Branson3 Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 I've never been so stumped in my life... By a pond. Its behind my house so I fish in it almost every day. No matter what I throw, do, doesn't catch but maybe one fish. Most days I catch none! They started to spawn about 3 weeks ago, but then a cold front came and when I went back they weren't on the beds! Should I be fishing pre-spawn still or post-spawn??? Is there something wrong with the pond?? Help? Thanks for reading. Quote
Branson3 Posted March 31, 2016 Author Posted March 31, 2016 so basically I need help to know what the fish could be doing, and lures I should use. Went today and caught nothing. used a t-rigged craw and a spinnerbait. Quote
Ski Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 Many factors come into play here Branson, How big of water are you talking, How much cover, there may not even be many fish in the pond. What state? Water Temps etc all play into this game. R/ Chris Quote
Branson3 Posted March 31, 2016 Author Posted March 31, 2016 Well it used to have great fishing. Sorry I forgot to mention that, and the water temps are high 60's and there are a lot of fallen trees/sticks and one dock. Its a fairly big pond as well. Quote
Turtle135 Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 I think you need to give the Ned Rig a try. If the pond contained mostly small bass typical sized bass presentations may be too large for those fish. The Ned Rig will let you know as even tiny bass will inhale that presentation. If you are still not catching them with the Ned Rig then there maybe a serious problem with the number of bass remaining in that pond. 3 Quote
Branson3 Posted March 31, 2016 Author Posted March 31, 2016 ill give it a try. Thanks for the replies guys! Quote
aj88kc Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 36 minutes ago, Turtle135 said: I think you need to give the Ned Rig a try. If the pond contained mostly small bass typical sized bass presentations may be too large for those fish. The Ned Rig will let you know as even tiny bass will inhale that presentation. If you are still not catching them with the Ned Rig then there maybe a serious problem with the number of bass remaining in that pond. This was going to be my response as well. Any new pond or pond that I can not seem to get a bite in I will go as small as I can with my lure selection. Once I start getting bit on the small stuff and build a pattern for where the fish are and the presentations they are wanting for a particular pond I will gradually go up on the size of lures until I am not getting bit any longer. Don't be fooled by the size of lures in ponds. My biggest bass to date came on a road runner in a pond that is smaller than a back yard swimming pool. If you are not catching anything on the small stuff it may be time to move on. 1 Quote
Super User Senko lover Posted March 31, 2016 Super User Posted March 31, 2016 If all else fails, try some live bait. Then give up on the pond 1 Quote
Branson3 Posted March 31, 2016 Author Posted March 31, 2016 haha yeah ill try some live bait. went fishing for a little with the ned rig and caught 2. I'd hate to see all of the big ones we have caught in there die... Is it normal for them to go off spawn like that after a cold front? Never seen that before. 1 Quote
IndianaFinesse Posted April 1, 2016 Posted April 1, 2016 3 hours ago, Branson3 said: haha yeah ill try some live bait. went fishing for a little with the ned rig and caught 2. I'd hate to see all of the big ones we have caught in there die... Is it normal for them to go off spawn like that after a cold front? Never seen that before. Yes it is normal for the bass to move off there beds after a cold front. Unless they are done spawning, they should start coming back on the beds after about two or three days. And keep using that Ned rig, it catches a ton of fish. One thing you could try if the bass get back on there beds and they are picking up the tail of the trd, is to take a small treble hook and tie a two or three inch segment of line to it. Then tie the other end of the line to a small hook or needle and thread it through the back end of the trd and out the side where the bend of the jighead hook is. Then just cut the line off the needle and tie it to the bend of the jigheads hook. And to finish, push the treble into the back end of the trd so that everything between the eye and the bend of the hook is inside the trd. The way it should look now is there is line tied to the jighead and going through the trd to the back end, and then tied to the small treble, which is pushed into the hole created by the needle. Now it's not physically possible for the bass to pick the bait up without having at least one hook in its mouth. Quote
Hurricane Posted April 1, 2016 Posted April 1, 2016 Put a minnow on a hook with a weight and a bobber and use another rod to fan the area with a lure while you wait for something to smash that minnow.. 1 Quote
Branson3 Posted April 1, 2016 Author Posted April 1, 2016 Good tips guys, I will definitely try all of them! This has been very helpful, thanks. Quote
juicebass Posted April 1, 2016 Posted April 1, 2016 They might be recuperating from the spawn and from what I've read, VERY hard to catch. I once Went to a lake stacked with largies and they were all recently off the beds, and couldn't catch a thing for 2 days. A couple Weeks later guys were pulling out 5lbs left and right. So, u might just have to wait a little bit for it to turn on again, if it's still bad in the few weeks the pond might be lacking fish. Also if the pond is heavily fished, try throwing baits and colours the bass have never seen before Quote
