How this directory works

We list privately run waters where the public pays to fish: pay lakes, fee fishing ponds, pay by the pound ponds, catch and release pay lakes, trout farms open to the public, catfish ponds and stocked private lakes with day passes.

What we leave out

Public lakes that only need a state license or a park entry fee, charters and guides, bait shops, and private clubs with no day access.

Where listings come from

• Google Maps business listings, searched across every US county with several search terms.
• State wildlife and agriculture agency records of licensed pay lakes, where a state publishes them.
• Each lake's own website, for prices, fish, rules and seasons.
• Open map data from Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap, used only to find lakes we then confirm elsewhere.
• Reviewed reports from owners and anglers.

How we check

Every fact on a listing records its source and the date we last checked it. We recheck open or closed status and lake websites every month. When sources disagree about whether a lake is open, we mark it as possibly closed until someone confirms. We never fill in a value we could not find; it shows as not listed.

Independent

We are not affiliated with any lake, and listings are free. Each listing links to the lake's own website when it has one.

Fix a listing

Suggest an edit, report a closed lake or add a lake. A person reviews every submission before it changes the directory.

552 lakes listed. Data last changed 2026-11-09.