NEW Landen Lake Rules
Pictured is the old sign at Landen Lake. Things have changed. Read the rules below for updated information.
Catch & Release all fish at Landen Lake and surrounding ponds.
The Lake is for Landen CSA members only, proof of residency required
Children under 10 must wear a life jacket
Electric motors only
Boat may not be more than 20 feet in length
Swimming is prohibited
Do not feed the Ducks or Geese
Two rods & reels maximum per angler
Trolling, trot lines, bow, jugs, nets or seine fishing is prohibited.
The lake is open for recreational use from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Catch & Release all fish at Landen Lake and surrounding ponds.
The Lake is for Landen CSA members only, proof of residency required
Children under 10 must wear a life jacket
Electric motors only
Boat may not be more than 20 feet in length
Swimming is prohibited
Do not feed the Ducks or Geese
Two rods & reels maximum per angler
Trolling, trot lines, bow, jugs, nets or seine fishing is prohibited.
The lake is open for recreational use from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Fish & other visitors around Landen Lake (or Fins, Fur & Feathers)
Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Crappie and Catfish make up a large population of the fish in Landen Lake. Years ago a guy caught 10 nice Smallmouth Bass in the Little Miami River and brought them up and put them in Landen Lake. This practice is illegal but the smallmouth survived. There are also Hybird Striper and Walleye in the lake. I caught several 14 inch hybird striper this season (2018) and Ron Mitchell caught some nice size walleye in the 5-8 pound range some years ago. There are also Grass Carp in the lake. I caught one in 2017 that was 40 pounds. I caught a medium size one that weighed 15 pounds. Overall, there are 17 species of fish, 4 species of water turtles and 3 or 4 species of snakes (nothing poisonous) in and around the lake and ponds of Landen.
Double click on each picture below to enlarge and for a brief description.
Fish have poor eye site but a sharp sense of smell. They also have the use of their lateral lines, that run down the sides of their bodies. They can feel vibration in the water from nearby fish. Most of our lures produce vibration and some have reflective flash to attract the fish closer for the strike. Often times the fish that is caught is reacting to an intruder and not so much from hunger. The gamefish in this area will attack and try to eat anything they can get their mouth around. Also know that fish do not have eyelids and use structure, such as rocks, piers, docks, over hanging trees and blown down trees to shade their eyes.
There is a healthy population of turtles in the lake as well. There is an old Snapping Turtle that has challenged me and my kayak, every year for 26 years now. He surfaces close to the kayak, puts his head down and rams the kayak with his shell. I then thump his shell with my paddle and he leaves me alone for another season. I've seen him and his mate in the shallows and this year I've had the pleasure of seeing one of his offspring. Red-eared Sliders and Painted Turtles are other hardy species found in the lake, and finally there is a herd of soft-shelled turtles that like to sun themselves off a point over at Sailboat Point.
If I remember correctly, Sunfish is primary species that all types of freshwater bass and bluegill evolve from. The smallmouth bass is the first in line of sub-species of this evolution, then followed by largemouth bass etc.
Only twice in all the years that I have fished Landen Lake, have I seen the huge Shovel-head Catfish that lurks in the murky waters. The first time I hooked into it was along the wooded North Shore area, close to the walking path. I had casted a spinner bait into the under-cut bank when this MONSTER came out of no where and took my spinner bait...maybe an arms reach from my kayak. My kayak is 11 feet long and I'd guess this catfish to have been maybe 6 feet long and its head maybe 18 inches wide. Needless to say, it turned it's head and broke my line, taking my lure with it. The second time I saw it was years later, using the same type of lure but up around the docks behind Landen Cove. Again, it broke my line and took another lure.
There is a healthy population of turtles in the lake as well. There is an old Snapping Turtle that has challenged me and my kayak, every year for 26 years now. He surfaces close to the kayak, puts his head down and rams the kayak with his shell. I then thump his shell with my paddle and he leaves me alone for another season. I've seen him and his mate in the shallows and this year I've had the pleasure of seeing one of his offspring. Red-eared Sliders and Painted Turtles are other hardy species found in the lake, and finally there is a herd of soft-shelled turtles that like to sun themselves off a point over at Sailboat Point.
If I remember correctly, Sunfish is primary species that all types of freshwater bass and bluegill evolve from. The smallmouth bass is the first in line of sub-species of this evolution, then followed by largemouth bass etc.
Only twice in all the years that I have fished Landen Lake, have I seen the huge Shovel-head Catfish that lurks in the murky waters. The first time I hooked into it was along the wooded North Shore area, close to the walking path. I had casted a spinner bait into the under-cut bank when this MONSTER came out of no where and took my spinner bait...maybe an arms reach from my kayak. My kayak is 11 feet long and I'd guess this catfish to have been maybe 6 feet long and its head maybe 18 inches wide. Needless to say, it turned it's head and broke my line, taking my lure with it. The second time I saw it was years later, using the same type of lure but up around the docks behind Landen Cove. Again, it broke my line and took another lure.