pond fishing

[extreme1018]

the vast majority of articles are on lake fishing and lake fishing tactics. there are no lakes nearby where i live so its mostly farm ponds and golf courses. where can i find some articles on pond fishing

[idamae75]

hi I have the same problem. I fly fish out of a kayak with top water poppers Try to stay away from fast boats and large lakes I live in fl and have been fishing in stocked mobile home parks    Lori

[BIG M]

Use the same tactics that the lake articles are talking about.  All will work in a farm pond or small lake, you may want to down size the baits a little ( I like to), but jigs, spinner baits, cranks, and plastics all work for me in the ponds I fish.  I haven't tried a drop shot rig yet.

[Turtle.]

    Welcome to the best bass site on the net.

Farm ponds and golf coures those tend to be awsome bass holes.I mostly fish farm ponds and gravel pits and not because there is'it any lakes nearby.For two reasons less presure better odds of bigger bass(JMO).I have found that all ponds and pits are different in some way.What works at one may or may  not work at another.Try differnt things see what the bass want.You very well may need to go small, but then again BIG may be the ticket.Me personaly I say go big or stay at home, but that's just me  

                                                              Good luck to you.

                                                                            Turtle

[extreme1018]

hey big m. and all who have replied. whiole ther are some tactics the work the same as lakes there are many that dont.. in many large lakes there can be any type of structure and depth you can think of. road beds, stump fields, rocks, timber, pads, floating weeds. the list goes on and on. however in most of the smaller waters you will generally only find a few different types of structure. mostly pads and some weeds on the bottom and weeds around the bank. some times you might find a stump or two but only if the owner had one dropped in. the depth is the key. most farm ponds usually arent more than 6 to 8 ft deep and the golf courses are usually 4 to 6. the problem is catchin these fish in shallow water when the fish wants to be deeper and it isnt there. it will make you go crazy

[=Matt 5.0=]

Don't forget about those little watering holes inside the cloverleafs of the Interstate! Have you ever been going around an exit ramp and wondered if that little pond held a bass? A friend of mine caught a nice four pounder out of one in Deerfield Beach, Florida right on the side of I95 and SW 10th st.

[skillet]

 I have been fishing ponds, small farm ponds and lakes for a long time. Would fish a wet spot in the road while dodging cars if I thought it held a fish. Like Matt 5.0 said, you would really be surprised at some of the places that have held fish. About the only thing I don't fish in a small pond is a diving crank bait (I will if I'm durned sure there is nothing to hang-up on). It kills my soul to lose an expensive bait. I have even been known to go swimming . IMO fish aren't nearly as jaded from seeing every lure in the BPS flyer go pass them...

                                                      As Ever,

                                                       Skillet

[Shakes]

Man you guys are crazy! I'd rather fish a nice size farm pond any day of the week than a 100+ Acre lake. Farm ponds are some of the best fishing I've ever done. I live in Missouri, right in the middle in Jefferson City. Lake Ozark(100+ Acre Lake) is 30 minutes away, Binder Lake (20-30 Acre Lake) is about 2 miles away from where I live. My favorite trips are the ones where we'll drive 30-45 minutes to small towns and farm ponds. You guys should be happy. Big lake fishing is cool, yea... but in farm ponds you hardly have to search. You can cover the whole pond 3-4 times before you leave.

[NHBA Charlie]

Extreme 1018:

Living in Virginia, I can give you information on what works here. Don't see why these methods wouldn't work other places as well. I basically only use two types of baits: Topwater and plastic baits. My topwater baits are selected with vegetation in mind. If the pond has vegetation in it, I will turn to a Zoom Horny Toad. Toss it on a spinning rod, spooled with 30# Power Pro Braid, as far as you can and start a steady slow-moderate retrieve. You just want the legs to create a little water turbulence and sound. Keep the retrieve steady. When a strike occurs, DROP the rod tip, count to five and set the hook, HARD! If there is no vegetation present, I turn to a Zara Spook or Rico. I cast these parallel to the dam, over the deepest water and work it slowly, with long pauses. Then, I work it over the center of the pond. If no action, I turn to soft plastics. I generally go with a 5" Senko, fished weightless on 20# Power Pro braid. I cast this bait all around the tree roots, vegetation, riprap, etc. that cover the dam. This is where the shadows occur and thus, hold the larger bass. The other bait I use is a Carolina rigged plastic lizard for probing the bottom in the deeper sections of the pond. As the water warms a little however, you should not need anything other than topwater. Don't neglect a flyrod with a popper or a wooly bugger.

