Suggestions for Targeting a Large Bass in a Heavily Pressured Park Pond

[Sooner32]

I am a fairly inexperienced fisherman. There is a park with two ponds near my house, so I like to drop in there when I have some spare time. 

The bite is always tough in both of these ponds. One pond is larger than the other. 

I have pulled bass from both, with my biggest being approximately two pounds or so. 

While fishing the smaller pond, twice I have seen a HUGE bass break water. My question is this. How would you go about trying to catch that monster? Both times I saw her, she was in the deep end of the pond that has much less structure than the shallower side. There is a drainage pipe on that end. Both of the tiny fish I have recently caught were near that pipe. 

It is normal to get skunked at this pond. As a matter of fact when I caught my most recent fish I had two passers by tell me it was the first time they saw someone catch a fish. I have used weightless senkos, craws, drop shots, jigs, soft swimbaits, crankbaits,  and creature baits. My most recent catch was hooked on a silver 1/2 oz Johnson Silver Minnow. The one before that was on a lipless crank. Thanks in advance for your help.

[J Francho]

Fish when people aren't there.  Usually that means early morning at dawn.  There's a few ponds near me, and that is the key to catching.

[InfantryMP]

I would throw a hard jointed swimbait like in a shad or bluegill color. Those retention ponds or neighborhood ponds have been good to me with a jointed swimbait like a baby bull shad / gill or something similar. If they see a bunch of worms and creature baits all the time they may not bite as good as something like a swimming bait. 

[Sooner32]

4 minutes ago, InfantryMP said:

I would throw a hard jointed swimbait like in a shad or bluegill color.  

Thank you. I forgot to mention that there are bluegill in these ponds, so I imagine that is what the bass are feasting on. Although, I did see some kind of silver colored dead bait fish floating. I don't know if it was something another fisherman left, or if they are living in the pond. I have no clue what kind of fish it was. 

Do you have any brand/model suggestions for a bluegill version of these swimbaits?

15 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Fish when people aren't there.  Usually that means early morning at dawn.  There's a few ponds near me, and that is the key to catching.

Thank you. That's generally what I have been doing. I suspect that is why I have caught the fish there that I have. Like the one I got yesterday was mid afternoon in the rain.

[CrankFate]

Still might not be possible. The only thing I believe about “pressure” is that people might think they are making a better fishery by removing all the dumbest easiest to catch fish. But, instead, it causes a blue gill explosion. The BG ruin the spawn and you get no fish, except for the smartest fish with the best senses. They almost can’t be caught. That’s what I’ve seen. But “pressure” I don’t believe in it. Once the dumb catchable fish are gone, you have two options, keep trying or use real live bait. And even that might not work.

[Sooner32]

2 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

Still might not be possible. The only thing I believe about “pressure” is that people might think they are making a better fishery by removing all the dumbest easiest to catch fish. But, instead, it causes a blue gill explosion. The BG ruin the spawn and you get no fish, except for the smartest fish with the best senses. They almost can’t be caught. That’s what I’ve seen. Once the dumb catchable fish are gone, you have two options, keep trying or use real live bait. And even that might not work.

You might be right. I have thought about trying live bluegill or crawfish. How do rig these? Just a hook and let them go? 

[InfantryMP]

9 minutes ago, Sooner32 said:

Do you have any brand/model suggestions for a bluegill version of these swimbaits?

There are a few. The Mike Bucca Baby Bull Shad and Baby Bull Gill. There are some live target swimbaits as well that work in Bluegill. I am sure there are others, but those are ones I know of off the top of my head. 

[Sooner32]

3 minutes ago, InfantryMP said:

There are a few. The Mike Bucca Baby Bull Shad and Baby Bull Gill. There are some live target swimbaits as well that work in Bluegill. I am sure there are others, but those are ones I know of off the top of my head. 

Thank you.

[Deleted account]

16 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

But “pressure” I don’t believe in it. 

How are you defining pressure? Cause it's a real thing.

[CrankFate]

54 minutes ago, Sooner32 said:

You might be right. I have thought about trying live bluegill or crawfish. How do rig these? Just a hook and let them go? 

The BG work at about the size of a crank bait. I don’t use them. But they work. Craws work, too. Hook them through the tail.

