Bank fishing

[MerderInc]

About 99% of my fishing is bank fishing at about a 1 acre pound full of largemouth and bluegill.  My old standbys are the fish head jig, Carolina rig, finesse rig, and drop shot.  Sometimes even day to day the results change drastically.  Are the bass more likely to tire of the lure, the presentation, or the color from one day to the next?  Some days are great, and some days I head back to the house almost mad.  Any tips would be great!   

[Junger]

Catch some bluegill and live-line them and go for the bigguns in that pond!

[MerderInc]

1 minute ago, Junger said:

Catch some bluegill and live-line them and go for the bigguns in that pond!

Up until a couple years ago this pond wasn't fished very much.  Aside from a few 3-4lbs in there, all the bass are the same size.  Should some of those smaller sized bass be taken out from time to time?

[Junger]

2 minutes ago, MerderInc said:

Up until a couple years ago this pond wasn't fished very much.  Aside from a few 3-4lbs in there, all the bass are the same size.  Should some of those smaller sized bass be taken out from time to time?

I'm not any kind of fishery expert, but I have a neighborhood pond that only has bluegill and brown bullhead catfish. Both fish species in there are stunted and max out around 4-5" because no one harvests them. The water is too disgusting to consider harvesting them, so the LMB fairy may visit the pond in the near future to naturally remove some of the stunted fish.

[papajoe222]

What you've been encountering is typical of bass fishing. Conditions change and those changes affect the what and where when it comes to the fish. Another thing to keep in mind is that these changes can occur in the same day and often times do.

  Many anglers have difficulty adjusting to them. They've been catching on Bait XYZ  from the north bank and the wind changes direction, or the clouds clear, or some other influencing factor, but they continue to fish the north bank with the same lures. When you're catching 'em, take note of the conditions around you and the next time they present themselves you will likely be able to reproduce your success. When you aren't catching, what's different? Will the difference drastically change their location, or just position them tighter to cover where they were. You'll either need to change locations, or present something within that smaller strike window that will get you bit. It's a generalization, but one that applies the majority of the time.

There are situations where a change in color or lure can get you back to catching, but it sounds like you're talking one outing vs. another, not all in the same day.

[SJex]

Try a Heddon tiny torpedo or a popper. Throw something different. Also besides what others have mentioned, how often do you fish this pond? You have to manage fish much like tournament anglers. Spend your days fishing different areas or spread your fishing days apart. Allow the fish time to recover.

[NYWayfarer]

I fish at a neighborhood pond every year for over a decade. It has LMB, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Pickerel, Brown Bullhead, Golden Shiners, Perch, Carp and it is stocked once a year with Brook Trout. It is extremely pressured.

 

If I fish a wacky rigged stickbait, chances are I will catch. You would think with the amount of Bass I have caught there over the years on this bait, they would be wary of it.  

 

I usually bring a few different baits with me to cover the water column top, middle, bottom. That also increases the chances of getting a bank bite. 

 

 

 

[MichaelCopeland]

I beat the banks probably 99.99% of the time. I have lots of success with a chatterbait(aka bladed jig). Also had decent success with swim jigs, weightless Texas rigged Ol' Monsters, Rage Structure Bugs, Sweet Beavers, lipless crankbaits and wacky rigged senko type baits and trick worms. Had some good blowups on a hollow body frog but haven't gotten the proper hook set to land them. Are you able to fish the entire pond or only certain parts of it?

[MerderInc]

3 hours ago, SJex said:

Try a Heddon tiny torpedo or a popper. Throw something different. Also besides what others have mentioned, how often do you fish this pond? You have to manage fish much like tournament anglers. Spend your days fishing different areas or spread your fishing days apart. Allow the fish time to recover.

I usually will fish a couple hours a couple times a week.

