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Private Fishing Clubs Means Big Bass
Bass (Small & Largemouth), Freshwater Fishing Articles, Regional Fishing, Texas Fishing Articles, United States Fishing Articles | Texas theangler PM
If you are looking for bass fishing solitude and consistency, consider a joining a private fishing club at a nearby lake. Spring bass action on a sprawling reservoir can be excellent, but big water can have its drawbacks
How does fishing club work?
The bass club setup is similar to that of a deer lease or country club membership. For a fee, members get access to specific resources and facilities. At worst, they get the key to a locked gate, behind which and down a short dirt road lies is a lake full of largemouths. At best, the package might include accommodations, boats with motors, meeting areas and whatever else the property owner elects to provide.
One problem bass fishermen face on expansive lakes is elimination of “unproductive” water. The average private club lake covers fewer than 100 acres, nearly all of which is potentially productive. These smaller, managed and manicured lakes are of ideal size and configuration to introduce young anglers to the sport or, for those so inclined, to hone tournament skills in a controlled environment.
Club owners cannot promise fish in specific quantities or of specific weights, but members can count on the presence of healthy bass. Most of these fisheries are professionally managed too; it is in an owner’s best interest to take a pro-active approach to feeding and restocking programs.
Examples of Fishing Clubs near Houston, Texas
Within casual driving distance of Houston, there are several membership options for freshwater anglers who choose not to deal with whitecaps and water skiers. Here are the particulars on three local fishing clubs near Houston. You can probably find something similar in your area.
1. Lakes of Danbury – This facility near Angleton was the first around Houston to embrace the “country club” concept for bass fishing. Several private bass lakes preceded it, but most were corporate getaways unavailable to the public at any price.
Reports hint at daily catches of 20, 30 and sometimes more than 50 bass. Fishermen there throw the same lures as they might on a Lake Conroe or a Sam Rayburn Reservoir, but on private water, they spend less time riding and more time fishing. Also, it is rare that wind is strong enough to make fishing unsafe.
Owner, Jim Thompson took Danbury’s recreational fishing reins and has given the place a needed face-lift. He has poured considerable money into the property and fish into the water. There are five outstanding fishing lakes and sixteen boats, as well as a couple of walk around ponds.
In addition to adding a covered pavilion and a lakeside cabin available for overnight rental, Thompson also added 2,000 largemouth’s from 1-7 pounds each to his lakes.
Lakes of Danbury is well equipped to handle corporate outings, and guide service is available. The main lake has several boats on it, including some new flat-bottom hulls that are extremely stable; on the other four fishing lakes, there are no more than two boats each.
For information on Lakes of Danbury, call 979-922-8610 or go to www.lakesofdanbury.com.
2. Quantum Lakes – Not quite two hours north of Houston outside Coldspring, this club features three lakes, about 50 acres each and all interconnected by narrow canals. Double-digit bass have been caught here.
Quantum Lakes has a well appointed clubhouse and separate facilities for overnight guests. An observation tower atop the clubhouse is a great place to watch friends fish, do a little birding or stargaze.
For information on Quantum Lakes, call 1-281-592-3724 or go to www.quantumlakes.com.
3. Simmons Lake – This is the newest entry to the category, about 400 total acres of water just south of Columbus about 90 minutes west of Houston.
Professional bass fisherman Mark Hooker holds a long-term lease on Simmons Lake. The fishing lake actually is a series of gravel pits last excavated during the Johnson – Lyndon, not Andrew – administration. The fishery evolved and improved naturally for many years and now is under a management program. Its forage base and aquatic vegetation are in balance, and largemouths have grown accordingly.
Fish caught recently have averaged two pounds each and been as heavy as five pounds. Those are respectable bass anywhere.
Each of the three lakes is slightly different in mean depth and structure than the others. In addition to largemouths, all three ponds are stocked with crappie and catfish.
This club has no on-site boats, but members can launch their own from a quality ramp. Hooker has added a floating pier near the ramp and several “crappie condos” throughout the lake. Actually, Simmons Lake is a series of connected fingers, the longest of which stretches more than a mile and all of which are protected from wind by tall levees. Members can spread out and (except at the ramp) never see each other.
For information on Simmons Lake, call Hooker at 1-281-292-9499 or 281-782-9034.
Club fishing is more expensive than soaking night crawlers from a public shore or pier but less costly than owning and maintaining a loaded bass boat. The concept isn’t for everyone, but it is a legitimate option.