Shady Lakes Trout Fishing

Unbelieveable Pay per person and per fish.... Fish taste like toxic wast from run off of local area farms and livestock. more

My husband and I took our dog here a couple of years ago. We don't fish, so it was just to spend some time in nature and check out the shop. We all liked it; our dog especially. We kept him on leash, of course, and I don't know why the ""Anonymous"" reviewer wasn't allowed to bring his dogs with him. There were too many noisy children for our taste, but kids are one of the target audiences so we expected it. If you don't expect too much privacy or grandeur, this is a nice outing in town, with or without children. more

Very surprised to see complaints about folks having problems with Shady Lakes. I've dealt with them every year for over 10 years and have always had an excellent experience. I primarily go for ponding supplies, such as fish, frogs, snails, and plants. Everything I've purchased has always been long lasting. Their advice has always been valuable. One of the benefits of being a longtime customers is seeing the amazing changes to the property over the years. It inspires me every year!! As for the fishing, you have two opportunities; 1) Catch and Release in the big lily pond or 2) Fishing in the barrel. That is, if you want to ensure your little angler gets something, take them to the small pond. Yes, you have to pay for whatever you catch, but that's one of the costs of being assured that they'll get the excitement of the catch. As Francois mentioned, Shady Lakes is a private business. They're not there as a public park (try the Rio Grande access area for that), but what they do have is worth whatever fee they want to charge for the experience. more

I could not possibly disagree more with the ""anonymous"" poster who said ""do not go there"" - then goes on to talk about being harassed, having to pay, etc., by the owners... Listen, folks - you have to understand the RULES of using private (emphasis on PRIVATE) fishing lakes like this. First, the owners have the right to charge what they see fit for people who are fishing, or not fishing, etc. If you are not willing to pay, then go to a public place. I took my granddaughter there for her third birthday in 2010, and I could not have been more pleased. She got bites, and she caught fish - including one that was 18 inches! Yes - you pay - you pay for the privilege of using their space and fishing (or having a picnic, or whatever). Then, you pay for the fish you catch by the inch (they do also have some ponds for catch and release of warm water species - but you must keep and pay for all trout caught). It's not cheap. But, neither is the gasoline you have to put in your car to drive somewhere that you might catch some decent fish. We had such a great time! This is an IDEAL place to take small children to teach them the basics of fishing, where they WILL catch some fish - and, don't forget, folks - they have to buy all of the fish that are put in there for the kids to catch. Would I go back there? Yes - absolutely!! When my grandkids all get old enough to fish - they will probably also catch their ""first fish"" at Shady Lakes. These folks are friendly, they run a very nice operation, close to town, and maintain it well. I wouldn't hesitate to return. more

this is not a good place to fish. I visited this place with my brother to teach him how to fish and after such a horrible time i would highly recommend anyone not to go fish at this place. 1. as we drove up we were immediatly harrased by the owners to pay for every single person in the car even if they were just going to sit in the car and wait or else they would call the police. 2. I couldnt believe this and to make things worse they did not allow my dogs to come with me. we we not the only people around and on several occasions i saw the owners harrasing other customers who were just trying to fish and have a good time with their family. 3. by the end of this ordeal i was yelled at by this blonde lady who said she owned the place and she treated everyone awful. this lady has issues or something, i told her i would never go there and she said she didnt care that she didnt want our business there anyways! so who wants to go to a place like that and just get yelled at...anyone who reads this... you have been warned Pros: nothing it will cost you over $100 just to take your family Cons: harrassed by employees, and just nasty vibes more