Spotting Ponds, Finding Fish

[purpurite]

Hi all, I'm hoping you can impart some experience and wisdom.

 

I spend 99% of my fishing time on suburban forest preserve lakes/ponds, and mostly neighborhood retention ponds. I have had a tough fishing summer, mostly because my fishing time has been in the middle of the day's heat and sun (lunch) and not at optimal feeding times. I feel as if many of the locations I am fishing are highly pressured.

 

Neighborhood retention ponds in my area (suburban Chicago) are plentiful, and many of them are stocked/have fish in them. With the struggles that I have had this summer catching fish, I'm having a difficult time determining if there is anything in a new pond or it's just me there at the wrong time with the wrong lures.

 

What clues can I look for in determining if there are largemouth or even baitfish at a location? I have been using egrets/cormorants/herons as an indication of fish in a pond to this point, but are there any other things you can spot from a distance to give you an indication that here might be something worth investigating?

 

 

TIA,

 

Doug

[Fishlegs]

It sounds like you’re doing what you can. I almost always see fish that I spooked when I’m walking around a pond. If you’re not seeing any forage, not seeing any fish speeding away, and not catching anything in multiple trips to the same pond it might be time to look for another pond. You could always try that one again when the season changes.

 

What lures are you trying?

[purpurite]

4 hours ago, Fishlegs said:

What lures are you trying?

 

Most places, I start with weedless Texas rig, either with a tube, grub or a craw. If there is none or little wind, I'll try a Whopper Plopper. If I am not getting any hits after those, I'll move to a wacky-rigged worm. If there is a lot of weed or pads, I'll jump on a frog right off the bat.

 

One of the spots I fish at regularly during my lunch break, had a school of piraña-like bluegill swarming right below me so I threw them a handful of crushed chips. I caught two largemouth in the heat of the noon hour, so now I bring a small ziplock bag of saltine crackers to toss in the water to chum for baitfish. If there are no fish bombing the crackers, I can pretty much tell that I'm not going to get many hits on that day. Not terribly scientific, but it makes sense in my head.

[Fishlegs]

Sounds logical to me. I may have to try that cracker trick.  Keep on looking and you’ll find them. Good luck!

[Biglittle8]

I would use something that covers a lot of water in a short time like a spinnerbait or chatterbait, just slow it down a bit when it's hot, that will often let you know a certain part of the pond is holding fish. It's tough when it's hot.

[The Bassman]

Study ned rig fishing (the right way with very light jigs). You will catch fish.