Read a little bit of this thread and wonder about some folks. My pond is only 1.5 acres and I sure as 'ell don't want strangers or unwanted people on my property. I have a lot of time and money in it. Stocking it, mowing and weed eating, built a pier, and just put 10lbs of Mozambique Tilapia to get rid of the unwanted vegetation. Yes friends, family, and the neighbor fishes it. Folks have a bad habit of leaving their trash and I don't put up with it. Smokepole understands.
Thanks Butch. When I lived back east I had access to several good ponds, and was not given access to some others. I never thought that reflected badly on the pond owners. I always looked at access to fish a pond or hunt a slough for ducks as a kind of a gift that could be bestowed by the owner. Not an entitlement.
A few pond owners even went as far as telling me why they didn't give access, including some friends who let me on to fish but not others. Some had problems with locals cleaning them out, and leaving trash. Some would give one guy permission, and then all his friends would show up. Some just wanted to save the fishing for their grandkids,
I appreciated them giving me those details, because they didn't owe me an explanation.
