ClackerBuzz Posted January 12, 2014 Posted January 12, 2014 11- do not ignore or downplay a bite. remember the location and always think of that spot as a fishy/big bass spot. bite locations are fish holding areas so think of them as good not bad. it's easy to get down b/c u missed a fish but a bite is v-e-r-y important clue that reveals ur in a fish holding location. it's not as important on ponds. but very important when bank fishing lakes/reservoirs etc (and equally important when fishing from kayak or 18ft boat; mark a GPS point if u have a unit). if you got skunked that day but got 4 bites....go back to those 4 locations tomorrow and from that day forward. make them ur priority spots. try to figure out the bite right then and there. cast back immediately with something different (something closely related to what you were doing when you got the bite ie you gave up on ur dead sticking/slow dragging ur senko and just started reeling ur line in when a bass slammed it but he didn't commit. the 'fleeing' bait got a reaction out of the bass. tie on a similar color jig and cast back immediately. dead stick it for 60 sec to get his interest (like the senko did) and then go straight to reeling it back experimenting with slow to fast reaction retrieve, pops, rips etc. 7
cabrela Posted January 12, 2014 Posted January 12, 2014 i beat the bank for years and was a certified pond master before moving off shore. ponds are like fishing in a barrel but it still take awhile to learn how to consistently catch fish.. and how to catch the biggest fish in the pond..and how to read what's going on above and below the water. 1 ponds have a feeder stream, either above ground or underground. the feeder stream brings fresh water/oxygen/food. the influx of water during heavy rain and flooding flushes out a pit where they like to hold. there will always be fish hanging there, especially in summer b/c its like air conditioning. you can usually see the feeder the creek above ground. if the pond is underground/spring fed the surface area can sill looks 'swampy' ie you won't trek thru that area without waders; you can smell the moisture in the air; there is beaver activity; tall cat tails, bullies etc. 2 the water must exit the pond as well. this area also holds fish but in my experience not as big. 3 streams meander thru a large lake like a snake. they don't have quite the opportunity to zig zag from bank to bank in a small pond. at the very least the underwater stream favorites one side of the pond. this will be the deeper side and it holds better fish. the opposite side is usually shallow, more stagnant water w/ slimy algae on the surface and on the bottom, and tapers very slowly out to the middle. it has stumps and logs jammed in the muck etc. this would be the pond flat or cove side. i always try this area but it produces best during spawn, spring, fall. bass don't worry about predators from above as much in low light conditions so they will be more bold about sitting in this shallow water at dusk/dawn/night fishing or with wind chop on the surface or rain. i hate this area in the summer b/c its the hottest part of the pond w/ no current or wind. but i love fishing it during the cold season b/c the water warms up the fastest so bass sunbath in these pond coves or corners. its hard to get a 'big lure over their head in this shallow water b/c even a 4" senko casts a bald eagle like shadow. i try my normal lures but keep them far off shore to draw the fish out to them. if they aren't chasing or are skiddish i go with a 1/8 Mepps in-line spinner. its the only thing i've found can be cast right over their heads and not spook them from above or below in 12" of water. a lot of times the thumping/vibration from a double willow spinnerbait just scares the crap out of them in water this shallow. there are aggressive feeding times where they love it so i start big but quickly downsize if i'm just scaring bass. the more you analyze ponds and what's going on above water the easier it become to read whats going on underneath. also i'm quick to analyze how they are reacting to your lures. its easy on a pond b/c you can literally see a lure spook them vs not seeing on a lake in 20ft of water. 4 if there is a dock never walk out onto it b/c you'll spook all the fish on that side of the pond. first stealth cast both sides and then the front from both direction. then slowly tip toe out to access deeper water. never walk directly up to the waters edge. i make my first cast from 10-15ft back. i've seen other guys laugh at me bc i'm elmer fudd but there's nothing better than silently flipping a lure into the first 12" of water and having a giant bass smash it. vise versa there's nothing worse than walking right up to the waters edge only to spook a nice bass out to the deep. most guys see the swirling bass take off and think 'oh there's good 'activity' today. but why not catch that bass. 5 fan casting is the way to go. i'll fan cast an area and move on. i don't fish, i hunt fish. ur first cast to an area has the best chance of catching the biggest bass and/or the most aggressive bass. so why not relocate often. some guys sit in the same spot all day long. probably bc that's how they were taught to fish. i've literally caught 3 fish approaching a guy...walked around him...and caught 3 more bass as i hiked up shore. he finally came over to ask me what my magic lure was. i know it took alot for him to approach me to i explained the lure the bass like might be different each day but my hunting/hiking fish style will always be the same. hopefully it was the last time he used a lawn chair to fish. 6 if ur not catching fish change lures often. if i fan cast 3 different locations with a spinnerbait and don't catch a bass, it's time to change lures. ponds are small so it's easy to locate and/or draw fish in. i'm quick to change lures and go from reaction lure w/ vibration... to reaction w/ no vibration (swim jig/senko/swimbait etc)... to bottom bounding something like a t-rig, split shot, drop shot... to flipping wacky senkos... to dead sticking senkos, drop shot or bottom crawling jigs. if i'm not catching bass in ponds i quickly change lures. and i'm quick to slow down my retrieves and be patient. if i'm not catching bass on big water ie lakes, i'm quick to change location. 