Mud hole with huge bass (NOT CARP) and shad but no bites

[beardown34]

Lol

[primetime]

If you caught a Crappie and a bass, and the lake has Shad, they may be Carp, May be Spawning Tilapia protecting nests (I have mistaken big 5lb Tilapia for bass when they are spawning in stained water.)

 

If you are seeing most of the action in the middle of the small pond, and not seeing any baitfish near the shoreline, then I would try the baits mentioned above and since the water is dirty, lots of bait, They can simply be tough to catch.

 

Small ponds loaded with shad or shiners can be diffucult unless using live bait, but if you hit all the cover, all the dropoffs, and if you see the bait surface, you can be sure Bass are near them. If its only an acre, the pond could still hold several big Bass, I would simply fish it slowly and try to figure out where the fish rest, the biggest bass will not be chasers most likely, they will be in an area that offers protection so they can ambush. If you can see where the water enters the pond after it rains, that is where I would start, this time of year the bacteria floats to the surface and once the shad start feeding you will see dimples on the surface, if you see and hear boiles in the school of shad, they are either Big Bass, Big Gar, Mudfish...In ponds you never know. 

 

I would keep fishing it, especially when the water starts to warm, I am sure you will get a few big fish out of the pond, a 1 acre pond is capable of holding legit double digit fish if genetics are good. Crappie is a good sign, makes me think they are being pumped in? Usually Crappie will take over a small pond and you will only catch them from my experiences. Sounds like an interesting place, Just keep at it, Bait always equals bass. Carp and Bass can live together very well, same with tilapia up to a point.

 

 

I fish several ponds like you are describing, tons of bait and the fish are simply hard to catch on lures or soft baits since the water is very stained and they spook easily. I like fishing those lakes at Night, especially in the spring/Summer/Fall. Bass in ponds almost always are easier to catch at night regardless of using black and blue worms, Topwater, Spinnerbaits etc. 

If you live line a big shiner, or any shiner, you should find out what is going on, that is always the easy answer.

[mwh33]

I would try bright colored baits and big baits. Big squarebills, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits with some sort of chartreuse on them. I would also try a large swimjig with a paddletail swimbait as a trailer with colors that match the bluegill or crappie.

[snake95]

@GT Tompkins All I can say is you have to catch one of those big fish, no matter what species it is, because at this point a whole bunch of us will go the rest of our days wondering that was in your pond.  I for one, am rooting for you and will keep checking back every day until you catch one of those monsters.  If it turns out to be a 2 lb carp instead of an 8 lb bass, I won't hold it against you, just post it up and end the suspense.

[JustJames]

Bass Jump

 

 

[scaleface]

Ive had bass break me off before . A few minutes  later they jump trying to dislodge the lure . Also has one jump clear over a log to get my buzzbait on the other side . Then we've all seen them jump  when hooked .  But I never seen them jump for the heck of it .   Carp try to make the biggest splash possible . It must be fun for them .

[lmbfisherman]

Only time I've seen a bass jump clear out is when they are hooked.  Even counting a break off I had once, a bass broke off my spinnerbait.  5 seconds later jumps clear out of the water and flung the spinnerbait about 10 ft away. 

[everythingthatswims]

I have definitely witnessed large fish coming completely out of the water chasing shad. It only happens when they are eating larger 4-5" shad, which should be present this time of year.

 

I would try a big white spinnerbait or maybe even a light weight Alabama rig with white swimbaits and big blades. Yum makes one with Colorado blades on it.

[Dat_Bass]

I have a pond the exact same way. Very small and very muddy but me and friends have caught 3 9+ LMBs. I recommend a black and blue swim jig or as crazy as it may sounds topwater. The Whopper Plopper is a great choice. I caught two 5s back-to-back.

[UPSmallie]

On 2/11/2017 at 4:01 PM, JustJames said:

Bass Jump

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing.  They look like Great Whites when they first break that surface!

[j bab]

Yall need to drop the carp thing. This guy said they're bass and he clearly saw them, how are you gonna keep giving him crap about it? I get offering up some suggestions, but how many people do we need to tell this guy he's wrong before it's enough? Just take his word for it or go away, jeez.

To treat a member like this is absurd, especially a new one. I expect better from this site.

[Hawkeye21]

If they are bass jumping then I'd be throwing some top water lures for sure.

[cport0519]

I've always had success tossing sluggos at bass breaking on baitfish in ponds. Used to float tube a 1.5 acre pond in San Diego. Every morning with the marine layer in the summer, 2-4 pounders wold break on the shad schools. they would roam around the middle of the pond, and I'd stay in the center and kick over to where they were breaking and pick off a few. Interestingly enough, I'd catch the bigger ones by casting over the boils, "walk the dog" with it by twitching it as soon as it hit the water, and let it drop right in the middle of the boils. The bigger, smarter ones wait under the action for the injured ones to float down. If they don't get it on the fall, usually one twitch-twitch-pause will get em. Keep that line tight to detect them on the fall.