Overgrown Pond

[ThEmILkMaN]

I found this pond off the beaten path that looks old and overgrown with Lily pads. I'm betting there are monsters lurking beneath. Anyone know the best way to get rid of the Lily pads and clean it up.

[Bluebasser86]

Don't get rid of them, fish them! If you get rid of the lily pads, the big bass will likely go with them. 

[Weld's Largemouth]

Do not get rid of them! Toss a frog in there!

[ThEmILkMaN]

Gonna give it a shot today. I'll let you guys know! Wish me luck! Thanks mike

[Matthew2000]

Gonna give it a shot today. I'll let you guys know! Wish me luck! Thanks mike

Get in there. Fish something slender like a rage bug that's not very wide.

[scaleface]

I want to know how it goes .Good luck .

[Master Bait'r]

  I know a guy who simply cut a path through several acres of very heavy weed sections of a particular private lake with his jon boat, trolling motor and a weed cutter rake much like you'd shovel a path for your dog to poop in the yard during the really snowy months...  Can't even tell you how much of a difference it made.  The amount of lunker traffic that happened in those 2-4' deep winding weed lanes was insane.  It gave the big fish a way to cruise the forage forest easier and created about a billion ambush points for them to hide in.  They directly connected the open water sections, provided access to the long flats and pretty much circumvented the whole weed ring around the lake.  Big groups of crappies, perch, baitfish and the like would all convene in the open lanes that cut through the deepest cover areas and made for some really awesome slop fishing and forget about working a small swimbait up the lane- slamsville.  The Heron that hunts the area loved it too, it just strolled the lanes and speared sunfish all day as effortlessly as if it was taking things out of the fridge.  I'm amazed it could fly away some days!   

 

 

There's plenty of options to fish the weeds, but after seeing what happened with some light grooming I'm kind of obsessed with thinking about that. 

[the reel ess]

Yes, let us know. Sometimes the fishiest looking ponds are full of less than 1 lb fish that are years old because there is not enough food for them and no one is taking any. But they can be really dumb fish. Imagine you live in a small area with very little food. My friend has a pond like that. I've had a couple days there with over 50 bass caught.

 

Obviously a frog is a great idea. It will also cull some of the smallest fish.

[ThEmILkMaN]

Went out there. Baited up some baby Kermits. Couldn't get any bites. I'm going to give it another shot in y he afternoon.

[gulfcaptain]

May want to check water temps to make sure you're topwater approach is going to be successful.  Above 66 I'd say that it should, lower it may work but I would slow it down quite a bit.  They may also be spawning at which point dropping a heavy bait thru the pads may pay off better then going over the top of them.  

[Mr Q]

   Don't even think of doing anything to those lunker bass holding pads! Try fishing them with frogs (live of lures) and "jelly" worms. Let the jelly worm's tail dangle in the water between the pads while very slowly retrieving the lure across the pad tops. Rig the worm "Texas" style or use a weeder hook. Bass love the shade of these pads on hot days and the water being choked with them assures very little or no one fishes the water. You will soon find out if any bass are in the pond in little time - both day and night.

 

   When I approach a pad littered pond, my bass lures start jumping in the tackle box just waiting to serve me up a lunker

[bigbill]

At one place I fish the weeds take over. I put on a larger lure and clear a casting path. Then let it settle down.

This path I call Shotgun Alley. It's hotter than Haiti. This path goes from the shoreline across a cove to a beaver hut Iland at the shore on the other side. My path is dead on the transition point between the flats on the right and the open water on the left were the four foot of weeds ends. I'm fishing off a man made road/dam were water power was once used hundreds of years ago. I'm 3 to 4' above the waters edge. I can see the open weed pockets too. I drop plastic grubs into open weed pockets. The mepps timber doodle works good too it's weedless. I also fish a bomber model A or FAT A crankbaits #5 in apple red craw. I stop it over the open weed pockets and twitch the rod tip making the crankbaits rattle. Floating cranks are as much as topwater poppers and spooks too.

[Mr Q]

Whatever you do, don't give up on the pond! It will take lots of fishing tactics and lures to see what works best in the pond. As for the pads, try dragging a weedless lure (frogs/plastic worms work best)over the tops of the pads with slow, intermittent retrieves. If any bass are nearby, you will soon find out. My guess is that the man-made structure you made may take some time for the fish to adjust to.