7 analyze what comes back on ur hook. the two best things are green vibrant weeds and/or clean leaves. these areas hold bass so if ur hook comes back with either you are in the right place. the worst thing to bring back is green slim algae=keep hiking up shore. fountains or aerators are also fish magnets b/c of the oxygen/food and cover. i fished a pond for years that had no weeds but i had an aerator. it created an underwater current system and fresh mulched leaves would gather in a nice pocket 30ft away. this is where i always caught the biggest bass. it took a 80ft cast to get out there. if i couldn't draw them back with a reaction bait i would just bombed a jig out and slowly worked it till they crushed it. 8 i hate frogs . no matter how stealth i am, they are better. a frog jumping into the water is like an alarm to bass that gives away my position. if i spook a frog into the water at a good location i wait a few minutes before casting. i just check my text messages, tie my shoe, put on new lure etc. let the spot settle until the bass drops his guard again. 9 use braid to copoly. i also carry 2 rods and use a fanny pack. One spinning and one casting rod. both have a braid (10lb and 30lb) with yo zuri leaders (6, 8, 12, 15 or 17 lb). i keep a bunch of 12ft leaders wrapped up with a piece of tape around each. it takes up virtually no room and weighs next to nothing yet i'm prepared to any situation. if the cover gets nasty i can even remove the leaders and fish straight braid. 10 skip buying ur next two rods and buy a kayak. it will get you off shore and open so many possibilities. so many angles, constant fresh water, access to deeper water, ultra stealth. spring is coming and every box store will have one for under $300. it will change ur fishing life. Good article by Hank Parker on Pond fishing: http://www.bassresource.com/hank-parker-fishing/pond-fishing-tactics.html 11- do not ignore or downplay a bite. remember the location and always think of that spot as a fishy/big bass spot. it's easy to get down b/c u missed a fish but a bite is very important clue that reveals ur in a fish holding location. it's not as important on ponds. but very important when bank fishing lakes/reservoirs etc (and equally important when fishing from kayak or 18ft boat). if you got skunked that day but got 4 bites....go back to those 4 locations tomorrow and from that day forward. make them ur priority spots. try to figure out the bite right then and there. cast back immediately with something different (something closely related to what you were doing when you got the bite ie you gave up on ur dead sticking/slow dragging ur senko and just started reeling ur line in when a bass slammed it but he didn't commit. the 'fleeing' bait got a reaction out of the bass. tie on a similar color jig and cast back immediately. dead stick it for 60 sec to get his interest (like the senko did) and then go straight to reeling it back experimenting with slow to fast reaction retrieve, pops, rips etc. bite locations are fish holding areas so think of them as good not bad
mitchwk Posted January 12, 2014 Posted January 12, 2014 Thank you so much for the tips Clacker! I can't wait to put them to use. I checked out my pond today to see if I could but its still mostly ice covered with a few holes.
nascar2428 Posted January 14, 2014 Posted January 14, 2014 If you guys get Jay Kumars bassblaster, you will notice that a guy in California landed a 16lber Friday from the bank. Bet ya never thought that could happen.
mitchwk Posted January 20, 2014 Posted January 20, 2014 Went fishing today, I had one on on but it spit it out right at the bank. I was using a tube. What is the best way to set a hook when using a plastic tube? My pole is short and pretty flexible. 1
Super User QUAKEnSHAKE Posted January 20, 2014 Super User Posted January 20, 2014 Went fishing today, I had one on on but it spit it out right at the bank. I was using a tube. What is the best way to set a hook when using a plastic tube? My pole is short and pretty flexible. Probably want to see a doctor for that. Well a different rod would help but if that not in the cards you can try braid for no stretch if you use mono or fluoro now. You try better sharper hooks. Do you have the hook exposed or texas-rigged with hook skin hooked? The t-rig will mean a harder hookset needed to stick fish that your flexible rod might not be able to accomplish. 1
mitchwk Posted January 20, 2014 Posted January 20, 2014 T-rigged weedless. A new rod isn't in the budget at the moment. Do you think if I rigged it with the hook out that would help? What way should I bet setting the hook, up or sideways? To compensate for my cruddy rod.
