Farm Fishing

[Swamp Girl]

I fished a pond that I've always considered to be a quantity pond as I've never caught a 19-incher there, but have caught lots of 16" to 17" bass. You reach the pond by driving past potato and pumpkin fields, thus the title, "Farm Fishing." Once you're on the pond, it feels wild and I took one shot looking back at the pond so you can see other than the farm, it's all woods. I caught 27 bass today, beginning at 10:00 a.m. and ending at 1:15 p.m. I was thrilled to catch bigger bass than I've ever caught at this pond, many from 17" to 18". I expect next year I'll finally catch a 19-incher. Many of them fought like they were 19-inchers. I begin with two pics of the farm's fields and my launching site. The first bass you see was caught on my first cast. I caught 4 bass on a wacky worm, one on a Whopper Plopper, and 22 on a black and silver paddletail on an Owner weighted underspin. I caught a nice smallmouth too! I didn't catch a single dink. I don't know why my bass photos aren't loading with the right orientation. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Awesome stuff Katie, the scenery and health of the Bass never gets old!  

 

Those are the types of places I'd buy if I hit the lottery.   I'd burn 75% of the winnings on fishing properties and building a temple to the Bass Gods.    

[Swamp Girl]

Alex, I truly do hope you win the lottery because pouring your winnings into a pond would be money well spent! I too would be happy in a small house on a big pond. Today's bass from this pond were averaging an inch more than last year. They were all thick and healthy, so fingers crossed that I'll finally catch a 19-incher/four-pounder next year. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

You have such an amazing plethora of bodies of water to pick from......did you ever go to the place you thought about camping on the island?   

 

Interesting to hear the size increases, maybe that's a new fishery in terms of Bass stocking, if that's the case you're in for a real treat over the coming years.   New Lake Effect is very real, that's how most of the LGM state records down here in the SE were caught.   

[Swamp Girl]

I was guessing the very same thing, Alex, that the pond simply hasn't had bass for 20 or more years. If it starts producing four-pounders and then five-pounders, you'll have to come fish it too. 😄

 

As far as that other pond, I never did fish it. It's about an hour and a half away and there are so many closer ponds I love to fish. One thing I love about that pond is the beaver dams between the road and the pond. They'd discourage many would-be fishers. Maybe some day. 

[pdxfisher]

Wow! Now that is a day and half!! You always say it is beautiful out here but you always have a pretty amazing backdrop where you fish as well!! Great pictures.

[TOXIC]

That’s a pretty big d**n “pond”. 😂😋

[Swamp Girl]

It's 170 acres. In Maine, a body of water has to be pretty big to be called a lake, like a thousand acres or so. 

 

@pdxfisher, I always enjoy when anglers show us what their fishing holes look like. It was a good day. I didn't catch anything under a pound. No giants, but no pygmies too. 

[Blue Raider Bob]

22 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

I fished a pond that I've always considered to be a quantity pond as I've never caught a 19-incher there, but have caught lots of 16" to 17" bass. You reach the pond by driving past potato and pumpkin fields, thus the title, "Farm Fishing." Once you're on the pond, it feels wild and I took one shot looking back at the pond so you can see other than the farm, it's all woods. I caught 27 bass today, beginning at 10:00 a.m. and ending at 1:15 p.m. I was thrilled to catch bigger bass than I've ever caught at this pond, many from 17" to 18". I expect next year I'll finally catch a 19-incher. Many of them fought like they were 19-inchers. I begin with two pics of the farm's fields and my launching site. The first bass you see was caught on my first cast. I caught 4 bass on a wacky worm, one on a Whopper Plopper, and 22 on a black and silver paddletail on an Owner weighted underspin. I caught a nice smallmouth too! I didn't catch a single dink. I don't know why my bass photos aren't loading with the right orientation. 

Love that Maine scenery. 

18 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

It's 170 acres. In Maine, a body of water has to be pretty big to be called a lake, like a thousand acres or so. 

 

 

I guess that would mean my "pond" would be considered a "Puddle"!

[gim]

Must not have been very cold out there either.  No gloves this time!

[Swamp Girl]

25 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Must not have been very cold out there either.  No gloves this time!

 

I couldn't find them! I know, I know: Dumb of me. 

 

Did anyone notice the tail on that smallie? It's disproportionately big. 

 

Yesterday's trip was one of my favorites of the year. I was so happy to see the fish being bigger in that pond. 

[Zcoker]

Way to go! Ponds can be overlooked and avoided only to turn out better than most big lakes. Here in south Florida we don't have many ponds surrounded by beautiful rolling green hills. About the closest we get is rolling green golf courses lol. Ironically, those golf courses can produce 10 pounders! 

[MIbassyaker]

On 10/25/2023 at 6:29 PM, ol'crickety said:

It's 170 acres. In Maine, a body of water has to be pretty big to be called a lake, like a thousand acres or so.

 

Interesting. By that rule, all but one body of water I regularly fish would be a pond.

 

People here think of "ponds" as manmade bodies of water, usually small, but not always; usually behind a dam, but not always. Two of the larger bodies of water near me, impoundments of the Muskegon River, are known as "Croton Dam Pond" (1230 Acres) and "Hardy Dam Pond" (2775 acres).

 

Whereas most natural standing bodies of water of glacial origin here are "Lakes", regardless of size, and can be anywhere from a dozen acres to, well, millions of acres.

 

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

@MIbassyaker: Thanks for the info. I like to learn about how places do things.

[Pat Brown]

Nice fish Katy!  Been a 1 -2 lber fest over here for the past couple weeks...i figure every big one that nibbles I've been missing and every little fella I manage to stick....but Jake is out of school for teacher work days tomorrow and Friday and we have had some real cold weather so I'm hoping I can catch something worth sharing soon!  🥹🥲🤣

[MIbassyaker]

31 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Been a 1 -2 lber fest over here for the past couple weeks...

As resident King of the Two-Pounders, I welcome you to our land.

[Swamp Girl]

@Pat Brown: I wonder the same thing when a fish hits and I miss it: Was that the one? To be frank, I miss a lot of fish most sessions. I do have the occasional session where I stick more than 90% of the hits, but 50% is more typical for me and sometimes even less. I missed a lot of bass at the farm pond. 

 

Then there are the misses that stick with you. Twice in 2023, I was retrieving a lure parallel to reeds and a bass parted those reeds and hit the lures with full "puny lure" fury. And both times, even though I had 20 lb. braid and the drag cranked down as far as possible, those two fish took line and freed themselves. I caught some big bass for Maine this year, but those two fish and a third one I hooked in open water were stronger than anything I caught. And this is why I see an angler like you who LANDS ten-pounders and I wonder, "Huh?"

 

And, "How?"

 

And, "What?"

 

Your next giant is coming. You know how and leave me scratching my head. 

[Pat Brown]

I don't think it's always that I miss them so much as they aren't so sure about the bait and aren't eating it....more just kinda reluctantly nudging it in a way that I can feel.

 

When a bass eats my jig or crankbait  or Jerkbait it's almost ALWAYS gonna get hooked but I can't control the ones that aren't eating it for good intelligent reasons.  I think sometimes during weird weather, fish study things more and that usually means less violent and committed strikes especially at the shallow 5 acre ponds I fish.  At the lake it's less of an issue...there always seems to be a spot somewhere they're actually eating, but getting out there takes free time, of which I haven't had as much as I'd like with work and family commitments!  Oh well, gonna make it that much sweeter when I run back into em!  🙂🐟

[TnRiver46]

Not many farms to fish here, we get our corn from a jar