So, what is a paylake?
Generally, paylakes are just as their name would indicate, a lake where you have to pay for the right to fish. They are on private property, do not require a fishing license, and are stocked with fish. Most paylakes are open for both night and day fishing.

Tickets and pricing
When you go to a paylake, you must buy a ticket. The ticket is a binding contract for you to be on the property and fish. Average ticket prices are $10-$15 for a twelve hour period. By paying to fish, you must abide by the lake's rules. Generally these rules are printed on the ticket or at the baithouse. Always read your ticket. Failure to comply with lake rules could result in ejection from the lake (without refund) and/or banishment from the lake.

Fishing paylakes
Generally, paylakes are stocked heavily with catfish. Some paylakes stock other species and most paylakes have a lot of carp. Taking a good variety of bait can prove to be crucial to a good paylaking experience. Catfish in these lake range from five pounds all the way to 100 pounds or more. Your bass rods and reels are not going to stand up and you may have to upgrade your gear.

Bounties and jackpots
Some lakes may pay a bounty on large fish for their return to the lake. A typical bounty would be 50 cents/pound of fish over fifteen pounds. Bounties at paylakes are becoming very rare. Due to competition and popularity, lakes are stocking way more fish and bounties would put the lakes in the poor house. The negative for the fisherman is less money, the positive is more fish.

Jackpots are in effect at most paylakes. The following 'winner take all' jackpots are very common: big fish of the week, big fish of the month, big fish of the year, big shovel of the week, and big bluecat of the week. To enter a jackpot you must pay a small fee (typically one or two dollars). To win you must catch the largest fish for the period and you win all of the money placed in the jar for that period. Lakes may also have 'split the pot' jackpots such as the following: fish 40lb+, fish 50lb+, fish 60+ plus, and tagged fish. If you were to catch a fish under the criteria of the jackpot, you would get half of the money in that particular jar. These jackpots can get very large.

Picking a good lake
Everyone wants to catch fish and nobody wants to waste their money at an inferior paylake. Word of mouth is always a good method of finding a good lake. When people catch fish, they tell their friends and word travels very quickly. The message boards here at CincyPaylakes are an excellent source for opinions on lakes.

Upon arrival at a lake, take a look around. Make sure the lake is clean. If the owners don't care about the appearance of their lake, they ultimately don't care about your experience there. Take a look at the jackpots. If a 'split the pot' type jackpot has a very large sum of money in it, nobody has won that jackpot in quite some time. Ask the owners for pictures or videos of fish stocked as well as fish caught. Ask customers at the lake about their current and previous experiences.

Lake Etiquette
Respect other fishermen and they will respect you. One of the most important things to remember is not to cross another angler's line. Also, know your boundaries. If you are alloted ten feet of bank-side, do not throw any further to the right or the left of that. If you are alloted to fish halfway out into the lake, do so. Do not throw you bait 'at someone' all the way to the other side of the lake. Try to keep all music and noise a quiet as possible. If you see someone catching fish, do not try to 'take their spot' or start throwing your bait near theirs.

It is also important to respect the lake and the fish. Do not throw trash on the ground, just throw it away. Be respectful of the owners and their rules. When you catch a fish, handle it as little as possible and try to return it to the lake as quickly as possible. A fifty pound fish dropped four feet from the air is likely a dead fish in the next few days. Land the fish, get your picture and put it back in the water. When touching a fish, make sure your hands are wet so you don't remove its protective slime. If you must take a fish to the baitshop to be weighed, do so quickly and keep that fish wet. You may need to dip that fish (while in the net of course) in the water a few times.