How far do you guys go to fish? 2024

YoTone reply :

The two or three of the bigger bodies of waters from me are about an hour drive. I do have some local spots but I wonder how many of you guys drive long distances to fish a body of water you fish frequently.

scaleface reply :

I usually drive 5 to 50 miles . My most frequent spot is a 200 acre lake 30 miles away where the Conservation dept supplies 14 foot jon boats for free .

I am set up to fish local waters fast .A canoe for the streams , a plastic boat with built in wheels for small bodies with difficult access , Portable depth finder and trolling motor for lakes with rentals and my wifes deck boat for the big lake . I slapped an 85 lb thrust trolling motor on it , two depth finders , butt seat and it has a livewell . The front half is mine , the back half hers .

A-Jay reply :

My waters range from 3 miles to about 100 miles away.

Travel time is relative to traffic & terrain. (and my version of traffic here is 2 or more vehicles at a stop sign )

Don't necessarily have to go the distance to get the best action.

The decision of where to go is often dictated by the weather (mostly wind) and the season.

Early & late in the year has me beating up on the closer more local population.

For the heat of the Summer & night ops - anything goes.

Sometimes the tipping point goes back to the fact that the bigger water routinely produces the bigger fish.

(None of this includes international fishing trip travel).

A-Jay

NYWayfarer reply :

I drive less than a mile to get to my kayak fishing spot.

It's funny I am surrounded by water but have limited access to fish from shore. It seems you have to own a home on the river or lakes by me or machete your way through a forest to go fishing.

Smokinal reply :

I'm blessed here in Maine with water everywhere. Countless ponds all within 1.5 hr drive and obviously tons more farther out. I typically stay within 1 hr drive though.

DogBone_384 reply :

I stay within an hour or so of home except the three or four trips a season I take to the Quabbin Reservoir that’s about 2 hours away. I’ve got one good pond 20 minutes from home, but the best fishing near me is SE Mass and Cape Cod.

Troy85 reply :

As far as commonly fished area's, closest launch is 10 miles, furthest is about 50.

senile1 reply :

Typically, I don't travel more than 50 or 60 miles. The closest lake to me is 17 miles away and is managed for bluegill. All the bass there are tiny so I'm always traveling 20 - 25 miles minimum. I occasionally travel over 100 miles to some excellent big bass fisheries just south of the Missouri/Iowa border, and then there are the two trips to Table Rock in the Spring and Fall which is 3.5 hours away.

I obviously don't travel enough to whack a DD. . . . not yet anyway.

Scott F reply :

I spend 4-6 weeks every year fishing 2 places. One is 300 miles away and the other is 350 miles away. Once I get there, I spend 3 days to two weeks before I come home. I only fish other places when I can't get to one of my first two choices.

Choporoz reply :

We measure distance in minutes around here....most days, I drive between 15 and 30 minutes. Once or twice a month 90-180 minutes.

In June, I'm driving 1600 miles and flying in another 60 miles

SDoolittle reply :

My fishing trips can be anywhere from 10 miles to 800 miles away from home, but the majority of my fishing is done on one of the several lakes in the 25-50 mile range.

Catt reply :

Closest is 50 steps out my from door

Farthest 121 miles or 2 hrs & 15 minutes

I have taken trips as far as 750 miles, 10 hrs & 49 minutes to fish central Florida.

2tall79 reply :

Interesting thread. My home lake is about 10 miles away, but it is a huge, gin clear, highly pressured urban lake. If I want to fish a lake that has natural shoreline and less pressure, it's a 20 mile to 30 mile trip. Having an 18 foot boat limits me as to the lakes with suitable launches.

Pro Logcatcher reply :

I live right next to Lake Norman, so I fish there a lot.

Todd2 reply :

My normal lake is 30 mins away. I do have another smaller one about 5 mins that I hit sometimes.

Several other better lakes are all about an hour and half and I try to hit those too a few times a year.

Angry John reply :

In my kayak I stay about the one hour mark. In the boat we fish a local tourney trail and the furthest out was about 2 hours. I take the opportunity to fish my vacations or trips and currently I am in Austin a 12 hour trip from home. I don't think that counts as a trip because I was here to visit her parents but I will take advantage.

