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

[Dumbbassanglr]

I'll give you a story, then the lessons: I live in Ohio but was on a trip to Houston (bass fishing popular there?) and went to a pond smack dab in the middle of the city called tom bass regional park. Pressured. So I went at 6am. I saw a bass boil at the surface. Threw a soft plastic toad PAST it and reeled it back super fast then killed it right in the area where I saw the bass. Sure enough I caught a nice 3lbr. 

 

Lessons: Go when others don't. Force the bass to react. I have observed that most of this "pressure" is people throwing finesse baits on spinning reels, which is fine, but everyone tends to go finesse because they are in the same boat as you. Therefore do the opposite of them and don't give the bass a chance to get a good look at your bait. Throw chatter baits, crank baits, topwater and other baits that will "trigger" the bass' instincts. And another thing most of those pond fisherman do is fish super slow. Therefore do the opposite, try fast retrieves to see if you can trigger the fish.

 

This has worked for me. I mostly fish ponds and this year (which basically just started here in Ohio) I've caught a 2 4lbrs, a 5.5 and a 6lbr already at highly "pressured" ponds.  

[cdlittle]

There's a pond that's 5 min from my house that I end up fishing a lot when I only have 30-60 minutes to fish. It's full of trash from inconsiderate anglers, has impenetrable weeds in the summer, and the fish are all a pound or less.

 

OR SO I THOUGHT!

 

Was fishing after dark, using a jerkbait right after ice out, and I freaking got a 5lber. Didn't know there were even bass that big in that pond. 

 

So yes, fish when others aren't and force them to react.

[TriStateBassin106]

Bigger pond bass are smart, but still catchable. I've caught plenty of 3lb+ bass at my favorite pond last year using finesse tactics like baby brush hogs, ned rigs and even swimming a jig. My best advice is to keep pushing at it and try some moving baits. Try a chatterbait and burn it out in the middle, you might get that bigger fish to attack it. 

[CrankFate]

1 hour ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

Bigger pond bass are smart, but still catchable. I've caught plenty of 3lb+ bass at my favorite pond last year using finesse tactics like baby brush hogs, ned rigs and even swimming a jig. My best advice is to keep pushing at it and try some moving baits. Try a chatterbait and burn it out in the middle, you might get that bigger fish to attack it. 

My advice is pressure only counts if people know what they are doing and actually catch fish. No matter how many people know of a place. No matter how many people cast hooks into the water. None of it matters, unless they actually catch many fish. If no one catches anything, that eliminates pressure as the problem. Just like millions of fishermen not catching fish will ever reduce the fish stocks, fish can’t be pressured by not getting caught. More likely than not, everyone is following the same advice. And that advice doesn’t apply. To get scientific, as Einstein once said, people who read too much develop lazy habits. Then he wrote his own book to say that they were just wrong, because they all read the same books. This is the best fishing advice there is when the assumption is that “fishing pressure” is the problem.

 

When everyone holds the same wrong belief, they all get the same bad result. In this thread, everyone is all in agreement. And everyone is agreeing in the bad result. That is the problem. It is obvious to anyone who knows that when this happens the problem is probably the advice.

 

Please note here, that I am not knocking anyone’s advice. What I mean to say is not try something different. Try to find out what the fish are doing that’s different than what applies elsewhere.

[cdlittle]

1 hour ago, CrankFate said:

My advice is pressure only counts if people know what they are doing and actually catch fish. No matter how many people know of a place. No matter how many people cast hooks into the water. None of it matters, unless they actually catch many fish. If no one catches anything, that eliminates pressure as the problem. Just like millions of fishermen not catching fish will ever reduce the fish stocks, fish can’t be pressured by not getting caught. More likely than not, everyone is following the same advice. And that advice doesn’t apply. To get scientific, as Einstein once said, people who read too much develop lazy habits. Then he wrote his own book to say that they were just wrong, because they all read the same books. This is the best fishing advice there is when the assumption is that “fishing pressure” is the problem.

 

When everyone holds the same wrong belief, they all get the same bad result. In this thread, everyone is all in agreement. And everyone is agreeing in the bad result. That is the problem. It is obvious to anyone who knows that when this happens the problem is probably the advice.

