HELP!!! Fishing on Private Lakes

Hi all!  I've had a YouTube channel for about a year, and recently transitioned it to being geared towards catching a fish in every lake in Waukesha County.  Obviously, not all of these lakes have public access.  Herein lies the issue...

I was wondering about fishing on private lakes when I don't actually know anybody that lives on it.  Is it as simple as knocking on somebody's door, asking permission, and hoping they'll say yes? I'm not referring to private lakes with a small stream I can get to with wet feet, but a totally land-locked lake completely surrounded by houses.

If you're reading this and you live on such a lake, please PM me.  I'd love to get permission to fish there.  I just want to catch a fish, and am happy to follow whatever guidelines you set for me.  Have a great bass lake you don't want ruined?  I'll target panfish.  Catch and release only?  That's pretty much all I do anyway.  Want to see my video before it's released to the public to ensure you're happy and I respected your area?  By all means.  The goal is just to get in, get a fish or two on film, and get out.  

And while this post is not meant to be a shameless plug for my channel, I'd appreciate people checking it out and giving me feedback.  Just search 262 Fishing or click the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKrkloJ17bpO9z4Qq4dP9yQ

Thanks.

Using Lower Kelly Lake as an example from that map that Middleton1 posted, it looks like I should be able to get onto Lower Kelly Lake via the red line I drew.  Am I reading this correct?  (see attached image)

As mentioned before, "should be able to" and "might get your stuff messed with" are two separate factors that I have to consider.

Lower Genesee Lake Topwater Battle

There's a cool little lake/pond by Papa Stache in Big Bend.  The DNR recognizes it as the Big Bend Pond.

Thanks for the link.  I realized I hadn't posted updates to this yet, but I've knocked a few other lakes off the list. I'll post them shortly.

Hey 262, every county has a GIS website that shows maps with parcel boundries and links for names of owners most of the time. Waukesha's is :https://prd1.waukcogeo.com/HTML5Viewer/?viewer=html_viewer_ext

or start here: https://www.waukeshacounty.gov/interactivemap/

That should help you also find public access points

262 - I think you might get a couple "yes's" if you explain your quest.

Graceonpoint, in WI, the water is public property. So if you are wading in a creek, you are legal

FYI- might want to check WI trespass laws, if you are wadding creeks to get to some lakes.  I live in KY half the year and in KY the water is considered property of the state but private property ownership includes the creek or river bed,  so you need permission if your standing on the bottom but don't need permission if you are in a canoe or boat.   Most owners don't have an issue with folks wade fishing but every now I have been confronted by landowners.   Everyone of them is basically tired of trash and stuff left behind be irresponsible folks. 

" I'd like to think the fishing community is more honorable than that."

It's not, unfortunately. A lot of selfish jerks out there

Bugle, My post wasn't directed at you, just a response to it.  If your lake has canoe/kayak access and is in Waukesha County, I'm sure I'll be on it eventually.  If you see a leaky jon boat with a very amateur angler wearing a gopro on a chest mount that acts more like a manzier (or a bro, depending on your side of the debate), come on over and say hi!

262, sorry if my post upset you. I have simply posted behavior that I have seen or heard of when it comes to people protecting "their" private lake. For the record, I do not condone and would never lower myself to those activities. The lake we're on has a public ramp and a public easement for canoes and kayaks so if folks want to fish the lake, more power to them.

Good luck on your endeavors. 

My goal to catch fish in every lake is not an "all or nothing" proposition... I'm just doing it as a hobby that I enjoy. If I need to tailor it to fit with what I can and can't access, I'm OK with that. The point of this thread was to find out about asking permission, and the vibe I've gotten is not to bother trying. Maybe that's just from people trying to protect their own lakes, and I understand that.

So far this thread has accounts of slashed tires and theft of government property... I'd like to think the fishing community is more honorable than that.  I get wanting to keep your honey hole a secret, but with the internet, maps, etc, it seems nothing is really a secret anymore anyway.  If somebody really doesn't belong where they are, call the cops.  If somebody is fishing where they are allowed to, people shouldn't be trying to take matters into their own hands.

Public access is public access, whether it's marked or not (or was marked with the signs removed).  I work hard to make sure I'm staying legal.  I spend a lot of time looking at google maps to find access within the law, and will often drive from lake to lake without even bringing a pole just to get a first-hand look at certain lakes to see if it is even possible.  I'd like to think that if I'm fishing legally, people would at least have the courtesy of leaving my truck the way I left it.  If I make a mistake and the cops are there waiting for me, I'll own up to it and deal with it myself.

So let me repeat my original question with the answered caveat included...  Knowing that the answer is likely to be no, is it as simple as knocking on somebody's door, asking permission, and hoping they'll say yes?

Keep in mind that the locals will almost always remove the public access signs if there are easements to the water. Someone on the lake we are on must have quite a collection of them because every year the DNR marks the easement and the sign is down within a day or two.

OK here's the lakes that I consider to be private with no opportunity for access without permission (there are a few others that I'm not sure about):

Bowron

Brown

Buth

Genessee Millpond

Lower Kelly

Reagon

Utica

Wood

My list is based on the DNR's website list of lakes and satellite images on Google Maps.

Some of the lakes like the Nashota Lakes, Laura Lake, or Rainbow Springs Lake have possible access, either because of shore along a road, or the DNR says there's access but when you click for where, the map doesn't look like it's accessible (if that makes any sense).

So there are 53 named lakes that the DNR says has fish that have definite public access, 8 that are maybe's, and 8 that appear off limits.  There are also a couple that the DNR says doesn't have fish (for example, Willow Spring Lake or the smaller of the Spring Lakes), but I might try anyways because the maps make it look like it should.