TOXIC reply :

I'm lookin at 50-65 miles to get to either a good lake or the Potomac river. Those are the closest but there are a lot within 200 miles that I have fished. I go to St Clair for a week which is 9-10 hours one-way and I go to Wisconsin which is 2 days (18 hours) each way. It doesn't take much of a nudge to get me to go anywhere to any new water to fish. That's part of the fun of fishing.

Troy85 reply :

On 3/14/2018 at 10:05 PM, Catt said:

Closest is 50 steps out my from door

Farthest 121 miles or 2 hrs & 15 minutes

I have taken trips as far as 750 miles, 10 hrs & 49 minutes to fish central Florida.

To have a house on the water................one day......one day

mattkenzer reply :

Closest water .... 10 min. - All Smallmouth

Farthest I travel .... 1-1/2 hrs. - All Largemouth

I also fish 6-8 lakes in between.

desmobob reply :

It's 2 1/2 miles to my favorite launch. I also have good fishing less than 1/2 mile from my door, and plenty within 15 miles.

I'm pretty much surrounded by water where I live. Between the float tube, kayak and boat, I have a lot of opportunities very close to home. It's a blessing.

Tight lines,

Bob

38 Super Fan reply :

Nearly all the lakes I fish are 1.5-2 hours drive. (70-95 miles on these twisty roads here) It's pretty common for me to fish 6-8 times a month, so I spend quite a bit of time towing.

shovelmouth83 reply :

after i got out of the army in 2010. i lived in florida for a year and fished there almost everyday. then after my devoice i moved back home to Arkansas. i was fishing and then one day i packed my car and drove to north dakota for a month worth of fishing. 900 miles.

MIbassyaker reply :

For me time is the limiting factor rather than distance per se, and I can usually afford to spend one morning at a time fishing. So I stick to bodies of water within an hour's drive of my house. Within that range I have hundreds of places i can choose and pretty good diversity of water types -- natural lakes, impoundments, upper, middle and lower sections of several rivers and streams, drowned river mouths, swampy bayous, and old gravel pits. However, as most of these waters are small and about 1 million people live within that same 1 hour radius, avoiding crowds can be a problem at times. So I spend most of my time on a couple dozen small waters that are a little out of the way or difficult to get to, rather than the ones that are closest/easiest/fastest to get on.

Goldstar225 reply :

I have one small (300 acre) lake about 30-40 away. Two others that are a one hour drive. Occasionally I'll drive 2-2 1/2 hours to fish. I've set a goal to fish every publicly accessible lake in my state within the next two years so I've got some traveling to do.

Scarborough817 reply :

the lake i consider my home lake where i can boat and do most of my fishing is at my family cottage 2+ hours away up there as much as possible from opening weekend to closing

Log Catcher reply :

I very rarely travel more than 60 miles. I have 4 lakes in that distance plus some places anywhere from 15 to 35 miles away to fish. my closest spot is Elkhorn creek and from the house I can be on the water in about 30 minutes. I'm jealous of Pro Log catcher living on Lake Norman. I got to fish there about 15 years ago. I may get to come back down there this year.

RPreeb reply :

I have a 1.5 acre pond 4 blocks from the house with small LM bass, bluegill and catfish. Another one about 2 acres is 25 minutes away, and 2 reservoirs less than 1 hour away. None are particularly noted for bass (walleye seems to be more heavily fished in the reservoirs), but that's okay... that just means that the bass aren't pressured all that much.

Ratherbfishing reply :

Between 10 minutes and an hour and 45 minutes away. (Wouldn't you know that the best fishing is some distance away!) C'est la vie.

Brad in Texas reply :

A couple of hundred feet to my boathouse/dock on Lake Athens here in Texas. But, I fish other places, too. To say east Texas has an abundance of opportunities would be a gross understatement.