 

I hard disagree. Many times I've had to swap to finesse to catch fish when there are a lot of anglers around not catching fish, then switch back to regular after they leave. 

 

Most recent was last week, fishing jerkbaits. Was at my favorite local pond, bunch of anglers around, basically all of us throwing hard jerkbaits. Couldn't catch crap until I swapped to a Super Fluke, which isn't flashy and silent. Caught several, then everyone started packing up, and I swapped back to the hard jerkbait and was still catching. 

 

This happens to me all the time at my local ponds. In my mind, it's pretty clear evidence that bass can be pressured just by having a crap ton of lures and loud anglers around. 

[CrankFate]

17 minutes ago, cdlittle said:

 

I hard disagree. Many times I've had to swap to finesse to catch fish when there are a lot of anglers around not catching fish, then switch back to regular after they leave. 

 

Most recent was last week, fishing jerkbaits. Was at my favorite local pond, bunch of anglers around, basically all of us throwing hard jerkbaits. Couldn't catch crap until I swapped to a Super Fluke, which isn't flashy and silent. Caught several, then everyone started packing up, and I swapped back to the hard jerkbait and was still catching. 

 

This happens to me all the time at my local ponds. In my mind, it's pretty clear evidence that bass can be pressured just by having a crap ton of lures and loud anglers around. 

Please explain how or why finesse fishing works in pressured water? Because pressure has nothing to do with the size of the forage. Your disagreement proves what I am saying.
 

[cdlittle]

40 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

Please explain how or why finesse fishing works in pressured water? Because pressure has nothing to do with the size of the forage. Your disagreement proves what I am saying.
 

 

I never said anything about size. I was pretty specific that I was talking about noise/flash. The Super Fluke and RipStop jerkbaits I was throwing are identical in size...

 

It's happened with crankbaits that are the exact same model, just one with rattles vs silent. I consistently get less fish on rattles when there are other anglers around, even when they are not catching fish. 

 

I live just outside Chicago, so the amount of anglers is very high.

[CrankFate]

1 hour ago, cdlittle said:

 

I never said anything about size. I was pretty specific that I was talking about noise/flash. The Super Fluke and RipStop jerkbaits I was throwing are identical in size...

 

It's happened with crankbaits that are the exact same model, just one with rattles vs silent. I consistently get less fish on rattles when there are other anglers around, even when they are not catching fish. 

 

I live just outside Chicago, so the amount of anglers is very high.

Pressure is the nice way of saying lots of people who are probably not throwing the right things. The amount of anglers means almost nothing. You can argue all you want. If your argument is pressure is stopping you from catching fish, you missed the point. You tubers post videos of themselves catching fish over and over and over in the same spots. Over and over again. But the pressure doesn’t apply. Why? 

I never, ever consider the number of anglers in my equation for how to catch fish. The only thing that matters is how many fish there are, where they are and what they’ll eat. And maybe reaction bites. It is harder to say find out what those fish will bite, than it is to say you’re doing it wrong, because I have no idea what those fish you’re talking about in Chicago want to eat.

 

I think it’s more about pressured people, than it is about pressured fish.

[Bankbeater]

When you say pressure I think of a couple of ponds around me. Anglers are on the water fishing daily coving the same locations over and over. Some of these anglers know what they are doing and same don’t. 
The first thing I would do is down size baits. The second thing I would do is watch the other anglers to see what baits they are using. Then use a bait that others are not using. 
The different bait may be a smaller version, or slightly different color, or a completely different style of bait. 

[Jcj90]

On 4/16/2021 at 9:47 PM, 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’m curious I’ve been looking into fishing the exact same senko setup and 1/16oz pegged weight. What rod and reel are you fishing it on and what lb line and lb leader? How are you fishing it?

[Dwight Hottle]

On 4/16/2021 at 1:04 PM, 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 .

 

X2

That drainage pipe is always a fish attractor in ponds & small lakes. Fish it from both sides so you cast past it & retrieve towards it. Also fish the general area where you saw her. Low light conditions are best and doesn’t hurt to be stealthy in your approach. 

