I've only lived in Texas for 3 years and have only been looking for places to bank fish around Plano/Richardson/Frisco for the past month or so, but I'm finding so many nice looking ponds that I'd like to fish that have signs up saying "Residents Only" and usually specify what community or HOA you have to be part of to use the park.

What's the thought on fishing those ponds even if you're not a resident?

Can you somehow get permission from the HOA or residents?

If you fish a pond that is posted including posted property by a HOA you would be trespassing. The only exception is if you had permission either from the land owner or agent of the landowner to fish there. I can see 100 percent why properties are posted. Just look at the public areas to fish or where the public has easy access to fish. They are littered with TRASH! That is the main reason why fishing spots are getting fewer and harder to find. Most anglers are doing their part cleaning up an area where they fish and not leaving any trash behind. It's the few anglers who don't care how a place looks or the amount of trash left there that make it harder for the rest of us. Just my two cents. It's always a good thing to do to ask a land owners permission to fish on his property. A lot of them will say yes believe it or not.



Side Note: I fish all over Texas on a lot of private property with land owners I know and are friends of mine. The main reason their property is posted is because of the TRASH people leave behind! :

Oh, I totally understand that I'd be trespassing which is why I've respected those signs. With land owned by a single individual or family, I can see it being pretty easy to ask. In fact, I've done that to hunt on private lands before with no issue.

But with an HOA I could see it being more challenging. Has anybody here had any success contacting an HOA for permission to fish before?

If I'm the first, I guess I'll report back here

People that live in an HOA community pay for that pond, the management of the pond and for the costs to clean and maintain that pond. Have to respect that. No HOA is going to give you permission to fish a private pond unless you pay dues or are a guest of someone paying dues. Many times the HOA will require the homeowner to be present with you.

I have a bunch of friends that live in a community with multiple ponds with BIG fish in them. Unfortunately none of my friends that live their fish. All have given me verbal and even written permission to fish the ponds, but security says they have to not only be present with me, but have their HOA card to prove they live there.

Thanks, that's useful to know and it makes sense. Narrows down my list of spots to try out a bit as well