Local pond night monster on my radar.

[Bazoo]

I was in town last night after it got dark and I decided to stop by a public pond that's somewhat little known. It's in town, behind some apartments.  I walk over to the edge with my frog... after a few minutes I hear the loudeds kerplunge... sounded like a boulder being thrown in the water. I threw to it, and heard it again, but this time about 10 feet away. Then once more. That area I think is full of bream.

 

I switched to an appropriately named Ol' Monster, but still no success. My wife and young'uns were with me, my boy accompanied me in the dark (brave boy!), so I wasn't inclined to stay for long.

 

I will venture a guess of 6+ pounds. I have named the monster Bluegill Hunter. I will be back.

 

Anyone have a great night monster story?

 

[GreenPig]

Beavers don't hunt Bluegill😀. Dark + Boulder splash = Beaver

 

[WackyWormNedRig]

Years ago I was fishing a public lake at night. Was fishing a ned rig and I thought it was snag. Then the fight began and the monster bass  spit the hook mid air loll. I gotta look at that fish from about 10 ft away, looked to be 5 plus.

[ironbjorn]

I've seen 2 lb bass make a lot of noise along the banks. Can't hurt to fish this place and see what it holds, but don't be too certain it was a big bass or even a bass at all.

[Bazoo]

I've fished it a little, caught a handful of small ones and nice 3 pounder in spring.

 

I don't see any fresh beaver sign there. There is past beaver sign.

 

The aforementioned 3 pounder.

[T-Billy]

3 hours ago, GreenPig said:

Beavers don't hunt Bluegill😀. Dark + Boulder splash = Beaver

 

Those buggers will come right up to ya in the dark too. I've had 'em sneak up and tail slap right beside the boat many times at night. Startles the pee outta ya!!! 😂

[Tackleholic]

Were the Carp spawning?

[GRiver]

@Bazoo can you see much during the the day? How big is the pond?

[casts_by_fly]

Last trip out I hit a musky with the nose of the boat (I had my front lights on and was motoring quickly). Startled the crap out of it and it tail slapped the bow. 

[Bazoo]

It's about 2 acres. It has a manmade dam on the south and spillway, probably no more than 6' in the center, with a feeder creek on the north. Trees all along the west side, mostly bare on the east but lots of moss cover.

 

I haven't seen carp in it. I know there is bream, crappie I think, and cats I think. And of course Largemouth.

 

I've not heard a beaver slap in the wild. I watched youtube video of it, and the sound is different I think.

 

This was more of kerplump sound and not a slap. It was not on the tree side, but the moss side.

 

I haven't fished the pond in a month and I suppose a beaver could have moved in. I'll have to check for sign next time I'm there in the daylight.

 

There is old sign, from I'd say 2-3 years ago when I fished it in the spring.

[GRiver]

@Bazoo sounds like you have a nice pond…. Bluegill Hunter has potential, has food, cover, fresh water coming from the feeder stream. 
Keep us updated or least me… I’ve seen some lunkers pulled out of off beat places…5-6-7 pounders caught in golf course ponds. 

[Bazoo]

It dawned on me one crucial point last night; I could see the water, because of the ambient light from the apartment. It was not a beaver, it was a kerwhoomp and a huge  boil, and I was looking right at the area when it happened 2 more times. I could see well enough to see it came from under the water, and I could have seen a beaver on the surface. I could also faintly see my frog splash as it landed.

 

Duh, don't know why that didn't dawn on me right at the beginning.

[GreenPig]

1 minute ago, Bazoo said:

It dawned on me one crucial point last night; I could see the water, because of the ambient light from the apartment. It was not a beaver, it was a kerwhoomp and a huge  boil, and I was looking right at the area when it happened 2 more times. I could see well enough to see it came from under the water, and I could have seen a beaver on the surface. I could also faintly see my frog splash as it landed.

 

Duh, don't know why that didn't dawn on me right at the beginning.

Go get us a close up pic of that pond moster. 

[HawkeyeSmallie]

Was fishing on a jetti a week ago at night.

 

A HUGE fish made a splash maybe 20 yards away and scared the absolute living crap out of me.

 

If it was a bass, it was a monster. Otherwise it was a large carp, musky, idk.

 

Whatever it was, it was BIG.

