Tips For Pond Fishing Spooky Bass

[Fishing&Tennis]

After getting skunked at Galveston while other people we're just annihilating the flounder, I went to a pond close to me to redeem myself. I caught two decent sized bass (i'm getting better at this!). I didn't lose any fish I hooked up with. I waited for the weight of the fish on my rod then set the hook fast and I fought the fish with a high angle. The second fish fought for a good 3 minutes I had really light line 7 lb test and low drag; it was awesome. I caught the first one with a h2o express sunfish swimbait and the other with a wacky rigged roboworm. I caught the two fish in around an hour and a half, but I have to admit it was really hard finding the bass. I wasnt sure what structure to look for (I did get the first one at a spot with weeds). But there wasnt reall yanything obvious like lily pads or a dock etc. I walked around and kind of casted aimlessly, until I saw a boil then I cast right at it 4-5 times and I got bit on the wacky rig. I'm kind of lost on where to start on a pond with little visible structure (i guess maybe just fish the weedy areas)? also does a sunken shopping cart count as structure?

Also the bass were really, really easily spooked. This is not a high pressured fishing pond. It is a pond right next to a couple of appartments right next to a Walmart. No one even thinks about fishing here and I have only ever seen one other person.Any noise or when I stepped in too close to the water and they would scat. Even when being "stealthy", I would never get bit after catching a bass and casting to the same spot.Is there any trick to catch these shy bass? Also how do I catch the other bass that are at a spot after I catch the first one?; i know this is kind of a weird question...

 

The bass are also actually quite "dull" for lack of a better word. What I mean by this is they rarely ever boil or hit the topwater; so far its has only been finesse and swimbaits which i don't mind but just find kind of odd for a lower pressure pond. Perhaps its the stained water...also, I've only fished here twice (first time all I used were topwater and walk the dog lures) and its only been during the fall so maybe thats why? 

Pictures
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fyiei4l4j4...mage.jpeg?dl=0
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[Angry John]

Wacky rig some worms or try a dropshot.  The color of the water will pick your worm colors.  I would also try some keitech swing impacts or shads.  I do a combo and dropshot the 4" easy shiner and that works good to.  Casting as far as possible to cover the water away from touchdown will help out.  I would also look at some silent squarebill cranks.  I like the KVD 1.5 silent.  These thinks work for me and i hope the work for you.

[Fishing&Tennis]

Thanks a lot. I hope they'll work for me2!

 

I have a Luckycraft LC 1.5 I got off of ebay a while ago based off of a lure review but its super loud, should I pick up a couple silent square bills too? Are the noisy ones "too much" for the pond bass?

[Angry John]

In my area i get no play on the rattle baits.  That sucks because i just moved from CT where they worked quite well in some lakes.  My most productive 1.5 is the bluegill color and there like 5 bucks.  I have had a day on a lake with some good stain the black back chartreuse do very well.  That bait has had no luck in my new waters which are very clear.  Using light line may also help if there is not a bunch of cover to get you hung up.  8lb or 6 if your in a boat.  You may want to throw a weightless spider grub on spinning tackle with a 2/0 egw worm hook.  Got one of my best bass here in wa on that.

[Bluebasser86]

Long cast and camo cloths can help with spooky pond fish. An unweighted stick worm, either wacky or T rigged, is a great pond bait when bass are spooky because it cast a long ways, lands lightly, and has a subtle action.

 

A shopping cart would certainly count as cover, but not as structure. Structure is more your bottom contours, rockpiles, shell beds, while cover is logs, docks, brushpiles, weeds, and even shopping carts

[Turkey sandwich]

As for lures - finesse soft plastic worms, floating worms/shaky head, plastic crayfish, and probably Senkos would be great options.

To stay stealthy, pay attention to shadows, wearing dark clothes, etc can help you on the shoreline, but those things don't matter if your casts are landing super heavy on spooky fish.

[PersicoTrotaVA]

Don't walk up right on the bank.  Stay about 10 feet back and cast.  Also cast up, parallel to the bank, towards the way you are going to walk.

 

It's cold and the fish are lethagic.  You won't see them being very active.  Use slow presentations with little action.  Jigs, wacky worms, suspending jerkbaits.  Also set the hook a little harder, being that it's cold, their mouths are a little tougher to penetrate.

[Fishing&Tennis]

Thanks a lot for all the tips. I think that now that I can estimate where the fish are at; I"ll just stand far away and cast at them from a distance. 

 

Two questions though:

Why cast parallel to the shore?

Would the afternoon (let's say 2-4 PM) be the best time to fish in the winter/late fall because it's the warmest time of the day?

[Sam]

Suggestions:

1.  Wear dark clothes.

2. Try to avoid having your shadow cross the water in front of you.

3.  Walk as far from the bank when changing places as you can and walk softly.

4.  Cast as far from the bank as possible.

5.  Use an underhanded roll cast to try to have bait enter water softly.

6.  Flip and pitch as much as you can having the bait enter the water softly.

7.  Cast or flip and pitch to any cover and structure you can find.

8.  One day when the weather is nice go to the pond with a Carolina rig with at least a half-ounce weight and no hook and cast all around the pond to feel what is on the bottom. Them memorialize this data on a sheet of paper and keep it for future reference.

9. Add to the map what is on and along the bank.

10. After casting a bottom  bait let it sit for a full minute before moving it. Bass are inquisitive and they will watch the bait until you move it with a small, but fast twitch. They will attack it when you move it.

11. Visit the pond early one summer morning and stay as the sun goes down that evening to see where the bass are hitting any minnows on top. This is a hint as to where they are feeding.

