I Need Help To Figure Out If This Water Is "dead" Or Not

[RMcDuffee726]

So today I was on a stroll through a trail deep in the woods and I stumbled upon, what looked like to me, a honey hole.  The pond was maybe two acres big with broken dead timber sticking out of the water everywhere.  Imagine what "Lake Fork" looks like in Texas, and this was a very miniature size of that.  I instantly wanted to run home and grab my kayak and go fishing there, but this would be a huge effort to drag my 10 ft. kayak 3 miles into the woods.  The water was very shallow from what I could see, but it was crystal clear and also had a very sandy bottom.  I didn't see a single fish or life in the water besides lilli pads and also some grass growing too.  I also didn't spot any action on top of the water either.  The location and cover with all the timber and lilli pads looks like it would hold great bass though, so I am a little bit thrown off.  I understand the only way to truly tell if there are fish in there is to fish it, but are there any signals that you anglers look for that would possibility indicate that the water is dead?  It would be a great help, and any responses are greatly appreciated!  Have a great day and tight lines!   

[kikstand454]

If you have shore birds. ....you have fish.

Most of the time.

[Ratherbfishing]

You said the lake was very shallow.  HOW very shallow?  WHERE is this pond located?  In northern climes, if it's too shallow it may get too cold (and the ice too thick) in the winter to support much fish life.  Same, goes, I think, for (hot) water temps in Southern climes.  There has to be enough oxygen to support fish.

[RMcDuffee726]

You said the lake was very shallow.  HOW very shallow?  WHERE is this pond located?  In northern climes, if it's too shallow it may get too cold (and the ice too thick) in the winter to support much fish life.  Same, goes, I think, for (hot) water temps in Southern climes.  There has to be enough oxygen to support fish.

That may have clicked on a lightbulb in my head.  I am from New Hampshire, so the winters up here, even in Southern NH are brutal.  I could only walk the edge of the pond though, which was probably about 3-4 ft. deep.  I'm not too sure if it gets any deeper than that.  There wasn't too much vegetation in the water towards the center of the pond, which makes me think that there is a chance that it gets deeper than I first suspected.

[flyfisher]

I would go out with some night crawlers and see if there are any panfish....then if you catch one use it is a live bait and see what is lurking out there.  You could always just fish it with artificials too but that may not yield the same results.  On the flip side, if the lake is as secluded as you think the fish may not have seen lures before so chucking a yum dinger or fluke out there might tell you all you need to know.

[RMcDuffee726]

I would go out with some night crawlers and see if there are any panfish....then if you catch one use it is a live bait and see what is lurking out there.  You could always just fish it with artificials too but that may not yield the same results.  On the flip side, if the lake is as secluded as you think the fish may not have seen lures before so chucking a yum dinger or fluke out there might tell you all you need to know.

I didn't see any sunfish or minnows close to the shore sunning themselves like I normally see around New Hampshire in the summertime.  I might go out there and junk fish my heart out to see if I can even get a bite on something.  Going back to the old school days with a worm and a bobber.

[MassBass]

I would venture a guess that there are at least minnows and little pickerel (grass and redfin)

[Catt]

Aint but one way to know for sure

[RMcDuffee726]

Aint but one way to know for sure

True that.

[A-Jay]

Often times the surrounding terrain can you an idea of how deep a body of water might be - especially a small one.

 

If the immediate area is hills and valleys that slope down into the water, that could indicate some depth.

 

But if the whole area is flat, with little to no elevation change - the lake bottom is more than likely similar;

little more than a puddle.

 

Before I hauled a yak in there, I'd fish it from shore once and see what's up ~ Bring a frog bait.

 

Good Luck

 

A-Jay

[RMcDuffee726]

Often times the surrounding terrain can you an idea of how deep a body of water might be - especially a small one.

 

If the immediate area is hills and valleys that slope down into the water, that could indicate some depth.

 

But if the whole area is flat, with little to no elevation change - the lake bottom is more than likely similar;

little more than a puddle.

 

Before I hauled a yak in there, I'd fish it from shore once and see what's up ~ Bring a frog bait.

 

Good Luck

 

A-Jay

The surrounding area has another body of water that is close and is fairly large.  It is an actual recognized pond that people fish regularly, so I'm hoping this is deep like the other body of water.  Did you mean a topwater type frog when you said "Bring a frog bait".  I'm curious to why you would throw that to see if there is fish in the pond?  Thank you for your response! 

[A-Jay]

The surrounding area has another body of water that is close and is fairly large.  It is an actual recognized pond that people fish regularly, so I'm hoping this is deep like the other body of water.  Did you mean a topwater type frog when you said "Bring a frog bait".  I'm curious to why you would throw that to see if there is fish in the pond?  Thank you for your response! 

I should have been more specific, my apologies.

 

In your initial post you mentioned the "cover with all the timber and lily pads".

 

I recommended a frog (More specifically a hollow body bait like the Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Frog) for a couple of reasons.  First and fore most, these baits are easily worked through and very effective in heavy cover.  Secondly, where ever there are pads, there are usually at least a few frogs - and bass count on it.

 

Good Luck

 

A-Jay

[plumworm]

If there is a larger body of water "close by" and you know that "people fish it" Then I would believe that this pond has been fished. If there are no sign of activity around the pond I would suspect that there is no viable fish population. I could be wrong so give it a try. However, with no sign of other fisherman around the pond I would doubt it. Good luck, you may have found a sleeper.

[Catt]

Often times the surrounding terrain can you an idea of how deep a body of water might be - especially a small one.

If the immediate area is hills and valleys that slope down into the water, that could indicate some depth.

But if the whole area is flat, with little to no elevation change - the lake bottom is more than likely similar;

little more than a puddle.

Before I hauled a yak in there, I'd fish it from shore once and see what's up ~ Bring a frog bait.

Good Luck

A-Jay

Structure Fishing 101

[A-Jay]

Structure Fishing 101

 

To some ~ to others, an Epiphany.

 

 

A-Jay

[Jtrout]

Fish it and let us know what u have come up with!

[tatertester]

Try using a seine , you should know in a few minutes if any fish are present.

[Comfortably Numb]

You can find some hidden bodies of water on google earth.

 

In your case find it there and go back on the history and see if it has been there a while.

 

I found a decent sized pond that feeds our lake that way. It is on private land and I am trying to find out who owns it to get permission

 

I also would try a worm and bobber. Frog is good idea too if you can cast to it. Senko or worm with light weight can be counted down to approximate the depth

 

I reccomend going with a partner and being very carefull if you wade in. Mud can suck you up.