2 hours ago, MichaelCopeland said:

I beat the banks probably 99.99% of the time. I have lots of success with a chatterbait(aka bladed jig). Also had decent success with swim jigs, weightless Texas rigged Ol' Monsters, Rage Structure Bugs, Sweet Beavers, lipless crankbaits and wacky rigged senko type baits and trick worms. Had some good blowups on a hollow body frog but haven't gotten the proper hook set to land them. Are you able to fish the entire pond or only certain parts of it?

I'm able to fish the entire pond.  It's on family property so I can come and go as I like.  I've tried topwater baits many times, different times of day and throughout the year.  Don't think I've ever gotten a bite or any interest in it there.  There's some shrubbery in the water that holds a lot of fish, but it's very tight and I've been meaning to setup a heavy rod with some heavy braid to start pitching into it because the lower test line will get hung up, snagged or snapped.  Last year it was zoom lizards and flukes that caught everything, this year it's more swimbaits or finesse worms that they seem to prefer.  

[MichaelCopeland]

23 minutes ago, MerderInc said:

I usually will fish a couple hours a couple times a week.

I'm able to fish the entire pond.  It's on family property so I can come and go as I like.  I've tried topwater baits many times, different times of day and throughout the year.  Don't think I've ever gotten a bite or any interest in it there.  There's some shrubbery in the water that holds a lot of fish, but it's very tight and I've been meaning to setup a heavy rod with some heavy braid to start pitching into it because the lower test line will get hung up, snagged or snapped.  Last year it was zoom lizards and flukes that caught everything, this year it's more swimbaits or finesse worms that they seem to prefer.  

If it's where you can, cast a chatterbait beyond the shrubbery and retrieve it close to the shrubs and call those fish out. If you can't cast beyond the shrubs then cast to the outside edge and retrieve. You may have to cast either way a few times before you get bit, but I've seen bass come out of nowhere to slam my chatterbait. A plus to it is they probably haven't seen a chatterbait before. Give it a try and let me know how it works. It may even become your favorite bait to throw like it is mine. ?

[The_Bass_Addict]

I love fishing a watermelon red or green pumpkin Yamamoto Senko. I have them shakey head wacky rigged. VMC sells some wacky jigheads. 1/8 oz is best for just about every depth. You can throw this lure just about anywhere except really weedy areas. Cast it out and let it sink to the bottom. Let it sit there for about ten seconds, then pull it up a little bit, then repeat. I also love fishing a Rebel Bighopper in yellow. I fish this for both Largemouth Bass and Panfish. I will fish it both as a topwater and as a crankbait. This is a great lure for ponds and rivers!

[greentrout]

On 6/11/2018 at 1:07 PM, MerderInc said:

About 99% of my fishing is bank fishing at about a 1 acre pound full of largemouth and bluegill.  My old standbys are the fish head jig, Carolina rig, finesse rig, and drop shot.  Sometimes even day to day the results change drastically.  Are the bass more likely to tire of the lure, the presentation, or the color from one day to the next?  Some days are great, and some days I head back to the house almost mad.  Any tips would be great!   

1 acre...weightless Trick Worm...1/4 oz. Beetle Spin...Good fishing...

[MerderInc]

On 6/12/2018 at 3:15 PM, MichaelCopeland said:

If it's where you can, cast a chatterbait beyond the shrubbery and retrieve it close to the shrubs and call those fish out. If you can't cast beyond the shrubs then cast to the outside edge and retrieve. You may have to cast either way a few times before you get bit, but I've seen bass come out of nowhere to slam my chatterbait. A plus to it is they probably haven't seen a chatterbait before. Give it a try and let me know how it works. It may even become your favorite bait to throw like it is mine. ?

The chatterbait is great in the early spring, then it kinda falls off with the heat.  We're unseasonably hot here now, so lately some mojo rig fishing has really been great and gets lots of bites.  

On 6/12/2018 at 10:10 PM, greentrout said:

1 acre...weightless Trick Worm...1/4 oz. Beetle Spin...Good fishing...

almost all the soft plastics I use have to be rigged weightless because it was a farm pond and all manner of junk has been thrown in there over the years.  The trick worms in black or green pumpkin are always a favorite here.