[BassPonder72]

I love the ponds!  They are very easy to work top to bottom and you really only will need a few lures.  I use a popper which has caught all of my big fish.  A beetle spin will catch anything in the pond including those big pond bass 5lbs and up.  Also, medium (1/8-1/4oz) spinnerbaits and buzzbaits will produce.  Then the worm; my preference is a culprit original in grape or red shad from 7.5 to 10".  Texas rig it or go weightless and fish it slow; it will get swallowed whole.  There is really no need to downsize in a pond.  A bass is a bass and it will try to crush lures that may even be larger than the bass itself.  Good Luck!

[hitormiss]

Yep, I caught a 5"bass on a 7" worm right at my feet! Dumb bass with a big ego.

[KenDammit28]

I was gonna say that ponds and lakes have their similarities, but also get quite different.  I think ponds present unique challenges in that they usually aren't very big and there is no "moving to the next spot" so to speak.  Another things ponds lack is varying structure, as mentioned, and varying cover, as mentioned.  Because of this..it can sometimes be tough to locate a lot of fish because they can be anywhere and on or in anything.  Pond bass basically have free roam of the entire pond every day.  Lake fish are usually more locked into a particular group of areas, although they travel as well.  

Anyway, I use everything that a lake fisherman would use when I fish ponds.  Jigs, spinnerbaits of all sizes, soft plastics are gonna be your go-to, for sure....the only thing I don't really use in a pond..like mentioned above is crankbaits.  I don't use them much in lakes, either.  Most ponds I fish seem to like greens and dark colors.  

[BassPonder72]

Also, it's been my experience that fish don't seem to school in ponds like in lakes.  They are more spread out and, indeed, have "free roam."  Fish in ponds do seem to be a little more affected by changes in the air temp than in lakes as the smaller body of water will warm or cool at a faster rate than a lake.

[BucketmouthAngler13]

I fish ponds and small lakes only. (becuase there is no decent sized lakes within biking distance around here)

The best advice I can give you is, the harder it is to get to a pond or a spot, the better the fishing is there. The best fishing around here can only be reached by foot, and it is way off the beaten trail with brambles and over hanging brush making getting there and fishing there difficult. But it is the best spot, and few fishermen know about it, so fishing pressure is almost non-existant.

Tight lines and easy lure-getting-out-of-trees-from-the-bank.

Matt

[TommyBass]

I know what you mean.  All of these guys are right.  Basically any lure you throw in a pond will work just as good or better then in a lake, specially with less fishing pressure.  The problem you run into is you cannot readily apply the "tactics" of lake fishing suck as points and under water humps, creek channels etc.  Most ponds are nothing more then a round hole in the ground with little to no structure.  Concentrate on any shoreline structure you see, as well as anything you can find on a graph.  Points usually do not continue out into the lake and "drop off".  Most points you find in ponds and small lakes are simply curves in the shoreline and nothing more, containing identical features of the shoreline next to them.   IF you are lucky enough to find a feature of the shoreline that is drastically different, even weeds, that place will hold a majority of your fish most of the time.  Dont be afraid to just simply back off the shore a little bit and fish out 20-30ft with something a little deeper, alot of times in ponds its all it takes to get those fish that have been effected by weather etc.

-TommyBass

[Redlinerobert]

Farm pond bass tend to be much more aggresive.  I like using smaller crankbaits and spinnerbaits -

[Jimzee]

I really like to pond fish when I get a chance. Friend of mine opened up a golf course and I would always fish it when the course wasn't crowded. The only thing I used at that time was a buzzbait in the early morning. It was like I couldn't do any wrong. Probably caught 30 before noon, from half pounders to five pounders. Ahh....Those were the days.

[Sam]

BassSnatcher,

You are so right about ponds.

