most of them off. Some ask when I will fish my pond. I tell them at least 2 more years. None are in it for the long haul nor do they offer any reciprocity.

When I do begin to fish my pond, it will be part of my self-reliant retirement living plans. I can't give away 50% of my year's fish meals. You give away excess garden produce to friends and family. Get that. I've been in others' gardens to harvest their excess, but I am always careful to respect their wishes and their efforts. I don't expect excess fish production. Very few beside PB'ers would properly respect my pond if there were excess. Random people on my pond? never.

Nickolaus I can really relate to this. I have 3 very small cabins. So far the only one with furniture in it is mine, but I know as soon as I save up the money to furnish the other two I will start getting inquiries about "when can we use one of your cabins for a weekend"? Maybe I shouldn't even furnish the other two, but that would be weird too...lol.

#1. No one will ever be there when I am not there.

#2. I really am not excited about a lot of overnight visitors staying there except on rare occasions. Too many smokers, too many dogs, too many rug-rats, too much spilled sodas, drunks, bed linens to clean, trash to empty, fridges to clean. Close friends and relatives occasionally are about all I'm interested in.

I wouldn't even have the extra cabins, but my brother/partner unfortunately died in the middle of the project, so it is what it is.

But I know I will soon be inundated with requests.
I expect some will get their feelings hurt.
maybe I should charge a $175 "weekend maid fee" that will discourage those I really don't want there for a weekend anyway

Zep, you're kind of touching on what I was trying to say initially on this thread.

Most of us Pond Bosses wouldn't even think to ask another land owner if we could 'use' their property 'cause we generally don't 'like' others to ask us to 'use' our property.

So, when I was asking Fish Omaha to try to 'define' the individual who would ask a landowner for permission, I was grasping at something.

Don't anyone get me wrong though. I'm not saying it's ill mannered or rude to request to fish someone's pond, but the person who asks that question is usually not a pond owner.

Mark, that's too low. I've been there, and I'd pay more than that for the weekend.

I had a new UPS guy show up yesterday, and all he wanted to talk about was our pond, and how big were our LMB. Nice kid, but I felt pressured for an invite. I told him the LMB were dinks, and were only here to help manage brim. That and we only allow fly fishing. He wasn't interested anymore.

Al, you didn't feel the need to tell him about the other initiation procedures?

It was good meeting you and your wife the other weekend! Will your wife let you throw some pictures up here??

Sunil, I did not. To be honest, he didn't seem like the type that would be willing to get an Unknown Hinson tattoo for fishing privileges either.

George's son Jeff is coming over today to fish a little. I enjoy pond owners fishing here, because it's usually as simple as telling them to cull any LMB they wouldn't keep in their pond.