NCbassraider

Depends on the size of the "pond". There is no clear cut definition on what is a pond and what is a lake. Some States have minimum acreage to be classifies a lake, most do not. Some "ponds" are 100's of acres. I own a property with what was named a "lake" long before I owned it but I consider it a pond. It is 10 acres and even on a body of water that small, you definitely do not "have them cornered". I fish it 4-5 times a week even if only for a couple hours and am still learning how to fish it.

I fish jerkbaits with the St Croix Mojo Spinning rod. Don't really like it for spinnerbaits but love it for jerkbaits.

Labeling ponds as "easier" or places to "hone" skills is a bit inaccurate. Most ponds are under a tremendous amount of angling pressure and that can make fishing frustrating and cause a beginner to question everything as sometimes nothing will work in a small body of water. One thing is for sure, the size of the body of water makes no difference to the size of the Bass living within. My friends at BPS all concur that the majority of big bass they see come from small bodies of water. The State record in NC is almost 16 lbs and came out of a 2 acre farm pond. 16 years later no lake has produced anything close. I will concede that locating bass in big lakes is tougher but catching them in ponds can be much tougher. Of course, the definition of "pond" and "lake" can play a big role in this debate.

Beavers are herbivorous so they were not scaring away fish. They are territorial and use tail slapping as a way to tell you they don't want you around. I've never seen one get more aggressive than the occasional tail splash. In real small ponds they will tail slap if anyone gets near the pond. In bigger bodies of water they slap near their dams.

Jaw dislocation is very subtle and you would not feel it. It can be seen if you know what to look for and sometimes without knowing what to look for. I have caught several with dislocated jaws. Some say you won't damage anything under 3 lbs by holding them past vertical but that's simply not true. If you hold a 2 or 3 lb fish horizontal or anywhere past vertical, there is a great chance you will dislocate it's jaw.

The beavers at my place like to sneak up on the boat near or after dark and tail slap us. Scared the crap out of us the first few times but now we expect it. It's not fun getting splashed in cooler weather. This past summer had a huge black snake climb into the boat at a buddies pond. I'm told it's quite common as they are vulnerable in the water and think boats are land.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Sun-Dolphin-Pro-Fishing-Boat/737047.uts?productVariantId=1204015&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=00038118&rid=20&gclid=Cj0KEQiA7qLDBRD9xJ7PscDCu5IBEiQAqo3BxP3RvGXvyuqDmwOTrGGbeRD3jqsx_Zx09AvTAEd2SIEaAobN8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds Curious as to how sturdy it is fishing the casting deck and overall impressions. Thanks.

I wish every event would go to Major League Fishing rules. They get time penalties if a fish touches the carpet. Also there is no cradling allowed, the fish can't touch any part of your body except your hand and you can't release them above the gunnel. They weigh and release all fish immediately. These rules and formats do much more than protect the fish from miss-handling and dislocated/broken jaws. It allows the bass to return to its bed during spawning and it removes all the stress of live well holding and bag weigh-ins. Also, at most events all the bagged fish are released in one spot and that leads to locals coming in behind the release and fishing around the release area try to land trophies. In general, people who would do this don't catch and release. It is an insignificant expense to put an official on each boat in TV sponsored events.

Uhh, wow. Karma is a funny thing.

The Strike King KVD line has good colors but the hooks are garbage and I get tire of changing them out. Lately I have been buying Spro as they come with Gamakatsu hooks. Some of the Yamamotos are nice too.

This is good advice. I cringe when I hear people say they leave the hook in. You've killed the fish if you do that. They don't digest them and they wont rust out, they simply block the esophagus and kill the fish. The picture above is a pretty bad scenario where the barb is not exposed. Most cases are easy to remove. What i find disturbing is most people want to save their hook at the expense of the fish. The barb is the obstacle in a gut hooked fish so if the barb is exposed, simply crush it with a pair of needle nose pliers and back the hook out after cutting the line and removing the soft plastic. If it is not exposed try to push it thru in the same direction it was swallowed, then crush the barb, cut the line, remove the bait and back it out. Other wise follow the above advice and cut the line, remove the bait, rotate the hook thru the mouth or gill and back it out eyelet first. The esophagus is capable of handling hook punctures as it endures occasional spine punctures from prey, however it cannot survive a barb being ripped out in reverse or a hook being left in. You will be surprised how easily you can do these simple procedures.

