Pay lakes in Georgia
Georgia has 24 pay lakes; 7 stock catfish; most charge $10 to $40 a day.
Find a pay lake in Georgia by name or town
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Pay lakes by city in Georgia
Do you need a fishing license at a pay lake in Georgia?
It depends. Anglers at a pay pond holding a Georgia Catch-Out Pond License need no individual fishing or trout license; at an unlicensed pay pond they generally need a Georgia fishing license (older WRD guidance says not if the pond holds only farm-raised domestic fish).
Georgia licenses pay lakes through its Catch-Out Pond License (O.C.G.A. § 27-4-31), $255, run by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD). The license rule depends on the lake holding that state license, so ask the lake if you are unsure.
"Catch Out Pond — Allows participants to fish without purchasing an individual fishing license at a commercial catch out private pond. §27-4-31"
Source: Georgia DNR WRD Commercial License Application (03-12-2025). Supporting older WRD guidance (Summary of Permits and Licenses Required for Georgia Aquaculture, Sep 2005, https://gadnrle.org/sites/default/files/wrd/pdf/Guide_to_Aquaculture_Sep05.pdf): 'This license is not required. However, without this license persons fishing in the catch-out pond must purchase a state fishing license or trout stamp, and comply with state creel limits, possession limits, size limits, or seasons if the owner has stocked fish other than farm raised domestic fish ... No one needs a state fishing license to fish in private ponds containing domestic fish, even if the owner is operating the pond as a commercial catch-out pond.', checked November 2026. Compare every state on our pay lake license rules page.
More pay lake states
- Kentucky 89
- Ohio 64
- North Carolina 46
- Tennessee 27
- California 26
- Indiana 25
- South Carolina 25
- West Virginia 23
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