BuffaloBass716 Posted January 20, 2014 Author Posted January 20, 2014 T-rigged weedless. A new rod isn't in the budget at the moment. Do you think if I rigged it with the hook out that would help? What way should I bet setting the hook, up or sideways? To compensate for my cruddy rod. If it is not too weedy, try a tube jig head. just reel in the slack and set the hook upward (hard since your rod is flexible or set it multiple times to insure the fish is on)
Super User SirSnookalot Posted January 20, 2014 Super User Posted January 20, 2014 If a rod or even braided line is not in your budget at the present time, try adjusting your drag just a little tighter. Holding the spool with your hand on spinning or a thumb on the spool with a b/c will work too. If possible fish a moving bait with exposed hooks, a fish coming after a lure may strike hard enough to set the hook itself, as opposed to a weedless presentation where the strike isn't as hard. 1
mitchwk Posted January 20, 2014 Posted January 20, 2014 Thanks for the help. I will try setting the hook up, tightening the drag, and trying a plastic that the hook can get through easier like a worm.
OkeechobeeAngler Posted January 20, 2014 Posted January 20, 2014 Make sure your hooks are sharp. Good luck.
boostr Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 Anybody see the latest episode of Facts of Fishing 1/30/14, Dave did some pond bank fishing. Holy crap He was pulling out some Hawgz. Also showed how finiky bass are at different points of the day. Started with a crank, and nothing. Next went to a worm started catching dinks. Then went to a swim jig with a Rage Craw and started reeling in the pigs, when that slowed down he went back to the Crank again... BOOM the pigs were smoking it even though they would'nt touch it when he started out with it. Good episode for us bank fisherman. 2
0119 Posted February 3, 2014 Posted February 3, 2014 Yup, wow what a laugh he's got! Contagious in person I bet
coryn h. fishowl Posted February 6, 2014 Posted February 6, 2014 Anybody see the latest episode of Facts of Fishing 1/30/14, Dave did some pond bank fishing. Holy crap He was pulling out some Hawgz. Also showed how finiky bass are at different points of the day. Started with a crank, and nothing. Next went to a worm started catching dinks. Then went to a swim jig with a Rage Craw and started reeling in the pigs, when that slowed down he went back to the Crank again... BOOM the pigs were smoking it even though they would'nt touch it when he started out with it. Good episode for us bank fisherman. HaHa, a swim jg with a rage craw is what I use at my local pond...strangely enough though, the bass in there show a strict preference for hard plastic lures like rapalas.
coryn h. fishowl Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 So how are yall dealing with cabin fever season, walking the banks of your ponds, wondering how long till she thaws yet?
0119 Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 Nope! This is the fishing season for me. No winter here to speak of, mid 80's almost everyday with summer thick humidity. Bass are as confused as we are, bedding all but done. Come the time you guys fish full steam, it'll be the end of my season...just to darn hot to fish.
cabrela Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 So how are yall dealing with cabin fever season, walking the banks of your ponds, wondering how long till she thaws yet? Itching4fishing....
coryn h. fishowl Posted February 18, 2014 Posted February 18, 2014 Nope! This is the fishing season for me. No winter here to speak of, mid 80's almost everyday with summer thick humidity. Bass are as confused as we are, bedding all but done. Come the time you guys fish full steam, it'll be the end of my season...just to darn hot to fish. U enviable sonofabiscuit. I forgotten what the warmth of sunlight feels like
Super User Grizzn N Bassin Posted February 18, 2014 Super User Posted February 18, 2014 Anybody see the latest episode of Facts of Fishing 1/30/14, Dave did some pond bank fishing. Holy crap He was pulling out some Hawgz. Also showed how finiky bass are at different points of the day. Started with a crank, and nothing. Next went to a worm started catching dinks. Then went to a swim jig with a Rage Craw and started reeling in the pigs, when that slowed down he went back to the Crank again... BOOM the pigs were smoking it even though they would'nt touch it when he started out with it. Good episode for us bank fisherman. where can i find this?
Super User Grizzn N Bassin Posted February 18, 2014 Super User Posted February 18, 2014 Cant wait to get out fishing!!! im getting very very very un- patient ...............
MarksHooked Posted February 18, 2014 Posted February 18, 2014 Cant wait to get out fishing!!! im getting very very very un- patient ............... I'm with you on that! I don't care how cold/windy/snowy it is, the moment the ice has thawed I will be out there beating the bank for SOMETHING! 1
Stlbob Posted February 18, 2014 Posted February 18, 2014 yep same here...going to drive by a cple of lakes today and see how much is clear...of all things it is going to be maybe 68/70 today..had an ice down less than 36 hours ago now this stuff..not complaining love it..
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