[padlin]

Where I fish that would be a beaver if it’s loud enough, at least all they do is scare the crap out of you. Otters on the other hand are bad news.

[fin]

Yeah, otters will swim underwater, beavers mostly swim on the surface. An otter in a two acre pond would be really bad news. I guess they would make a splash if startled, but I don't recall ever hearing one do that, and I've seen quite a few.

 

It could still be a carp, or maybe a koi. People will put any kind of fish in a lake without thinking.

[GRiver]

Ok @Bazoo I agree with @GreenPig we need a pic, possibly video.

So here’s the plan… do you have an orange vest, get a hard hat and a clip board. Everyone will think your maintenance, get on the roof of the apartment building. You’ll have a better advantage point from an elevated position on the roof to look down into the water. You’ll need some polarized sunglasses maybe, I think you can recon it all out, get times, movement patterns. Might have to do this at night, wouldn’t have any night vision gear would ya.

Just messing around… but you right you would have seen it was a beaver if you could see your lure.  But really I’d be going back during the day and see what I could see. All joking aside, let us know.

[Bazoo]

LOL, thanks for the chuckle. I swung by there tonight for bout an hour, no nibbles or kerplunks, nothing. Fished a black culprit ribbontail worm I bought 10 minutes prior at Walmart, a fluke, baby brush hog, and a frog.

 

The boy fished a fake senko, but being he's almost 5, can't say he was too stealthy. The bass probably didn't even notice me with him around though.

 

I've fished it maybe a dozen times previously, one time walking almost all the way to the other end. I didn't make it to the creek though, I forget why now I turned back.

[Swamp Girl]

We're all cheering for you, Bazoo! However, I have both direct and indirect experience with hooking a beaver, and if you hook way, hang on for it'll be a Nantucket sleighride:

 

 

 

[Blue Raider Bob]

On 8/4/2024 at 1:21 AM, T-Billy said:

Those buggers will come right up to ya in the dark too. I've had 'em sneak up and tail slap right beside the boat many times at night. Startles the pee outta ya!!! 😂

Not too many things more startling than a beaver slab when you are not expecting it! Especially, as T-Billy says, at night!

15 hours ago, fin said:

Yeah, otters will swim underwater, beavers mostly swim on the surface. An otter in a two acre pond would be really bad news. I guess they would make a splash if startled, but I don't recall ever hearing one do that, and I've seen quite a few.

 

It could still be a carp, or maybe a koi. People will put any kind of fish in a lake without thinking.

An otter is a 3/4 acre pond is even worse!

[GRiver]

56 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

An otter is a 3/4 acre pond is even worse!

My niece lives on a golf course, three ponds or water hazards  are close by. A group, herd, or what ever you call them, of otters. Wiped out her koi pond, and hit the golf course ponds. I saw some pretty big carcasses of bass, which I was surprised they were able to catch them. 

[Blue Raider Bob]

1 hour ago, GRiver said:

My niece lives on a golf course, three ponds or water hazards  are close by. A group, herd, or what ever you call them, of otters. Wiped out her koi pond, and hit the golf course ponds. I saw some pretty big carcasses of bass, which I was surprised they were able to catch them. 

I've mentioned this many times. Just can't see how they catch them because a bass is rocket fast. With that said, every winter a otter, or otters make their way down a wet weather creek by my place and stop to clean out the pond of my biggest bass. They also take several of my biggest BG. I have videos of them playing all over the pond and bank. Wish I knew how to post them. As you see in my picture, they also make themselves at home on my dock.

[fin]

I read somewhere that an average size otter can eat 25 pounds of fish a week. Who knows how many bass they mortally wound that get away. I've caught bass with scars that look like they came from otters. They've got some pretty serious teeth and claws, can swim crazy fast, they aren't stupid, and they look like they really enjoy their work.

 

I've got a picture I took somewhere of one floating on its back, eating a three pound carp that's lying on the otter's belly.

 

They aggravate me in a lake and creek I fish. They're hard to hate though, 'cause they're so dang cute. I can't imagine how it would feel to watch them clean out your pond.

[Bazoo]

I suppose it's possible here that there is an otter. But, the splashes I saw, I saw nothing in the water that night. I haven't been there in the daylight for a while, a month or more. I'll have to go check it out and get some pictures.

[Choporoz]

I'm pushing all my chips in on beaver