Pond bass only hit 1 lure

[554dr150]

We have a small pond (about 1/2 acre).  It hasn't been stocked since the early 80's.  Almost no one fishes it.  We can catch piles of bass in the spring. We average 7-10 pre hour.  Here is the kicker,  they will only hit original rapala's.  Medium or small and only silver and black.  No matter what else you throw, you won't catch one.  Summer and fall you can't get them to bite anything.  Fish run to the small side. We keep all we catch.  In the  last couple of years we are catching a few slightly larger fish.  Any idea on how the make them bite later in the year?

[Basstermind]

I don't have an explanation, but I have noticed certain pond populations (as I call them) tend to have shared lure preferences.  In general, I get good results with a Whopper Popper almost anywhere, most of the year.  But there are a few places where I might as well be throwing a soda out there, as it doesn't even get nibbled at.  Then I will switch to a watermelon worm and just rake - and the same worm works almost every time I go to said pond.  At another place I've fished recently they love a pumpkin crayfish, even tho its an abandoned quarry and seems like poor habitat for real crayfish. 

 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

[GreenPig]

Strange. I've never fished a pond that I couldn't catch some on a Super Fluke. 

[Dan N]

I would be amazed if a ned rig did not work. I can usually catch on that anywhere I go. Or a wacky worm? Again usually always works.

[detroit1]

Quit taking all of them home.

[Buzzbaiter]

If you’re harvesting every single fish, there’s not going to be much left to catch. I don’t think it’s an issue of selectivity as much as it is a lack of larger bass. Smaller bass love raps, as well as other smaller baits. Id be willing to bet you could catch them on crappie jigs, inline spinners, and other small lures.
 

If you want better fishing, release more fish to swim another day. Better yet, do a stock assessment to see how many spawning size fish you have left. Look into population management techniques for your pond. Maybe even consider stocking some fish (not a biologist, this is just an uneducated suggestion). More than anything, stop overharvesting. If you want a pond to to consistently harvest food from, maybe try managing for crappie (***be very careful with this, since crappie have a reputation for being volatile in pond ecosystems***). Again, I’m no biologist, so take my word as advice and not gospel.

[Pat Brown]

Yeah sounds like you're over culling in a big way and the bass don't want to play.

 

Same thing happened to a few ponds I fish.  Used to be bass fishing paradise.  Live bait and meat hunters came in and went to town during bass fishing big resurgence.  Now the bass won't even hit live bait or eat during the day hours.

 

The smaller the pond and the more you fish it, the faster they will learn.

 

Only a matter of time before they stop hitting the Rapala too and all that is left is stunted dinks.  I'd maybe let it rest and find another spot and maybe only keep a couple per year out of small ponds.

[WRB]

The broken back J11 Silver is pond bass killer lure.

Wacky Weedless rigged 4” or 5” Senko #301 will catch those pond bass during the summer.

Tom 

[Swamp Girl]

Free line live bait on six-pound test. I'd be stunned if they didn't hit a minnow or nightcrawler with no weight. Yes, they're hard to cast, but effective. 

 

When I was a kid, I also tossed the smallest floating Rapala to catch scores of small bass at a pond. 

[Captain Phil]

On 9/18/2023 at 10:52 AM, 554dr150 said:

We keep all we catch.  

 

Amazing.....

[ironbjorn]

On 9/18/2023 at 10:52 AM, 554dr150 said:

We have a small pond (about 1/2 acre).  It hasn't been stocked since the early 80's.  Almost no one fishes it.  We can catch piles of bass in the spring. We average 7-10 pre hour.  Here is the kicker,  they will only hit original rapala's.  Medium or small and only silver and black.  No matter what else you throw, you won't catch one.  Summer and fall you can't get them to bite anything.  Fish run to the small side. We keep all we catch.  In the  last couple of years we are catching a few slightly larger fish.  Any idea on how the make them bite later in the year?

1/2 acre pond, in which you catch 7-10 per hour, and "we" keep all "we" catch.

 

You might have solved your own problem without realizing it. 

 

That is insane.

[554dr150]

Well the we is just 2 of us.  All of our pond management people local to us are saying the pond is way overloaded with bass.  We only fish it about 3 times a year so probably the "all we catch" numbers less than 40 fish.  We have been doing this for about 7-8 years and no change.  Still being told we need to remove more.  Have only ever caught 2 over 2 lbs.

[txchaser]

3.3" keitech on a 1/0 owner flashy swimmer

and as previously mentioned a ned rig

also, try sneaking up on the pond

generally i hear 40lbs/acre/year, but if the fish are still skinny you can take more. on water that small, better to under-do it by a little than over do it by a little, as 1/2 acre can be very fragile water

most of those fish will be eating near the bank