Missourifishin Posted April 1, 2016 Posted April 1, 2016 9 hours ago, aj88kc said: This was going to be my response as well. Any new pond or pond that I can not seem to get a bite in I will go as small as I can with my lure selection. Once I start getting bit on the small stuff and build a pattern for where the fish are and the presentations they are wanting for a particular pond I will gradually go up on the size of lures until I am not getting bit any longer. Don't be fooled by the size of lures in ponds. My biggest bass to date came on a road runner in a pond that is smaller than a back yard swimming pool. If you are not catching anything on the small stuff it may be time to move on. About half of my bigger bass in the last 3-4 years have been on roadrunners. We should stop sharing this secret though 1 Quote
Super User Sam Posted April 1, 2016 Super User Posted April 1, 2016 Branson, you need to read and study bass habits, especially the effects of water temperature on our cold blooded friends. The bass will hit the beds starring around 62* and if the water temps drop they will move back to deeper water, only to return to their beds when the water temps increase to around 62* and higher. Catching bedding bass is a very difficult challenge. The big females have already eaten before the spawn; do not eat during the spawn; and will go off and recuperate after the spawn for a day or two before getting back to their normal feeding habits. Be patient. Remember that bedding bass are not feeding. Think what lures you have that you can drag through the bedding area that will aggravate the smaller males and the big females to pick up your bait and move it away from their bed. After spawn is over you can start to catch them as they will begin to feed once again. Forget "pre-spawn." Look for late winter into early spring and then spring to decide what baits to use depending on water temperatures and the specific spawning schedule in your area. And start some conversations with Senko lover. Kyle is an excellent bass fisherman for his age and he has a lot of knowledge and insight he can share with you. Plus he lives in North Carolina which means he has an understanding of the North Carolina waters, even though the state is very diverse in topography. 1 Quote
Branson3 Posted April 2, 2016 Author Posted April 2, 2016 I think the pond is back and running good... I caught a 6 pounder on bed today. Quote
Super User Munkin Posted April 3, 2016 Super User Posted April 3, 2016 Make sure snapping turtles are not destroying the pond as they will eat anything and everything they can find. Allen 1 Quote
Kevin22 Posted April 3, 2016 Posted April 3, 2016 Cold fronts really mess with the fish during spawning times! We hit 52 degrees about a week and a half ago, then a major cold front came and dropped the temps back to 41 (talking river here), water is back to 47-48 now. We are catching pike full of eggs yet, they usually spawn at 36-38. Walleyes and perch are full of eggs as well, haven't caught any post spawn yet. They spawn at 42-46 here. Went to a lake last week, south end was 42 degrees and north end (wind blown) was 55 degrees. The bass are all over the place right now. One day they are shallow and feeding and the next they are in 15' of water hugging brush. Quote
jr231 Posted January 25, 2017 Posted January 25, 2017 Nobody mentioned the bass becoming conditioned to your lures. You said you fish it everyday. Even if you just fished it once a week... The bass will become accustomed to your lures I promise you. Especially the mature ones. Change it up. 1 Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted January 25, 2017 Global Moderator Posted January 25, 2017 I agree with the fish becoming conditoned, not so much to the lures, but to you. When you walk to the pond they feel the vibration. When you cast they feel the splash and vibration of your bait. They see and feel you walking along the shoreline. I've seen fish in pressured ponds become almost impossible to catch because they learn not to bite when they sense fishermen are present. 1 Quote
Super User WRB Posted January 25, 2017 Super User Posted January 25, 2017 This thread was posted March 31/ Apl 1st.....fools day! Tom Quote
jr231 Posted January 25, 2017 Posted January 25, 2017 @Bluebasser86 good points. I always act like I'm a ninja when fishing ponds. Bombing my bait from a distance to my suspected areas . Interesting that you don't think they get conditioned to the lures though. You have a pond don't you ? I think I remember you saying you do. I have 3 private ponds I have access to.. 2 are in the 2-4 acre range and one is about an acre. My favorite one has a 24" living in it. I've caught her three times. Once on a shad rap(first time) I didn't catch her the next season but seen her in the shallows and got her to slam a bright orange x-rap but she got off at the bank. The second time I caught her was on a senko. And it was the first time I used a senko at this pond. I had a 20+ fish day and she was the last one. The third time was on a rapala skitter pop. Mid day in the July heat... I've used all these lures again in similar scenarios and haven't caught her again... And can hardly catch 2 fish using a senko there anymore no matter how I rig the darn thing (wacky, tx , neko, dropshot, ) . I firmly believe she' knows all about me. And also firmly believe I will not hook her again on a senko, skitter pop, or shad rap ever again . 46 minutes ago, WRB said: This thread was posted March 31/ Apl 1st.....fools day! Tom Yea I was doing some digging for my own needs and stumbled across this.. started reading and felt not enough was said ! Have any suggestions for cold water brush ? I've caught a few on the blade baits but I keep losing them to the trees. Quote
Super User WRB Posted January 25, 2017 Super User Posted January 25, 2017 This thread was intended for spawning pond bass in NC late March-Early April, maybe start a new thread for winter bass in deep brush. Tom Quote
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