[Boomstick]

On 4/16/2021 at 10:24 AM, CrankFate said:

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.

While I generally think pressure is a little more than what you make of it, this statement is often so very true. Sometimes you will see a big bass following your lures but no matter what you throw, you can't get it to actually bite anything.

On 4/16/2021 at 9:56 AM, Sooner32 said:

There is a drainage pipe on that end. Both of the tiny fish I have recently caught were near that pipe. 

We have a few lakes with drainage pipes, and often they hold bass. One lake in particular holds some pretty large bass in that drainage pipe. I didn't realize where the drainage pipe was on one side (you can't see it) but I would always catch bass in front of it and someone pointed out there was a drainage pipe there that held typically very large bass (the same person showed me a picture of a 7 pounder he caught out of it). I've gotten some big bass from it, and missed a real nice one.

 

What seems to work best to target the drainage pipe is to drag a T-rigged craw or a football head jig across it very slowly, over and over. It may take a while, but I can usually land one. It's worth a try. It's usually even better later in the season, but I let my youngest son have the spot next to it a couple weeks ago and he caught this one not long after he switched to a craw from a power worm, likely because the power worm was hard to keep on the bottom.

 

Also since it's generally pressured, try to throw something other people aren't throwing and give the fish a different look.

 

[RenzokukenFisher]

At the end of the day you need to find out what your fish like at your ponds. As a bank fishermen who has access to like 20+ ponds at all times, I've learned first hand that every pond's fish has preferences. I could catch multiple bass on a jig alllll day long at one pond while at another pond they won't sniff a jig but will slam a Texas rig. Learning your fish's habits comes with time on the water. More often than not you will begin to piece together what they like and can start hammering them. Pair that knowledge with going during odd hours like noon, nighttime, or early morning and you'll get em. Goodluck! 

[Boomstick]

2 hours ago, Jcj90 said:

I’m curious I’ve been looking into fishing the exact same senko setup and 1/16oz pegged weight. What rod and reel are you fishing it on and what lb line and lb leader? How are you fishing it?

I would fish this on 12# fluorocarbon on my Tatula Elite M-MH/XF, but a rod like the Dobyns 703C or St Croix Mojo Bass 7'1" M/F plastics works very well as well.

[Surfcaster79]

4 hours ago, Jcj90 said:

I’m curious I’ve been looking into fishing the exact same senko setup and 1/16oz pegged weight. What rod and reel are you fishing it on and what lb line and lb leader? How are you fishing it?

 

 

Rod is a dicks sporting combo job.... the abu garcia zata spinning, 8lb braid with 15lb fluro.

 

Cast out, let sink.. raise the rod tip all the way up slowly while reeling in slack, rinse and repeat. sometimes I raise it a little faster, sometimes longer pauses in between. just go out and experiment. 

[Sooner32]

Here's an aerial view of the pond. The pipe is on the bottom right. I've caught two small bass here in the last couple of weeks. I saw the big girl come out of the water in the large open area in front of the pipe. 

[cdlittle]

1 minute ago, Sooner32 said:

Here's an aerial view of the pond. The pipe is on the bottom right. I've caught two small bass here in the last couple of weeks. I saw the big girl come out of the water in the large open area in front of the pipe. 

 

I'd Whopper Plopper the everliving crap out of that spot at night

[BrianMDTX]

I’d target the areas where the trees overhang the water with a Senko wacky rig, a weightless Zoom Trick TR or a Neko Macho weightless TR. If fishing from the bank, sidearm cast and skip those baits right under the branches. 

[frogflogger]

Pond that is fished a lot. I fished one last year,, my grandsons did well enough on ned rigs. Myself I threw a black furbit for two hours. One fish, middle of day, 71/2 lbs.

That's what makes me happy. 

[Luke Barnes]

On 4/19/2021 at 1:54 PM, Sooner32 said:

Here's an aerial view of the pond. The pipe is on the bottom right. I've caught two small bass here in the last couple of weeks. I saw the big girl come out of the water in the large open area in front of the pipe. 

