How many tries at a new pond before calling it quits

[BassB8Caster]

2 hours ago, lmbfisherman said:

Bring out your live bait setup with a worm, see what species of fish you can catch.  Learn the forage, look around your settings.  Do they have crawfish? insects? frogs?  I wouldn't give up.

 

Since you are in Maine, when you say pickerel do you mean pickerel or some people up north mean "walleye".  Which drives me nuts because they are two different fish!  Anyway, if it is pickerel it maybe just like my local pond.  Well sort of, the pike population has exponentially grown the past 2 years and the bass seem to be driven off and being dominated.  I have days where I catch 10 pike and catch only 1 bass. It is possible that the pickerel is the dominant predator in that pond.  There probably is bass, but you probably weed through the dominant predator.

These are chain pickerel.  We do have pike in places. Not in this pond though. Never seen or heard of walleye caught here in Maine. Atleast not around me

[blckshirt98]

After the spawn go back and keep your eye out for bass fry, that'll let you know if there's a viable population of bass in there.

[soflabasser]

7 hours ago, BassB8Caster said:

These are chain pickerel.  We do have pike in places. Not in this pond though. Never seen or heard of walleye caught here in Maine. Atleast not around me

Is the lake still frozen?Many people catch some quality sized bass right after all the ice melts away.

[BassB8Caster]

On 2/9/2017 at 11:59 PM, soflabasser said:

Is the lake still frozen?Many people catch some quality sized bass right after all the ice melts away.

Oh yeah. Very frozen. We don't have ice out until April or so. 

[soflabasser]

On 2/11/2017 at 11:57 AM, BassB8Caster said:

Oh yeah. Very frozen. We don't have ice out until April or so. 

 

Have you tried ice fishing in that pond?

[RoLo]

Not catching a bass in a new pond is a whole lot better than catching a bunch of runts.

'Population density' and 'trophy production' are inverse attributes,  you can't have it both ways.

 

Roger

[BassB8Caster]

12 hours ago, soflabasser said:

 

Have you tried ice fishing in that pond?

No. I don't ice fish. Will be back there this spring once ice is out

[soflabasser]

9 hours ago, BassB8Caster said:

No. I don't ice fish. Will be back there this spring once ice is out

 

It might be worth trying ice fishing in that pond since you might be able to get to areas you usually would not be able to get to when fishing from the shore. Fishing tends to be good after the ice melts from my understanding, so it should be a good time to target the big bass in that pond.

[BigSkyBasser]

Seeing the fish as many people have mentioned will be key to determine how they react to your presence and baits in the water. However having an understanding of how these fish move around the pond during different seasons and conditions is invaluable. So when the water warms up enough (or you have a great wet suit) I'd be in the water snorkeling and trying to spot fish. This is one of my favorite things to do when I'm breaking down a new fishery because being able to picture what structure and bait is there and how fish relate to them will tell you more than anyone who's fished it ever could. 

[fishwizzard]

On 2/8/2017 at 1:54 PM, IndianaFinesse said:

How many times should you try that pond? Enough times to figure it out.

 

More or less.  There is a small pond maybe 10 min from my house.  I have caught maybe 5-8 bass there out of maybe a hundred trips.  I will swear it off and avoid it for months, often walking right by it to get to the river I can access from the same property.  But then eventually I will throw a lure in the pond, get a bite, and go back to fishing it.  

 

This summer I am gonna make myself go there every week until I figure it out.  The bass are in there, including at least a handful of good ones, and despite the large amount of fishing pressure, I am determined to make it work.  

[Bankbeater]

I wouldn't hit the pond several times in a row.  I would spread out my visits.  Sometimes you'll hit the water when they are on a feeding spree.

[CroakHunter]

So...is there bass in the pond? Maybe try a light carolina rig or mojo rig. 

[Deleted account]

365

[roadwarrior]

[BassB8Caster]

12 hours ago, CroakHunter said:

So...is there bass in the pond? Maybe try a light carolina rig or mojo rig. 

I cannot say 100% there is. I fished there twice last fall and caught only a handful of pickerel. I talked to a guy who lives close by and told me if I caught one it would be a 7lber (his words). He said he caught a 7lber out of it. To me it looks like it would be bass heaven.  Lots of cover, freshwater coming in, bugs,insects, etc. I haven't been able to fish it yet this year. Hoping to soon.

[CroakHunter]

7 hours ago, BassB8Caster said:

I cannot say 100% there is. I fished there twice last fall and caught only a handful of pickerel. I talked to a guy who lives close by and told me if I caught one it would be a 7lber (his words). He said he caught a 7lber out of it. To me it looks like it would be bass heaven.  Lots of cover, freshwater coming in, bugs,insects, etc. I haven't been able to fish it yet this year. Hoping to soon.

Keep us updated. Got me curious lol

[BassB8Caster]

14 hours ago, CroakHunter said:

Keep us updated. Got me curious lol

Will do. I really want to get there prespawn. Should be the best time to find them (if they are in there).

[iiTzChunky]

I'll fish somewhere at least 7 or 8 times and by then I've usually got ahold of somthing. Throw everything but the kitchen sink in there you'll eventually get a fish out of there. It's just finding what they want. 

[BassB8Caster]

I was able to get out onto this pond for a few hours on saturday. Again, no bass. Caught 3 pickerel. Had a constant 15 mph wind out of the north, just enough to be a nuissance. In my opinion, this pond is not worth my time any more. i cannot chase ones claim of catching a 7lber. There are way too many ponds around me with great fish. Ive never had this much trouble catching bass anywhere else. These small ponds have very very little pressure, and can eventually be found. So on to the next location. I appreciate the tips along the way.