Golf course ponds

[JMT]

Hi everybody, i mainly am a pond fisherman, and have yet to fish a golf course pond. Ive always heard the stories of people catching lunkers out of golf course ponds, and theres one really close to my house i plan to fish in the near future. And my main concern is what baits work really well in golf course ponds?

[Robert Riley]

I fish a lot of golf courses, always at night. I use a black or white buzzbait, or a frog, depending on the weed level. However, the most important thing is that you have permission from the course itself. 4/5 in my area allowed me by asking the groundskeep. They are good for bass, lots and a few of great size, but they seem to be more vulnerable to fish kills.

 

[Damn Yankee]

Sometimes night fishing is not a good idea depending on location http://heavy.com/news/2016/05/giant-alligator-crocodile-monster-gator-florida-golf-course-video-watch-footage/

[Jar11591]

Just fished a golf course last night, as I didn't feel like taking the boat out in 90 degree heat. Caught all my bass on weedless frogs and T-rigged ribbon tails.

[the reel ess]

We don't have a good course around here. The only one has one creek and one little pond that isn't even in the course. But they do look like good fishing. I stay at a golf condo when we go on vacation and last time there were two guys out fishing at dusk. I didn't see any security bothering them so I'll probably give it a try this summer. I did see a couple of what looked like huge gar swimming in the pond. I imagine there must be other species of fish there for them to survive.

[ssheldon1]

 

14 hours ago, JMT said:

And my main concern is what baits work really well in golf course ponds?

Concern? Don't be concerned about lure selection they'll hit just about anything on the golf course.  What you need to concern yourself with is not spooking the bass but since you're a pond fisherman, I'm sure you maintain a subtle presence.

Edited July 8, 2016 by J Francho
Any suggestion of illegal activity is forbidden as detailed in the Forum Rules and FAQs.

[Rpratt]

I can tell you this. My brother in law who has hardly fished all his life, recently moved to a gated community on a golf course in Sarasota last year. Using a 20+ year old piece of junk rod and reel that makes the cheapest setup you could buy at Wally World look like high end equipment, the same plastic worm over and over and over.... has caught NUMEROUS largemouth over 5lbs. His best was just a little over 8. 

And he always has to be on the lookout and never fishes at night because there are gators in the lake. 

[Deansey]

I think a lot of it depends on you location, and the age of the body of water/course. Golf course architecture was my fathers greatest passion, and I grew up around quite a few golf course renovations/constructions.

Water hazards are very difficult to remove, but they are often added and re-modeled. As a result you will likely encounter a lot of bodies that have zero fish in them. As a little kid I would often ask if there were fish in the water, and either a greens chair, greenskeeper, or my dad would usually say no. Additionally, I know that there are very few fish on the surrounding courses is my area. On my home course there is a fairly big pond and its either natural, or built before the 20th century. The only thing over an inch in that hole are giant koi that were stocked in there 20 years ago when they renovated the course. 

 

long story short, if you're going to fish on a golf course, the first thing you should look for is a pond that is very old and natural. Its highly unlikely that the water hazards are untouched eco systems, and even more unlikely that they are stocked. Now, its highly likely that this varies by region, as I wouldn't be surprised to see somebody flip into a hazard on a florida course and pull out a peacock that was introduced for conservation issues. 

 

most of all stay legal!!!! most of the courses near me have night rangers at the least. Im sure some have law enforcement that patrol occasionally. The last thing you want to do is get trespassing+ charges for enjoying yourself. You never know how kindly the members or administration take to others. if you can, speak to the ranger beforehand, or talk to the greenskeeper during the day. many of them live on course property and probably would be glad to give you the green light for the occasional 6 pack on their porch.