From my driveway:

1) 22 miles to Purtis Creek State Park;

2) 16 miles to Lake Palestine;

3) 25 miles to Cedar Creek Reservoir;

4) 25 or so miles to Richland Chambers;

5) 45 miles to Fairfield Lake (power plant lake);

6) 60 miles to either Lake Fork or Tawakoni;

7) 35 miles to Tyler Lake;

8) 19 miles to the Neches River;

9) 30 miles to Mill Creek Reservoir in Canton.

I'm out of breath, fingers cramping, forgetting a few others . . . for all those I have listed, there are 2X as many within 60 miles. Not far to my south, Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend.

I know several states are thusly blessed: Florida, Arkansas, Louisiana come to mind as do a few others with this sort of lake density.

Oh! I mix it up depending on how I want to fish. Usually for me, 30 minutes will get me where I want to be.

Brad

Bankbeater reply :

I have a couple of small lakes in a city park that are about 2 miles from my house. There are two reservoirs that are both about 2-1/2 to 3 hours away depending on traffic conditions.

drew4779 reply :

Shore: The closest lakes to fish are about 25 minutes away, and I hate those lakes. My main water is about 50 minutes away.

Boating: It's about 35 minutes to the ramp on the Ohio and not my favorite place to fish. The closest reservoir is about 45 minutes away.

corn-on-the-rob reply :

I drive 105 miles about every other weekend to go fish Lake Erie in Sandusky (Erie Islands) during the season.

I have to drive a little over an hour to my dad's house to grab the boat, hook it up, then (the insane part) drive about 50 minutes to Sandusky all while traveling parallel to, and only few miles from other parts of lake Erie the entire time.

The things we do for fishing.

fishballer06 reply :

I have a few local ponds within a 5-10 minute drive. However, when I'm lake/river fishing, I'm driving 20-160 miles depending on the lake.

A-Jay reply :

On 3/14/2018 at 9:35 PM, senile1 said:

I obviously don't travel enough to whack a DD. . . . not yet anyway.

What are you waiting for ~ seriously.

Do It.

It feels Reeeally Goooood.

A-Jay

senile1 reply :

On 3/15/2018 at 5:59 AM, A-Jay said:

What are you waiting for ~ seriously.

Do It.

It feels Reeeally Goooood.

A-Jay

Soon, my friend. I sent you a PM.

ohboyitsrobby reply :

Depends really. Anywhere from a couple hundred feet to the river in my back yard to 150 miles to the furthest tournament I fish. Normally no more that 45 minutes. I'm lucky enough to have water galore around me.

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

1/4 mile away and that d**n too far.

i wanna be just like @Cattwhere I can fish, eat and sleep at the same spot in my backyard. Man one of these days, one of these days, off i go to buy some Power ball.????

Way north bass guy reply :

Living in central Ontario, I have literally hundreds of lakes within an hour from my house, and that only counts the ones big enough to launch the big boat. I couldn't even begin to count the small spots where I can launch the small boat or fish from shore, including one beauty that’s about a long crankbait cast from my front door. I don’t even think it’d be possible to try them all in one lifetime.

And then there’s the bay. My place is about 5 min. from several ramps on Georgian Bay. From the ramp, I could run 50’ and start casting or literally run as far as my boat will take me. And if I run maybe 15 min. from town, even on the busiest summer weekend, I’ll never see another boat all day. The only downside is this d**n ice, kinda slows down the casting for a few months ????.

WRB reply :

Before the quagga mussel problem I had 4 lakes to take my boat to and bass fish within 1 hour drive. 2 private lakes within 20 minutes I can fish. Lake Casitas where my boat is currently locked onto is 45 miles, about 1 hour depending on traffic.

years ago I traveled all over the country to bass fish,

Tom

Logan S reply :

Lot of towing for me... The Potomac is 30 minutes to an hour and half depending on the ramp I go to. Upper Bay, Conowingo, and Anna are all about an hour and half away. Deep Creek is 2.5 hours and Gaston, Kerr, and Smith Mountain are 3.5 to 4 hours. There's other places around here that I fish occasionally, but they're all 1 to 3 hours away too.