47 minutes ago, BassWhole! said:

How are you defining pressure? Cause it's a real thing.

I know people say that, but where I fish these places take “pressure” to the extreme. I do t believe the amount of people fishing matters. If you ask me, people fishing all day, but not catching anything dont count as “pressure.” I don’t consider a crowded public place “pressured” until people actually catch fish. The only effect of people fishing that I believe happens is that if they remove the dumbest fish, it gets harder to catch what is left. I also think having all the food to eat in the world at any time you want is way worse than lots of people fishing. And it is another factor that negates “pressure.” You can take it for what it’s worth. But fishing without catching can’t pressure the fish.

[Deleted account]

22 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

The BG work at about the size of a crank bait. I don’t use them. But they work. Craws work, too. Hook them through the tail.

I know people say that, but where I fish these places take “pressure” to the extreme. I do t believe the amount of people fishing matters. If you ask me, people fishing all day, but not catching anything dont count as “pressure.” I don’t consider a crowded public place “pressured” until people actually catch fish. The only effect of people fishing that I believe happens is that if they remove the dumbest fish, it gets harder to catch what is left. I also think having all the food to eat in the world at any time you want is way worse than lots of people fishing. And it is another factor that negates “pressure.” You can take it for what it’s worth. But fishing without catching can’t pressure the fish.

Ah, I see what you are saying. People fishing and not catching will affect the fishing, much like kids skipping rocks, feeding geese, and otherwise carrying on around the water, AND DOGS!

I don't consider that pressure, but will spook or move fish around quite a bit and reduce catch temporarily. I have a lot of Wednesday spots like that, and the fishing is quite good, but  you wouldn't know from asking folks on other days. What I consider pressure is active fishing by competent anglers that exceeds a certain magnitude, That will affect fish both for the day, and depending on several factors, can affect it for several days or longer. 

[OCdockskipper]

41 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

... But fishing without catching can’t pressure the fish.

Incorrect.  Human presence affects a fish's temperament. 

 

If they come to the bank to feed & there are no people that they can see, they will feed.  However, if they come to the bank to feed & there are anglers visible (either on shore or in a boat) or people just milling about, the fish will vacate the area.  The additional human presence pressure the fish into not feeding.

 

This has been proven time & again these past 12 months as more people have hit the waterways during Covid 19 shutdowns.  

[CrankFate]

1 minute ago, OCdockskipper said:

Incorrect.  Human presence affects a fish's temperament. 

 

If they come to the bank to feed & there are no people that they can see, they will feed.  However, if they come to the bank to feed & there are anglers visible (either on shore or in a boat) or people just milling about, the fish will vacate the area.  The additional human presence pressure the fish into not feeding.

 

This has been proven time & again these past 12 months as more people have hit the waterways during Covid 19 shutdowns.  

while this is becoming an argument. I have to agree. Especially at my favorite place to fish. Yes, the people do alter the fish behavior just by being around. Especially because this is crystal clear water. 

15 minutes ago, BassWhole! said:

What I consider pressure is active fishing by competent anglers

There are very few competent anglers. There might be a lot around here on BR, but because the fishery where I am is so extremely limited, there are minimal fishermen of any competency. In other places where there is real water and there is an actual fishery, there are more competent anglers. That IMO is different than where I am. Fish will learn the lures from getting caught. But when they are not getting caught, it’s something else.

[Deleted account]

41 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

There might be a lot around here on BR

I think you are being blinded by the reflection on the pristine unscratched rods, or maybe the shinny JDM tiny reels, I don't see it, must be the fluorocarbon.... JK   

[E-rude dude]

Black buzzbait or Whopper plopper under a full moon about 3am.

[CrankFate]

2 minutes ago, BassWhole! said:

I think you are being blinded by the reflection on the pristine unscratched rods, or maybe the shinny JDM tiny reels, I don't see it, must be the fluorocarbon.... JK   

Maybe, but I don’t seen anyone saying that the proper way to catch a largemouth bass is to get a large spinnerbait with a rusted dull hook on it using a heavy rod, rated to no less than 4 ounces, with a spinning reel spooled with 300 yards of 30lb mono. And just stand there and cast straight out towards the middle of the lake repeatedly.

