hooah212002 Posted September 6, 2012 Posted September 6, 2012 I stopped by a small pond after work tonight that I had never seen before. It is right off the highway next to a baseball field. It is VERY small: I can cast from one side to the other width wise and lengthwise it is maybe 75 yards or so. It is very murky with only a few inches of visibility and LOTS of moss. I pulled over just to see if it had potential for fish and as I was walking around it, I saw a number of swirls indicating fish presence. My fishing poles are like American Express: NEVER leave home without them (my wife does not like this since we have a small car lol). I already had a weightless 5" green pumpkin senko rigged up so I tossed it in. I had a bite very quickly, but either the fish didn't commit, or I set the hook too hard too fast. And so this went on for a bit. In total, I had 4-5 good strikes in less than an hour, but I couldn't get the fish hooked. I did not see any fish jumping out if the water, but merely rolling. Usually indicative of carp, but carp would have no interest in a senko (would they?). I mean, when they would take the bait, I felt it tug and fight for a bit, but when I would set the hook, it was gone. One time I even whipped the senko right back at my face. Question 1: should I try a smaller senko? I tried some cheap looking craw thing I had and got nothing. I tried texas rigging (with weight) the same senko and got nothing. I tried a T-rigged 7" finesse worm in green pumpkin with watermelon flakes and got nothing. I tried wacky rigging the same senko and got nothing. I tried a couple other colors and came up empty handed. Question 2: does this sound like it could be a catfish? I've heard plenty of stories and seen a few videos of guys catching cats on senkos, so it doesn't seem too far fetched. Plus, I'm not certain how much fresh water flow is needed for bass. I know cats can live in just about any water though. The reason I'm asking and not just trying it out is because I won't ever have much time to fish there; it will be an after-work-don't-let-the-wife-know trip (she's already on me about fishing too much and I barely get out that often). That, and I'm the rookies rookie. As I've said ad nauseam, I'm still learning this whole "catching" fish thing, let alone being able to feel bites. The sensitivity of braided line and a decent rod/reel is a whole new ball game for me. All that said, I'm not looking for answers for you all to tell me what exactly to fish; no, I still plan on going and just trying different techniques even if it means picking up some crawlers and slapping on a bobber lol. I would just like for some critique, perhaps. If it helps, here are the google maps coords if you want to see the pond. 42.693388,-87.956838 Quote
WHYoWHY Posted September 6, 2012 Posted September 6, 2012 Try a cast net.... you will find out whats in there.....LOL Quote
Super User BrianinMD Posted September 6, 2012 Super User Posted September 6, 2012 I would guess they were panfish. Quote
Super User clayton86 Posted September 6, 2012 Super User Posted September 6, 2012 try a small grub and ball jighead like a mister twister white or chartrues you will catch anything that swims in there. Quote
wademaster1 Posted September 6, 2012 Posted September 6, 2012 yeah; like previously stated; try something smaller and more universal and you'll probably get a fish; also, i'd bet that whatever was grabbing your senko and not committing was just a smaller fish that couldnt just inhale the bait; also, i doubt it was a catfish simple because from my experience catfish dont play around much; if they want it they will take it and run; good luck; keep us posted Quote
Hyrule Bass Posted September 6, 2012 Posted September 6, 2012 the best way to figure out whats in a pond is night crawlers, plain and simple. if you cant catch a pond bass on night crawlers theyre likely not in there... Quote
hooah212002 Posted September 6, 2012 Author Posted September 6, 2012 try a small grub and ball jighead like a mister twister white or chartrues you will catch anything that swims in there. It seemed like anything with any bit of weight immediately picked up a ton of moss, but I'll give this a shot. Quote
hooah212002 Posted September 6, 2012 Author Posted September 6, 2012 yeah; like previously stated; try something smaller and more universal and you'll probably get a fish; also, i'd bet that whatever was grabbing your senko and not committing was just a smaller fish that couldnt just inhale the bait; also, i doubt it was a catfish simple because from my experience catfish dont play around much; if they want it they will take it and run; good luck; keep us posted Good point. I'm not very well versed in catfish, so I wasn't sure if they were likely to find out it was plastic and spit it out immediately. Quote
hooah212002 Posted September 6, 2012 Author Posted September 6, 2012 the best way to figure out whats in a pond is night crawlers, plain and simple. if you cant catch a pond bass on night crawlers theyre likely not in there... When all else fails, this is what I will resort to. Quote
hooah212002 Posted September 6, 2012 Author Posted September 6, 2012 I would guess they were panfish. That is a good possibility. If they are, they seem like they are good sized ones because the brief time I had the bite, it was good. Not muskie or smallmouth good, but good for tiny-pond-are-there-any-fish-in-here good Quote
North Ga Hillbilly Posted September 7, 2012 Posted September 7, 2012 Id go with some real worms, on an ultra light pole, its a hell of a good time and will let you know whats in there. Sounds like there were some bream biting your senko to me, ive had decent sized bream grab one and run resulting in a pretty good pull till they let go. NGaHB Quote
hooah212002 Posted September 7, 2012 Author Posted September 7, 2012 Well, i stopped at Dicks and grabbed some red worms 'cuz they were out of crawlers, and headed over. I tried the round jig first and got a few bites bit no commitment. Then I tossed a worm on a bobber but got the same thing: something stealing my worm lol. Yep, it's panfish. Then a bunch of fog rolled in so I couldn't even see the bobber so I took it off and just fished a worm on a hook. First cast I got one. Decent size bluegill. I took a pic of the first one, but after that my hands were filthy and little old gills aint picture worthy lol. If I used small hooks, i gutted em, if i used a bit bigger hook, they wouldn't take it all the way. I landed five or six, but pretty much got a bite on every cast. I hooked into a few bigger feeling ones that jumped and shook loose. I've never had bluegills jump on me like these did; it was pretty fun even though I don't much care for bluegill fishing. All the fish i caught were at least the bigger than my hand. On a side note: 6# suffix elite is REALLY good, strong,smooth line (this was my first time using it since I spooled it). I got a snag and tried to break off but my line wasn't having it. I pulled in a big ole stick that had my rod bent over nearly in half lol. I got line twist once, but I'm pretty sure it was due to throwing a practically weightless hook. All in all, it was a good outing, but one that I won't be making again any time soon. Thanks to all for all your help. Quote
Super User Crestliner2008 Posted September 7, 2012 Super User Posted September 7, 2012 Pretty sure they were panfish biting your Senko. They can be very frustrating! And yes, I've two carp - over 10 lbs. - on 4" Senkos. Just about anything that swims will hit them. Quote
hooah212002 Posted September 7, 2012 Author Posted September 7, 2012 Pretty sure they were panfish biting your Senko. Thanks. Right above your post, I posted that I confirmed they were bluegill. Chalk that up to good intuition on your part lol. Quote
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