I love to fish a small pond that has vegetation or shore line foilage.

A white Rooster Tail is a great fish finder for bream, crappie and bass.

I have caught a 4 and a half pound lady in a local pond on at buzzbait.  We knew she was there and I finally caught her.  She is still in the pond and I am looking forward to seeing her again this summer.

I fished the Congressional Country Club ponds and had a blast.  Other golf courses would not allow me to fish their ponds. And neither would the beautiful Amelia Veterans Cemetery in Amelia, Virginia allow me to fish their waters that are filled with fish.

I have fished three ponds in Pennsylvania and my friend and I actually got tired of catching fish.

Yes, pond fishing is the best when all you want to do is relax and catch some fish and not have to hunt them down and worry about a boat or which biat and color to use or which technique is best and what are the weather conditions.

[Turtle.]

Man you guys are crazy! I'd rather fish a nice size farm pond any day of the week than a 100+ Acre lake. Farm ponds are some of the best fishing I've ever done. I live in Missouri, right in the middle in Jefferson City. Lake Ozark(100+ Acre Lake) is 30 minutes away, Binder Lake (20-30 Acre Lake) is about 2 miles away from where I live. My favorite trips are the ones where we'll drive 30-45 minutes to small towns and farm ponds. You guys should be happy. Big lake fishing is cool, yea... but in farm ponds you hardly have to search. You can cover the whole pond 3-4 times before you leave.

Why are we crazy, know one said they didnt like fishing ponds we were just discusing the differents between lakes and ponds. All I fish is ponds and pits( my choice)And I'm very happy about it. 8-)If catching hawgs in ponds is crazy then lock me up

[Grug]

I only bank/wade fish local ponds/small lakes and alot of good advise in this thread, particularly on "slowing down" your presentation. This is key for greater success than the local "bucket brigade". A great search bait is a 3/16 or 1/4 oz. spinnerbait, anytime of year but fished SLOW...

Another bait I am having very good success with is a 3" brewer grub fished on a 1/16 brewer head. For ponds with say 5+ feet of water near the bank, fishing this "do nothing style", steady and slow is a very, very good bet. I have caught 5 lb+ largies this way, especially more effective during cold months. I had 2 5Lber's on Christmas weekend 2006 on a 3" b-grub  

Tight Lines All!

[superstud55]

ponds ponds ponds!  what can i say.  i fish them more than anything, i find that soft plastics work best for me, at my local community pond im the only pone that can catch bass out of this thing, i have found every piece of structure in this thing.  i think thats whats best about ponds u can find everything so easily whictch then allowes u to use your knowledge to catch fish, and catch them fast.  

[Creature]

I must agree with everyone, small pond fishing is the best.  Thats how I learned the basics and one day hope to teach my kids.  One bait you can never go wrong with is a 3.5" Yum Wooly Hawgtail T-rig.

[bassattack1990]

Hey if ur fishing ponds you have to try a buzz bait this summer!!!!!!! i havent found many ponds that like the double bladed buzz baits but one bladed buzz baits are the bomb and r alote of fun!

[Grug]

Another point on ponds, small lakes-mine around me are very lack in traditional cover so I use lighter tackle/lures. A medium lite/medium rod in a fast action with 8 pound (.010" avg. dia) is all I mostly use and I have pulled 4-5lb. pigs without any problems. Also, since bank or wading your predominantly fishing shallow (10ft. or less) so 1/8 -1/4 oz. lures are all you need.

Cant wait for my ponds to open up, still ice here in NJ.

Tight Lines!

[razyrsharpe]

Man you guys are crazy! I'd rather fish a nice size farm pond any day of the week than a 100+ Acre lake. Farm ponds are some of the best fishing I've ever done. I live in Missouri, right in the middle in Jefferson City. Lake Ozark(100+ Acre Lake) is 30 minutes away, Binder Lake (20-30 Acre Lake) is about 2 miles away from where I live. My favorite trips are the ones where we'll drive 30-45 minutes to small towns and farm ponds. You guys should be happy. Big lake fishing is cool, yea... but in farm ponds you hardly have to search. You can cover the whole pond 3-4 times before you leave.

100% agree!