[DitchPanda]

2 hours ago, J Francho said:

Fish when people aren't there.  Usually that means early morning at dawn.  There's a few ponds near me, and that is the key to catching.

This...also will expand and say crappy conditions when others won't go such as cold weather or rainy\windy has helped me fool most of my big fish over the  years

[scaleface]

All right , more info about that drainage pipe . Is it big enough for bass to occupy ? Is there current going through it? I have caught a lot of bass by letting the current push a top water through pipes and culverts , then retrieving it.  Something like   a Baby Torpedo or Bomber Long A Minnow  will do the trick .

[Sooner32]

1 hour ago, E-rude dude said:

Black buzzbait or Whopper plopper under a full moon about 3am.

Seriously? I am relatively new to bass fishing and to this forum, is why I am asking. Sometimes it is difficult to tell if someone is being facetious or not. Thank you for the response. 

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

All right , more info about that drainage pipe . Is it big enough for bass to occupy ? Is there current going through it? I have caught a lot of bass by letting the current push a top water through pipes and culverts , then retrieving it.  Something like   a Baby Torpedo or Bomber Long A Minnow  will do the trick .

It is big enough for a bass to occupy. There is a current after rainfall. Most of the time the water just crashes around in front of it.  I am probably using am improper term, but is looks like water drains into the pond through it. There are some stray branches in front of it. I believe the two little bass I got came out of the branches. The area where I saw the monster break water was about 10 to 15 yards in front of the pipe in deeper water. 

[cdlittle]

9 minutes ago, Sooner32 said:

Seriously? I am relatively new to bass fishing and to this forum, is why I am asking. Sometimes it is difficult to tell if someone is being facetious or not. Thank you for the response. 

 

He's being serious. Loud topwater lures can get absolutely hammered at night.

[E-rude dude]

4 hours ago, Sooner32 said:

Seriously? I am relatively new to bass fishing and to this forum, is why I am asking. Sometimes it is difficult to tell if someone is being facetious or not. Thank you for the response. 

 

 

Very Serious 

 

Based on what you offered as information. A very small body of water and lots of pressure (it’s over fished). The biggest fish in the pond will feed at night. A full moon allows them to be the ultimate predator when nothing else is disturbing the water. 

 

[Sooner32]

1 minute ago, E-rude dude said:

Very Serious 

 

Based on what you offered as information. A very small body of water and lots of pressure (it’s over fished). The biggest fish in the pond will feed at night. A full moon allows them to be the ultimate predator when nothing else is disturbing the water. 

 

I will give it a shot, then. Thank you. 

[BrianMDTX]

I’ll add my $0.02, as I fish what I would call pressured ponds. No offense to fellow anglers, especially as compared to many on BR, I am still a novice. But from what I see, I’m head and shoulders above 90% of the other anglers. Most head for the most wide-open bank (meaning little structure or cover) with one rig and cast the hell out of the same bait for 5 to 60 minutes, catch nothing and leave. Does that pressure the fish? Certainly. Any activity above the norm equals pressure. But it’s not “educating” the bass as far as avoiding strikes on good presentations. 

 

I see mostly spinnerbaits cast to the middle of the pond, or frogs, or creature baits. I rarely see anyone fishing a lipless crank, a popper, jerkbaits or weightless Texas rigs/wacky rigs. Why, I can’t say. 

 

So my advice is seek out the spots that provide shade, cover and structure. It may be hard to cast there, but it’s also sees much less pressure. See if finesse gets you bites. Most of my soft plastics are weightless. Senkos (TR and WR), Zoom Tricks, creature baits, etc. I fish on spinning rigs. Ned rigs are tough as the exposed hooks get fouled easily, but if your pond is not overly mucky, that may be a good option. Neko Machos, Fat IKA’s, large craws and other heavier plastics I fish on baitcasters. I try to bring 2, 3, 4 or 5 rigs (always a minimum of two) so I can switch up fast without rerigging constantly. 

 

Be be patient and stick with it. The bass will come! 

[Surfcaster79]

11 hours ago, Sooner32 said:

I am a fairly inexperienced fisherman. There is a park with two ponds near my house, so I like to drop in there when I have some spare time. 

