Help On Catching Bass In Overfished Pond/lake

[BassSeeker]

One of the only spots I have to fish here in the busy NE Georgia suburbs is a pond/lake at a local church that is overfished.

 

Are there some secrets to catching bass in a situation like this?

 

Thanks for any input.

[MO_LMB]

Overfished as in people are keeping a lot of fish, or just a lot of pressure? 

 

If it is just pressure, bass are still predators and still going to eat. Just have to try something different. I personally fish a lot slower on highly pressured lakes than others. I also either use much bigger baits or much smaller baits. 

[fishballer06]

Live bait can sometimes be the best bet at these type of lakes because of all the pressure they receive. I live in Pittsburgh, so any available water gets fished hard by the general public. Most ponds, live bait is the only thing that seems to work effectively because those fish are constantly being fed crawlers and minnows from the bobber guys. 

[JigMe]

Pond fishing could be really fun or devastating. There is a local pond I fish at when I can only go out for 1-2 hours, and someday I can pull out 10-15 bass within an hour or I get no bite at all.

 

I have found down size your lure really helps, and I am talking about using inline spinners or 3 inch grubs. Fish relatively shallow and don’t stay on the edge of the bank, You might spook the fish if you are too close to the water, I am at least 2-3 feet back when I am casting. Ninety percent of the time, I just bring a pack of plastics and few hooks. No need to bring the entire artisanal when you are fishing a pond. At least for me, reaction bites doesn’t work so well for me in a pond.  

[Preytorien]

I think one of the best solutions I've found for this has been (cut me some slack here)....a lure

 

I don't normally subscribe to a lure being the ONLY thing that contributes to success, other factors like technique, conditions, etc come into play.

 

On heavily pressured bodies of water, my standout lure is the Z-Man TRD. It's subtle, small, and easy to use. It simply works. Slather some Megastrike on it and you almost can't miss.

 

I fish a retention pond near my relatives' house about once a week. I'll see several people on the bank fishing almost every time. There's some serious pressure here. Yet I always catch fish with the TRD.

[68camaro]

I have this problem also and very frustrating. Fishing can be very hit or miss. Plastics rarely work for me.

[Senko lover]

This [Fishing in pressured ponds] is basically all I do, so I've had to adjust if I want to catch fish.

 

1. Quiet presentation

Everybody talks about this, but I can't stress it enough. This is huge. You can have the right setup, the right bait, but if you walk up and spook some fish in the shallows you've ruined everything. Stay back, use something that doesn't make a huge splash when you toss it out, and catch the fish right up by the bank.

2. Find the concentration of baitfish

Most pond fisherman don't think about this, but I've actually started keying in on it a lot more recently. In my ponds, there's tons of bluegill, but I'm always looking for the bigger pods of both fry and bigger fish. Bass are usually on the lookout for a little school like this, and you'll almost sure to catch something around them.

3. Look for the spots that nobody else is hitting

In my favorite pond, everybody fishes from the dock or down the bank a ways at the shallower end of the pond. Both are great places to catch fish, but there's a deep area right by the dock that no one fishes thoroughly. I've started fishing it regularly and pulling out some nice fish.

4. Wear polarized sunglasses

If you aren't make, sure to put on your sunglasses. Huge help in spotting potential catches.

4. Finesse

If all else fails, pick up a dropshot, wacky rigged trick worm, and especially a Ned Rig and get to work.

 

Good luck.

[the reel ess]

Tried Gummy Worms? I got a bite on the first cast and caught one on the third. I abandoned them right after that for conventional Trick Worm.

[Bankbeater]

If you're talking heavy fishing pressure, I would say take a look at the baits that everyone else is using.  Then break out a jig and craw.

[Darren.]

My suggestion: downsize your line, lures.

 

Try a 2 or 1 size Gamakatsu split shot/drop shot hook,

and wacky rig a Yamamoto Shad Shaped Worm in

watermelon red, green pumpkin red, watermelon gold.

 

These are killer (at least in my book) for attracting a bite

from multiple species. I catch a lot of bass on them

especially when the bite slows down.

 

Cast it, and let it shimmy. The little tail will attract a lot

of attention from small and large fish alike.

[scaleface]

When fishing from bank you are generally fishing uphill , especially on the steeper banks .I like to take inexpensive prerigged swim baits cast to different depths , let it sink to the bottom and retrieve it .The bait will be close to the bottom the entire retrieve . Its a natural presentation , in the strike zone a long time and a good way to learn the structure of your pond . If you get snagged then you just found some fish holding cover . Very simple and very effective .

[Jaw1]

My suggestion: downsize your line, lures.

Try a 2 or 1 size Gamakatsu split shot/drop shot hook,

and wacky rig a Yamamoto Shad Shaped Worm in

watermelon red, green pumpkin red, watermelon gold.

These are killer (at least in my book) for attracting a bite

from multiple species. I catch a lot of bass on them

especially when the bite slows down.

Cast it, and let it shimmy. The little tail will attract a lot

of attention from small and large fish alike.

This. I also nose hook a shad shaped worm with no weight. Let it sink slow then work it like a minifluke. I vary my hook size for sink rate and casting distance. I have 2 ponds that I fish on occasion. 1 gets pressured the other gets fed by hand either minnows, dogfood, bread(bass eat bread believe it or not) usually about the time I decide to go fish it, or so it seems. Both can be hard to fish add in the small baitfish population and it can be impossible to fish at times , but the shad shaped worm does save the day.

[Darren.]

