definitely a ton of lakes to try within a 1/5 hr drive....instead of hitting lake after lake looking for the big score...pick one that looks "fishy", that's close to home, and work on it. Multiple visits to one lake are goign to yield more fish than one visit to multiple lakes. And...sorry for your luck with the PM. Maybe that person just takes a while to check their inbox? Maybe they are being inconsiderate. But seriously, pick the closest lake, or the one with the cheapest boat rental, and focus on it. The fish are in there...you just have to try a few different tactics...sometimes it's as simple as changing the colour of the lure you're using