The bite is always tough in both of these ponds. One pond is larger than the other. 

I have pulled bass from both, with my biggest being approximately two pounds or so. 

While fishing the smaller pond, twice I have seen a HUGE bass break water. My question is this. How would you go about trying to catch that monster? Both times I saw her, she was in the deep end of the pond that has much less structure than the shallower side. There is a drainage pipe on that end. Both of the tiny fish I have recently caught were near that pipe. 

It is normal to get skunked at this pond. As a matter of fact when I caught my most recent fish I had two passers by tell me it was the first time they saw someone catch a fish. I have used weightless senkos, craws, drop shots, jigs, soft swimbaits, crankbaits,  and creature baits. My most recent catch was hooked on a silver 1/2 oz Johnson Silver Minnow. The one before that was on a lipless crank. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

 

I recently learned a new pond and also struggled my first 5 times there with only 1 bass per trip. I changed colors of the senko I was using and pegged it with 1/16oz tungsten bullet opposed to using weightless. That was the ticket, I lost count of the number I caught since making that change. If that lake or pond your in has very low visibility, try an all black 5in worm. 

 

Big fish generally have very small windows to be caught. I would certainly try getting to this pond before sunrise when its still dark out and fish the first 1-2 hours of first light and repeat fishing the last hour or so of daylight before its dark. 

 

I never fresh water fished overnight in the dark as I have for striped bass in saltwater, but the night time was the right time to catch the biggins. 

[Sooner32]

42 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

I’ll add my $0.02, as I fish what I would call pressured ponds. No offense to fellow anglers, especially as compared to many on BR, I am still a novice. But from what I see, I’m head and shoulders above 90% of the other anglers. Most head for the most wide-open bank (meaning little structure or cover) with one rig and cast the hell out of the same bait for 5 to 60 minutes, catch nothing and leave. Does that pressure the fish? Certainly. Any activity above the norm equals pressure. But it’s not “educating” the bass as far as avoiding strikes on good presentations. 

 

I see mostly spinnerbaits cast to the middle of the pond, or frogs, or creature baits. I rarely see anyone fishing a lipless crank, a popper, jerkbaits or weightless Texas rigs/wacky rigs. Why, I can’t say. 

 

So my advice is seek out the spots that provide shade, cover and structure. It may be hard to cast there, but it’s also sees much less pressure. See if finesse gets you bites. Most of my soft plastics are weightless. Senkos (TR and WR), Zoom Tricks, creature baits, etc. I fish on spinning rigs. Ned rigs are tough as the exposed hooks get fouled easily, but if your pond is not overly mucky, that may be a good option. Neko Machos, Fat IKA’s, large craws and other heavier plastics I fish on baitcasters. I try to bring 2, 3, 4 or 5 rigs (always a minimum of two) so I can switch up fast without rerigging constantly. 

 

Be be patient and stick with it. The bass will come! 

Thank you. I use a lot of those techniques/rigs. Definitely good advice. I typically carry a spinning rig for the weightless senkos/ light Texas rigs/etc..., and a baitcast rig for swimbaits and jigs. I have not tried any topwater lures out there. I have a few frogs and a little popper I've just never tied on. I will be doing that soon. Thanks again. 

12 minutes ago, Surfcaster79 said:

 

 

I recently learned a new pond and also struggled my first 5 times there with only 1 bass per trip. I changed colors of the senko I was using and pegged it with 1/16oz tungsten bullet opposed to using weightless. That was the ticket, I lost count of the number I caught since making that change. If that lake or pond your in has very low visibility, try an all black 5in worm. 

 

Big fish generally have very small windows to be caught. I would certainly try getting to this pond before sunrise when its still dark out and fish the first 1-2 hours of first light and repeat fishing the last hour or so of daylight before its dark. 

 

I never fresh water fished overnight in the dark as I have for striped bass in saltwater, but the night time was the right time to catch the biggins. 

I've been using watermelon and green pumpkin. I will have to try black or another dark color. The visibility is stained on a good day. Some days it is chocolate milk. 

This park close from. 11p to 5a. I've fished until dusk, but never really tried staying after dark. Inwould imagine the traffic is almost 0 after dark. Thanks again.