This. I also nose hook a shad shaped worm with no weight. Let it sink slow then work it like a minifluke. I vary my hook size for sink rate and casting distance. I have 2 ponds that I fish on occasion. 1 gets pressured the other gets fed by hand either minnows, dogfood, bread(bass eat bread believe it or not) usually about the time I decide to go fish it, or so it seems. Both can be hard to fish add in the small baitfish population and it can be impossible to fish at times , but the shad shaped worm does save the day.

 

Agreed. I should have added the nose hooking

option. I've done that, as well. Also like fishing

these on a split shot rig or weightless TX.

 

Just a killer soft plastic all around.

[bigbill]

First welcome to the bass fishing forum.

It's an online imformation highway into the world of bass fishing. Pull up a chair, your favorite cup of brew and enjoy.

I fish the same places every year. I notice while one spot is pressured really heavy in the evenings and weekends it's still hot in the early am when the place calms down. This is a larger body of water.

Now another one of my hot spots I notice the fish actually learn our baits. What's hot this year won't be hot next year, it won't catch as many bass. We're like a baseball pitcher we have to change up out pitches/baits to keep the strike rate up. This is in the smaller bodies of water one to 6 acre ponds(example). I learn to cast new baits in between my older baits. Change colors too even with plastics. Don't be afraid to toss a bigger bait like a bigger shad rap.

I honed my skills on the smaller bodies of water. Everything we learn go with us to try at another place.

Try Panther Martin spinflys silver- orange/yellow fly number 4

Mepps Anglia number 3 silver gray tail.

Rapala orginal floater F7 in blue or black.

Challenge yourself to see how many different presentations you can come up with each bait. Tip try slowing your presentations down. Let the bait go below the sight line.

I thought my places were fished out too once. Then I started changing my baits and presentations. Try using a basic bass scent and a garlic bass scent.

It's not confidence in our baits it's confidence in ourselves. You can do it. It's skill not luck.

I don't like bass fishing when the places are crowded.

[WPCfishing]

Dynamite

[stk44]

Live bait can sometimes be the best bet at these type of lakes because of all the pressure they receive. I live in Pittsburgh, so any available water gets fished hard by the general public. Most ponds, live bait is the only thing that seems to work effectively because those fish are constantly being fed crawlers and minnows from the bobber guys. 

 

yeah I know the feeling. I used to do really well in harmarville on fat heads. Now that I fish only artificial lures its hard to even go to some of the spots. 3 people show up with 3 rods with bobbers the size of an apple. So frustrating...

[Cooper Stuever]

My pond seems way over fished. We have only caught like two fish there. I have tryed plastics, swim jigs with trailers, poppers, jerkbaits, crankbaits, and Spinnerbaits. The only thing I have not tryed are frogs and Senko. I have heard the Googan Squad baits are good but I don’t have very many. If you guys could help I would be very happy. 

[roadwarrior]

 

[BrianMDTX]

Old thread but still relevant. And take this with a grain of salt as I am still relatively “new” to getting back into bass fishing after a long hiatus. 

 

So once I decided to get back into bass fishing in a major way, I read a lot of threads here and got some great ideas and suggestions on rods, reels, lines, lures, knots, you name it. And then I started watching all the other folks fishing the same ponds. Most use cheap gear, with either hi-vis line or braid with no leader, and they cast hard and reel fast. And most catch nothing, or they only catch dinks. I’ve seen two anglers pull a 3+ lb LMB out of the pond, and one was on a live bluegill. The other was on a spinnerbait, and to be honest, his catch surprised me as he casted and reeled in the same exact way on every cast without the slightest deviation. 

 

So observe what other anglers are doing (the ones not catching any bass) and do something different. If everything is big, fast and noisy, go small, slow and quiet. Give the bass something they aren’t used to seeing. 

 

And if all else fails, cast a 5” Senko weightless Texas rig on a 3/0 EWG! 

[roadwarrior]

1 hour ago, BrianMDTX said:

 And if all else fails, cast a 5” Senko weightless Texas rig on a 3/0 EWG! 

 

[Bankc]

Try different things.  I fish a heavily pressured pond fairly often, and it took me about a year before I caught my first bass there.  And I haven't been skunked since.  The first trick I learned was to be stealth.  They get spooked super easily.  So try to find areas or times where you're not near other people.  And make sure you're not making big splashes into the water unless your casting way past your target.  Also be quiet when you approach the water.  Don't let them hear your footsteps as you walk up.

 

The second trick I learned was to throw lures that other people didn't.  Give the fish something they haven't seen before, or don't see that often.  That means staying away from plastic worms, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and whatever is currently popular (whopper plopper, bladded jigs, etc.).  Try throwing brand new lures that haven't caught on yet, or throwing old lures that people have forgotten about.  

 

The third trick is to keep moving.  In a pond, it's easy to want to set up in one area and just work it to death.  It might look like the only good spot in the pond.  But there's a good chance that everyone else thought the same thing, so it gets hit the hardest and now the fish avoid that spot.  Then another spot that might not look might much might be the honey hole because everyone passes it up.  You never know.  So just keep moving.

[Boomstick]

On heavily fished water, downside your baits. Try a roboworm on a drop shot or a ned rig. If you fish a jig or T-Rig, fish it slower than you would normally in a less pressured lake. Also be sure to try lures and colors that other people don't use.

[lynxcat]

I only fish ponds but they vary in pressure. Lately, I’ve caught 90% of my fish on a Jackhammer with Menace trailer. It’s been highly effective over every other bait I’ve tried. I even fished a ned rig a bunch today and didn’t get a bite but caught a 4lber on a JH. I’m catching the last bit of a moving bait bite before the winter...