Help Locating Bass?

[maelthra]

I'm a freshman at Lyon College in Batesville Arkansas. I grew up on the Mississippi Delta in a farming community near the St. Francis River in North Eastern Arkansas. I always fished the river, it's run offs, irrigation ditches and local farm ponds and was very succesful at all of the locations.

There is a small pond on campus (1 - 2 acres ) that I tried to fish unsuccesfully at the beginning of the fall semester. Out of probably 10 to 15 trips to the pond, I pulled in less than 8 fish. That's not a pattern I'm used to! I know the fish are there, I can see them dotting the edges (in warm water that is... during the winter months I haven't seen a single fish along the edges, predator or bait ).

I was hoping someone could give me some tips to fishing this pond. It's man-made and is deeper on the west end.  The pond is shaped like a narrowing rectangle. A wooden bridge marks the division between shallow to deep( deep in this scenario = 5 - 10 ft, shallow = 4 ft or less ) and on the east, shallow end, the pond has a much more natural shape with points, fallen trees and overhangs. There is also a small stream (3 feet wide or so ) that runs off into the pond on the shallow, eastern end. The deeper end is generally devoid of structure (though there is isolated rip-rap, submerged stumps and overhangs).

It was really frustrating watching tons of fish swim around, hardly taking notice of my bait all of last fall. As a matter of fact, the only strikes I got were reaction strikes from fish that I threw the lure directly at. I really would like to get a jump on the fish this spring, I know they're out there ( and big... most fish I saw/caught were 2+ pounds and a few were much larger than that).

What should I do for early spring bass on this small campus pond?

Maelthra

[roadwarrior]

First of all, they might not be bass. Might be carp or even gar, I fish a pond near Memphis that is infested. If they're bass you know you would have caught more. Anyhow, I fish several ponds and here's my advice:

Right now I'm having good luck with the Yamamoto Ika. Next month Rat-L traps are the ticket if you don't have too much vegatation to foul the lure. I throw tubes, lizards, top water and shallow cranks- pretty standard stuff that I can fish without getting hung up (I'm fishing from the bank). Having said all that, I mostly fish Senkos.

I cast parallel to the bank, out 5-10 ft. and walk the perimeter of the pond. It's that simple.

[5bass]

BUZZBAIT !!!!!

[maelthra]

I certainly appreciate the tips in tackle selection, I'll keep them in mind. As a matter of fact, when bank fishing the Senko is my default bait anyway.

I need to clarify, however, that these fish I've been observing and pursuing are, without a doubt, bass. I have been fishing since I was old enough to hold a pole, not to mention I know for a fact that there are not gar in this pond and besides, if it was infested with gar how could I possibly keep them away from my bait? There are some carp, I see them lounging around the shallows as well, but they're NOT bass. The long and short of it is: There are bass in this pond.

It's my guess that, considering the rip-rap is against the bank opposite the setting sun and the fact that large, pre-spawn females are normally the first to move up -- especially to warm rocks --  that either slowly hopping a texas rigged lizard, or throwing  a weightless senko should do the trick and, if all goes well, bring in some large fish.

Given a few weeks, once the fish become a little more active, ( we're in the beginning of a warming trend, high 40s to low 50s presently ) I'm thinking about knocking the rocks with a Rat-L Trap or even throwing a buzz-bait to get their attention. I'll keep an eye on the rocks and (assuming they're even there)  watch for when they move off to other areas of the pond and then... who knows? I'm thinking shallow running crankbaits around the bridge and fallen wood area.

Would anyone suggest something different?

Maelthra

[Big_Bass_Rich]

I fish a couple of little manmade ponds like that and often had the same trouble. For me it turned out that the bass in the pond were accustomed to feeding only at night. Occasionally I could convince one to eat a texas rigged worm during the day but at night it is no holds barred topwater action! Spinnerbaits worked great too. Might be worth a shot.

[maelthra]

I hadn't thought of that, thanks! After dark topwater action it is... Do you have any idea why they would be in such a pattern though?

[Big_Bass_Rich]

Well to me it looked like they were hitting frogs and dragonflies after the sun went down - but another thing might have been that with the clear water in the ponds, maybe they just saw us fishing for them during the day. At night they cant see you as well so maybe it gives an advantage?? All I know is that around 9PM during the summer time those ponds exploded with topwater hits from both bass and pike!

[maelthra]

Well, while it's still cold I'm going to try and get after them during the day -- I don't expect them to be necessarily hitting topwater at night or anytime right now, like you said summer will be best for that. I'm hoping to catch a few unaware during pre-spawn and, if their seeing the fisherman is really the issue, that shouldn't be too much of a problem now since they should be holding deep. Thanks!

[Aaron_S]

If you decide to fish at night on topwater during the summer be sure to try the jitterbug, it has really worked well for me.

[abelfisher]

yeah, and a tiny torpedo

[michaelnous]

maelthra

I have friend that lives in Batesville about a block or so from the River. Talked to him last night and he hits several ponds in an around the area. Says bass fishing right now are hitting great over by the first lock of the dam on the river using minnows. Try there for bass if your not having any luck in the ponds. You might even see him there. His name is Joe we call him Cecil back here in Chicago. Good luck

[Chris]

The hardest fish to catch is a roaming one. Most of the time if they are positioned on cover they are there to ambush something. You can get one to bite if they react to your bait and if you can gain their attention. Most of the time fish roam to find new areas to feed, find a better water temp, ph, pressure systems, or to stake out spawnning areas. Also if the shore fish are skittish then you might have a lake that gets fished alot and the bass will not hang on the shore very long because it doesn't feel safe. If the fish thinks it can hide from you either in cover or stained water they are less likly to roam. Weather sometimes will cause them to roam too. I wouldn't fish for them and put your efferts on cover. Places where the fish come to feed because they would be in the mood to bite. Try fishing it at night, early in the morning, or on cloudy days. Durring a regular day, fish a crankbait in the deeper cover and ram as much stuff as you can. Try to target the deeper stuff that you can or can't see. Sometimes you can make them bite. Also you can pin point the structure with your crankbait then slow down with a worm.

[maelthra]

Chris,

Thanks for the great tips! Your advice, along with lots of other great advice from other members, has finally given me confidence and knowledge needed to fish this pond. I think I finally have a game plan!

Maelthra