12. If possible, your county may have a topo map of the pond. Try to find out if your county has such a map; which department would have it; and go see it to view how the pond's bottom is set including depths and drop offs.

13. Throw white bread on the water to note if minnows or bream hit it. This will give you an idea of the forage in the pond so you can "match the hatch."

14. Scale down your bait size. Throw a 3 or 4-inch Senko with a 1/16 or no sinker; throw a 1/4 ounce spinnerbait; throw Crappie baits. Get the idea?

15. Take a bag of dog food and walk around the lake throwing the dog food into the pond. This will attack any catfish that may be in the pond. Only problem is that the catfish will follow you around the bank all day if you do this first thing when you arrive.

16. Any shore birds hunting along the bank? If so, there are fish in the pond. If not, there are no fish in the pond.

17. Always watch where you walk and cast. Critters can slither under your feet and low hanging branches and grass can snag your baits as you go to cast them.

18. Go to the local tackle shop and ask the guys working there or any old codgers hanging around about the pond. They may know more than you think they know.

19.  Keep a log. Easier said than done but it is necessary to learn a pond.  Weather, baits, water temperature (get a pool thermometer and tie a strong on it), time of day and anything you catch plus other data. Check out the fishing log in the "Tools" tab at the top of this page.

20. Take your cell phone with you to take pics of what you catch.

21. Always leave a note at home as to where you are going and when you will be home. You never know when it will be needed.

 

Now gear up and get out there and do some fishing!!!!

 

 

[Sam]

One more item:  Use the "fan" method of bank casting.

 

You start casting along the bank to your left and then move your bait locations about five feet to your right after each cast.

 

Then repeat going from right to left.

 

Do this two or three times and then move about 10 to 15 feet down the bank and repeat process.

 

And the bass eat all day long.  So anytime you can go please do so with the understanding that the western and northern banks get warmer first.

 

All the best for some fun times and great memories on your pond.

[Inflatable Raft Bum]

Senko

[Fishing&Tennis]

Suggestions:

1.  Wear dark clothes.

2. Try to avoid having your shadow cross the water in front of you.

3.  Walk as far from the bank when changing places as you can and walk softly.

4.  Cast as far from the bank as possible.

5.  Use an underhanded roll cast to try to have bait enter water softly.

6.  Flip and pitch as much as you can having the bait enter the water softly.

7.  Cast or flip and pitch to any cover and structure you can find.

8.  One day when the weather is nice go to the pond with a Carolina rig with at least a half-ounce weight and no hook and cast all around the pond to feel what is on the bottom. Them memorialize this data on a sheet of paper and keep it for future reference.

9. Add to the map what is on and along the bank.

10. After casting a bottom  bait let it sit for a full minute before moving it. Bass are inquisitive and they will watch the bait until you move it with a small, but fast twitch. They will attack it when you move it.

11. Visit the pond early one summer morning and stay as the sun goes down that evening to see where the bass are hitting any minnows on top. This is a hint as to where they are feeding.

12. If possible, your county may have a topo map of the pond. Try to find out if your county has such a map; which department would have it; and go see it to view how the pond's bottom is set including depths and drop offs.

13. Throw white bread on the water to note if minnows or bream hit it. This will give you an idea of the forage in the pond so you can "match the hatch."

14. Scale down your bait size. Throw a 3 or 4-inch Senko with a 1/16 or no sinker; throw a 1/4 ounce spinnerbait; throw Crappie baits. Get the idea?

15. Take a bag of dog food and walk around the lake throwing the dog food into the pond. This will attack any catfish that may be in the pond. Only problem is that the catfish will follow you around the bank all day if you do this first thing when you arrive.

16. Any shore birds hunting along the bank? If so, there are fish in the pond. If not, there are no fish in the pond.

17. Always watch where you walk and cast. Critters can slither under your feet and low hanging branches and grass can snag your baits as you go to cast them.

18. Go to the local tackle shop and ask the guys working there or any old codgers hanging around about the pond. They may know more than you think they know.

19.  Keep a log. Easier said than done but it is necessary to learn a pond.  Weather, baits, water temperature (get a pool thermometer and tie a strong on it), time of day and anything you catch plus other data. Check out the fishing log in the "Tools" tab at the top of this page.

20. Take your cell phone with you to take pics of what you catch.

21. Always leave a note at home as to where you are going and when you will be home. You never know when it will be needed.

 

Now gear up and get out there and do some fishing!!!!

THanks so much for all the tips.

I will try to keep a log, but no gurantees! Now that you mention I do remember birds feeding and I'ev caught some bass near them but wasn't really thinking about it. That trick with the catfish seems ingenious, but I prefer to catch fish with artificals (it feels more like a sport!). Maybe one day I'll try to catch some of the catfish. Also I will try the minnow/bream trick. I've never seen any bream in the pond but I've seen plenty of minnow, somehow I caught a bass on a sunfish swimbait. I think the pond has both.

 

I've actually stopped using the senkos and now use roboworms for two reasons I feel like the roboworms have a better flutter to them and the senkos are just too big and the splash they make even when I pitch is too much for these bass. The roboworm is super light and small  and it sinks slower so i feel like it's a little better for a shallow pond.I have a couple in the 4.5 inch size worms that I might try out.

[Rhino68W]

I am a bank fisherman. One setup I ALWAYS have in my car is a 6'6'' M spinning rod with 6# mono rigged with a wacky rig finnese worm. This works wonders for me during any conditions. Slowly walk up to about 10' from the waters edge, and start fan casting it and let it sink all the way to the bottom. Once it's done, twitch it a couple times and let it fall on a slack line again. Paying extra attention to pockets and points.