Feast or Famine. Is it worth it?

[Paul Roberts]

I've been fishing a pond that... keeps me coming back. But then I have to ask myself if it's worth the pain. Ever had one of those? It's either feast or famine: A lunker... or nothing! Upon pulling out of the water after another loooong day, another angler asked me, "What's with this place? I either catch a big one, or none at all." And he added, "Those big ones sure keep me coming back! But... it's tough fishing!"

 

By then I'd put some hours into it, and found that if I go finesse, I can add a bunch of 8 to 10”ers to the catch, and a few 11-12"ers sprinkled in. I got to saying, “Where are the 2lbers! The lunkers are nice, but... few and far between. Where's the 2lbers?!” 

 

So, I wrote back to my regional warmwater biologist about the apparent gaping hole in size/year classes in this pond. I assumed it had to do with the massive flood we had in 2013. But I had to know whether or not I just wasn't finding a chunk of the population. Here's his short and sweet, and helpful, reply:

 

"Hi Paul,

The ponds breached and it took 3 years to repair, we did not stock until things were back to normal.

Ben"

 

Ok... I feel better now. I and the other anglers I've commiserated with at pond-side aren't "missing something", the pond is! Maybe time to move on, and give those little guys a few years to grow, or accept the trophy fish hunter mentality for that water. Such is boom-n-bust fishing, not uncommon on small waters that rely on natural reproduction. However, this pond or "small lake", being an urban water, receives "supplemental" stocking. Until something truly catastrophic happens. The result became obvious, after some serious hours in to it. That catastrophic flood knocked down natural reproduction, and stopped the supplemental stocking, leaving a gaping hole in the size distribution of the bass there. Good info going in.

 

One thing's for sure, you don't want to lose a good one here, as I did the other night; Me asleep at the wheel with a weighted-crankbait hooked fish, leaping, at the close of a 15hr day in a float tube. Oh... that hurt -both my butt and my spirits. My last look at her:

 

Here's one of those hard earned big ones, a 6+lber, that didn't get away -11hr day this one:

 

 

 

 

Worth it? Guess if I stay on this water, I'll need to adjust myself to the trophy fishing mindset.

[Bluebasser86]

I have a couple lakes like that. When they're good, it's great. When they're bad, I contemplate why I got out of bed that morning.

[senile1]

I think they are worth it, though I would much rather have some solid mid-range fish to tide me over until that next lunker.  I have some lakes like that as well.  

 

By the way, @Paul Roberts, I see your jpg files but I am unable to open them.  

[Paul Roberts]

4 hours ago, senile1 said:

By the way, @Paul Roberts, I see your jpg files but I am unable to open them.  

Hmmm... odd, they uploaded just fine and I see them. Maybe I should try uploading again.

Well... Odd... I can't edit my post bc there is an ad in the way, blocking the edit button. I cannot close the ad. ????

[senile1]

To rule out my laptop, I checked my PC and my phone as well.  I see the same thing on all three . . . . jpg file names but no pics.

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, senile1 said:

To rule out my laptop, I checked my PC and my phone as well.  I see the same thing on all three . . . . jpg file names but no pics.

Same here

[Vilas15]

In a few years when all those small fish get big with no large fish ahead of them it will be a boom in the cycle and there should be plenty of large fish so be ready for that.

[Paul Roberts]

Well if there's no pics, I should just delete the thread. But can't get to the edit button.