I'm guessing from your user name you're an Okie. Where abouts are you at? If it was a pond i knew I could offer some input, but I'm not that good of a fisherman with only 4 years experience so im still learning. 

[Sooner32]

18 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

I'm guessing from your user name you're an Okie. Where abouts are you at? If it was a pond i knew I could offer some input, but I'm not that good of a fisherman with only 4 years experience so im still learning. 

You are correct, sir. I'm in OKC. 

[Bankc]

Are you sure you saw a bass?  More than likely, if you see a fish jump in ponds around here, it's a carp.  They love to stock those things in our ponds, for some reason.

 

Anyway, the trick is finding the fish in the right mood.  That means finding them at the right time and place.  So I'd probably throw some worms in the deeper water and just circle that area, and try to cover it all.  Then I might go up near that bridge and throw some topwaters in the more shallow water.  If that doesn't work, come back at a different time and try again.  You never know when they'll bite.  And small ponds can be hard sometimes.  But the advantage to a small pond is you can try pretty much everything, in every spot, every time you go out.  

[Luke Barnes]

22 hours ago, Sooner32 said:

You are correct, sir. I'm in OKC. 

Ah. You ever fished in the brick town canal??

[Sooner32]

7 hours ago, Bankc said:

Are you sure you saw a bass?  More than likely, if you see a fish jump in ponds around here, it's a carp.  They love to stock those things in our ponds, for some reason.

 

Anyway, the trick is finding the fish in the right mood.  That means finding them at the right time and place.  So I'd probably throw some worms in the deeper water and just circle that area, and try to cover it all.  Then I might go up near that bridge and throw some topwaters in the more shallow water.  If that doesn't work, come back at a different time and try again.  You never know when they'll bite.  And small ponds can be hard sometimes.  But the advantage to a small pond is you can try pretty much everything, in every spot, every time you go out.  

I am honestly not 100% sure, but I got a good look both times. It was definitely a greenish brown color and did not look like a carp to me. But, it is totally possible. Apparently there are shad in there. I mentioned seeing a dead silver colored bait fish in an earlier comment. Well, the last time I went to this pond I got skunked except for foul hooking one of those guys. 

 

This is the last bass I got out of there last week. Little bitty guy. 

This came out of the larger of the of the two ponds several years ago.

5 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

Ah. You ever fished in the brick town canal??

I have not. I have heard of people pulling some bug fish out of there though.

[PhishLI]

On 4/17/2021 at 8:36 PM, CrankFate said:

My advice is pressure only counts if people know what they are doing and actually catch fish. No matter how many people know of a place. No matter how many people cast hooks into the water. None of it matters

Perhaps that's true in some places, or many places, but not everywhere.

 

Most lakes and ponds closest to me are very similar. They're weed choked and they're all tree or brush lined with a beaten path outside of the foliage, and no floating devices allowed. There're periodic cuts down to the water that are the only option for shore anglers to cast from. Apart from the bluegill spawn when they're driven to make a bed anywhere, the water near those cuts is devoid of baitfish during daylight hours.

 

Call it fishing pressure, or fishing presence, but the bait is gone during the day and so are the bass it would seem. Maybe it's a billion baits hitting the water. Maybe it's the endless footfalls. Maybe it's the shadows anglers cast, but It's unusual for anyone daytime fishing from these cuts to catch a bass. I have a good vantage point from the unpressured spots I wade and catch from. The stuck-on-the-shore guys get relentlessly skunked during the day. I talk to most of them when I'm circling. They get their butts kicked brutally, including the more sophisticated ones that I've fished with elsewhere and who've had good success otherwise.

 

Here's the big BUT. But at night, when I fish more than any other time, those very same cuts are loaded with bait. We've caught a ton of bass when fishing from those very same well hammered shoreline cuts. I can't tell you how many times we were striking out at our prime hard to reach wading zones only to go to the shore cuts to throw a Hail Mary at the end of the night and struck gold. Numbers and size. This doesn't always happen, but it happens a lot.

 

It's possible that a more complete assessment or better descriptor exists for what I've observed here, but for my purposes I'll call it pressure.