There's a 500 acre electric-only lake that's only about 15 minutes away so I fish there quite a bit if I don't have a full day, especially summertime after work...Fish a couple tournaments there each year too. There's a few other electric-only lakes that are 30 to 45 mins away too, but I don't fish them very often. I've gone as far as FL to the south and Canada to the north, but obviously those aren't regular trips.

I do have a medium sized creek behind my house with smallmouth in it, so I take advantage of that quite a bit too...

MNGeorge reply :

About 40 miles is max for me except when I go fish with my grandson...80 miles but worth the time with him on the water. In the "Land of Ten Thousand Lakes" one needn't travel far to find good fishing for just about any freshwater species you'd care to pursue.

N Florida Mike reply :

I walk about 25 feet from my back door !????

Got ponds all over within 5 - 30 minutes if I get bored at home ( which isnt that often) Got a ramp to the St Johns 5 -10 minutes away.

All the bigger lakes are 45- 1 1/2 hours away. I dont fish them much nowdays though.

BuzzHudson19c reply :

One of my favorite spots is a mile from my house. I can leave home and have the kayak in the water in 10 minutes. Usually though I don't drive more than 45 minutes. There are a number of small lakes and a few large ones within 30 miles. Once a summer we camp in the Adirondacks and even then it's only an hour and a half drive.

soflabasser reply :

The closest I fish from home is a canal that is less than 200 feet from my house. This canal has very good fishing for largemouth bass, peacock bass, snook, tarpon, and many other fish. I can easily get comfortable and just fish this canal, but I like to travel for fishing. With that said, I often make long drives to reach some awesome spots I have. I also travel out of state to catch fish on my fishing bucket list and will continue doing it( I caught muskies, smallies, palomino trout, etc last year on some of my travels and got other out of state fishing trips coming up this year).

Ktho reply :

There’s a park lake I can fish from shore 15 minutes away but for boating it’s at least a 70-90 mile drive to launch the boat.

FishDewd reply :

I have several public ponds nearby, but I haven't had much luck in them. There is fish in there, I just can't generally catch unless it's by complete accident, lol. Has nothing to do with me or my "skill level" when it comes to bass! Anyway, the farthest pond I frequent is maybe 30-40 miles? I make the drive in about 25-30 minutes depending on traffic and how many red lights I catch. Once in a blue moon I will go somewhere nicer, such as Canyon Lake outside of San Antonio. I'd love to do a trip to conroe or livingston, but without a boat to use it'd be a wasted trip.

nosdog2 reply :

I live halfway between the Upper Chesapeake and the Potomac River, both are about an hour or less; although getting to the Potomac can be a nightmare driving down past DC.

But I spend a lot of time fishing at my place up in NY as well; I take the boat up there as often as I can. That is about a 5-6 hour drive.

Bluebasser86 reply :

I try to keep day trips close to a hour or less. Lots of lakes within that drive for me but none that I would really consider close. The closest lake with a boat ramp is about a 15 minute drive. A couple smaller ones closer that I can kayak or bank fish.

the reel ess reply :

I have about 6 private places within 20 miles that i can kayak fish. One of them, I can use the big boat, but not the gas motor. I can fish a few of them anytime I like and a couple require a little logistical planning (call ahead and get a key or let the owner know I'll be there so he doesn't shoot me ). And there are 2 public no-gas-motor lakes in that radius as well. So I rarely drive far to fish anymore. I used to like fishing places I hadn't been to before. But now I like catching fish.

There is a state managed public lake (big pond) about 10 miles away that has been closed for several years. They had a big fish kill there and drained and restocked it. They supposedly added cover and structure. It's been closed for 2 years. It opens in July and I really want to hit it because the fish will have never seen a lure. I'm not sure how big they could have gotten in a couple years though. It was all but forgotten before the kill.

All that said, every body of water that I ride by, I imagine is a trophy bass fishery that no one else knows about.

Boomstick reply :

My shortest drive is around 30-40 minutes to find bass. There's a larger lake in NY with tons of shore access that I like fishing at which is around a 90 mile and two hour drive one way.

EGbassing reply :

About 100 yards. It's the only pond I can walk to, and I don't have a driver's license yet, so...

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How far do you guys go to fish? 2024

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