The Shimano Blackmoon is IMO the best angler backpack on the market, however the Tackle Warehouse is a replica of it and I'm told is pretty well made. It was removed from their website this past summer as the shipment they received was not up to their standards but they are back online and cheaper than the previous price of $80. I think they are $55 now. The Shimano Blackmoom will cost you about $120 but it will last forever. http://fish.shimano.com/content/sac-fish/en/home/products/gear20/bags/blackmoon-backpacks.html

Congrats on the Speed Spool. They are the best bang for your buck. I have tried a lot of combos but everything I buy now is a Lews on a St. Croix Mojo. I have found them to be the best value for your money. You get a very high end combo for a relatively reasonable price.

Some or all of this may have been posted as I did not read every post but In clear water I try to fish natural shiny jerkbaits like the magabass line. They reflect sunlight in clear water and really put on a show. Late in the day or in stained water I go for brighter colors. I like the ShadRap slow rising line for the brighter colors. Their hooks are garbage so I replace them with a heavier Gamakatsu #4 hooks which turns the bait into a slow sinking bait. As for rising and sinking, I only fish risers in very shallow water to help keep the bait off the bottom. Otherwise I like them slow sinking or suspended. I love jerkbaits. IMO there is no better hit. They are usually not moving when hit so, unlike a crankbait, you know you didn't run it into a log or something else. My 2 cents.

My PB largemouth is 7 lb 2oz and this past year alone I've lost two monsters right at the boat that I know for sure were close to 10lbs or possibly more. They don't count. Even had my hand on one for a moment. Also, I never boat flip anything over 2 lbs and I fish 40lb braid almost all the time. I always net them when using treble hooks and by hand on single hooks. Keep their heads in the water.

I have small lake on a property I own just north of the Charlotte city limits. Where do you typically fish in the Charlotte area?

Strong winds kept the boat out of the water today so I fished the wind-blown shorelines with a Megabass +1 shallow runner. Worked the bait with the current/wind towards the shore and the bass were stacked up 20-30' off the shoreline in all water depths. No big girls but several 1.5 - 2 lb fish in a short amount of time. Jerk baits are my favorite hard baits by far!

Ok. I never knew what that was called.

Costas are worth the money. I've tried them all and if you buy the right colored lenses for the water you fish, there is a big difference. I have the green lenses for inshore fishing and nothing else I have tried matches them. My good friend lives at the coat and has several of the blue lens variety and they are great on the ocean. I own Ray Bans and Oakleys and never wear them anymore. Everyone of my fishing buddies that have tried mine on while on the water has bought them. You can save $50 an buy the plastic lenses and there is supposed to be no degradation in quality other than they are much more susceptible to scratches.

Thanks. Where is Davidson Lake?

Lol. Both.

Lew's Speed Spool BB1 on a St. Croix Mojo spinnerbait rod from the wife. She's a keeper!

I have one and really like it but have never cast it, I only use it attached to the boat however I have seen many videos of it in use and they don't seem to have any problems with disconnection. It could have been due to a weak phone signal where you were at. I have put it in my swimming pool and gone in the house to mess around with it without have disconnection problems and it was well over 30 feet through brick. If your signal was strong then you may need to return it.

I'm considering it. The blue gill are huge as well. Here is one from earlier this year. That is a 1/2 oz spinnerbait this guy choked.

I agree. In winter, in ponds, if you get a warmer than usual, sunny day find some shallow water in the sun with wind protection if possible. I've done very well in these conditions in shallow water.