"Big" Bass, Small Ponds

[Deleted account]

On 4/14/2009 at 11:19 AM, J Francho said:

Paul, I think for the majority, you are right.  But I still think there are others, with bigger catches that aren't reporting on the internet.  To us, its a ubiquitous part of our social lives, to others, its something completely unknown.  I also do think there are a select few that keep their cards close to their vest.  They may be onto something, e.g. a new state record, that needs to be kept quiet.  Who knows.

Kent, awesome post!  10's in your ponds?  For real?  Where's my invitation, LOL!

I do see your point about "professionally stocked, though, and "abundant forage."  Sounds like a BLAST.

I may or may not have caught a fish bigger than the MD state record from a 5 acre pond, and it may or may not have measured 27.5"x19.5"...

[Deleted account]

8 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

I remember when I fished ponds and I thought I was a pretty good fisherman. Then I starting fishing lakes and realized I wasn't nearly as good as I was when fishing ponds.

That's not being bad at fishing, that's being bad at finding....

[Deleted account]

On 4/6/2009 at 3:50 PM, Paul Roberts said:

It seems to me that there is a corridor of larger than usual northern bass growth up the eastern coast. It just seems that MA, RI, CT, E NY. and NJ, give up 8 to 9lb bass where more inland waters don't. The largest pure northern LMB on record (15.5) came from MA.

I've assumed it has something to do with Gulf Stream effect that affects duration of growth. Anyway, I'm straying here...

Back on topic...Can shallow ponds produce big bass?

Add MD, DE and VA to that list...

I think you are on to something with the climate along the shore, I think the effects of the coast, the elevation as you head west adds to the equation as well.

[J Francho]

 

11 years later... back when primary keys were exposed to the end user.

[Paul Roberts]

3 hours ago, J Francho said:

 

11 years later... back when primary keys were exposed to the end user.

Hey, I've always treated Bassresource as a true resource, as an operational archive. Well worth going back to explore topics. I have also tried to bring older threads in to newer ones when I can. 

 

Back to the business at hand... Now, what was it? :)) 

 

5 hours ago, BassWhole! said:

Add MD, DE and VA to that list...

I think you are on to something with the climate along the shore, I think the effects of the coast, the elevation as you head west adds to the equation as well.

Oh yes: Added to the climate factor along the NE coast, apparently anadromous herring play a big role there too; Fatty, nutritious prey of the right size and body shape, and in huge numbers available to those bass.

 

Speaking of climate effects, warmwater fish populations have been expanding or burgeoning in the northern parts of their pre and historic ranges. And some "extraordinary" sized bass have been recorded in recent years. There was a 12lb LM that nearly doubled the previous record. Closer to home, here in CO, an angler told me he'd caught a 9-6 bass on a public pond. I flat didn't believe him. Then, a friend I have much more trust in, sent me photos of an 8-11 he caught from a public pond! His attention to detail and honesty, plus being a darn good bass fisher, has me believing him. Could this be climate related? I will say that our winter's here have been generally warm, and very short. 

 

There was a thread I posted this in not all that long ago. I'll let someone else find it.

 

[the reel ess]

14 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

I remember when I fished ponds and I thought I was a pretty good fisherman. Then I starting fishing lakes and realized I wasn't nearly as good as I was when fishing ponds.

I got tired of trailering 20 miles to the lake, competing with people with better equipment than I could afford for 2 lb. bass and trailering home. So I bought a kayak and never looked back. You're right except for one place I fish. But it is a little bigger than the average pond, maybe 30 acres. But it's worth getting skunked occasionally to have a crack at 8 pounders. And It's really good exercise to paddle the whole thing. And it's 2 miles from home.

[Luke Barnes]

14 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

I remember when I fished ponds and I thought I was a pretty good fisherman. Then I starting fishing lakes and realized I wasn't nearly as good as I was when fishing ponds.

See I'm the opposite. I do ok at ponds, which is what I fish 29/30 times, but when I make the trip to one of the lakes and bank fish or go out with my step dad on his boat i do way better. Ponds, a one bass day is pretty decent for me, but these are pressured urban ponds around Tulsa. 

[J Francho]

34 minutes ago, Paul Roberts said:

Hey, I've always treated Bassresource as a true resource, as an operational archive.

It's almost always new members or spammers that do it.  I don't mind it when new guys dredge an old thread up - it's kind of fun to see the old posts and if opinions have changed.  It doesn't stop me from poking a little fun, though.

 

Spammers on the other hand, it makes it easy to spot them when they bring up an old post.

[Luke Barnes]

1 minute ago, J Francho said:

It's almost always new members or spammers that do it.  I don't mind it when new guys dredge an old thread up - it's kind of fun to see the old posts and if opinions have changed.  It doesn't stop me from poking a little fun, though.

 

Spammers on the other hand, it makes it easy to spot them when they bring up an old post.

I sometimes bump an old post because I googled what i was looking for and saw there was a thread for it. So instead of making a new thread I just bump the old one with a question. Hence the Spike it vs. JJs thread.

[J Francho]

That's a good example of reusing a thread to benefit.  

[TravisVirginiaAngler]

My private lake has plenty of bass in the 7-8 pound range, several double digit bass up to around 12-13 pounds. It is a Virginia lake, about 60 acres in size, but the max depth is just 7 feet. The entire lake is a millpond flat... with no real depth at all, even by the dam. Hope this helps!

[InfantryMP]

I fished a ton of ponds in SE GA. The most fun I have had fishing has been smaller ponds, that I can walk around, and even some that I can be in with the boat, and trolling motor only. 

 

Metz Pond, on Ft Stewart was/ is home of some of the largest LMB in the state of GA. 

 

I have caught a ton of great fish in those ponds every time out, some never saw more than 12ft deep. (No freezing, and an abundance of food throughout the year). They are heavily pressured though. 

 

When I go to the lake here in Indiana, I get 1-3 bass max. I think my issue is the inability to accurately locate the "right" fish via my electronics. I have watched a ton of videos on reading the graphs, but I am still no good. 

[jbsoonerfan]

This thread reminds me of something an elderly man told me one day when I was loading the boat up. He said " As fisherman we fish from the bank and think about all the fish we could catch out there (as he pointed out toward the lake)if we only had a boat, but then we get a boat and we come right back here to fish. "(as he points to the bank) 

 

***Must have been watching me fish.

[Paul Roberts]

2 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

This thread reminds me of something an elderly man told me one day when I was loading the boat up. He said " As fisherman we fish from the bank and think about all the fish we could catch out there (as he pointed out toward the lake)if we only had a boat, but then we get a boat and we come right back here to fish. "(as he points to the bank) 

 

***Must have been watching me fish.

Yeah, we sure can be creatures of habit.

[Hammer 4]

A few years ago, the DFG did a shock on a city park pond which is 14 acres, and max 8' deep. I was kind of shocked ( pun intended ) that the guy that counted the Bass said they had at least 15 bass in the 12 to 14 lb range. He wouldn't say exactly what part of the pond they were located, but just goes to show there are big fish in small waters.

 

I had a friend catch a 12 lb'r, but was at night in very shallow water. My best there was a tad over 7 lbs, caught during the afternoon.

[Alpster]

My PB (little under 7lbs) came out of a pond that was less then 3 acres.

[roadwarrior]

32 minutes ago, Alpster said:

My PB (little under 7lbs) came out of a pond that was less then 3 acres.

 

Now that you are living down in Florida I suspect a new PB is on the horizon.

 

 

[Alpster]

20 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

 

Now that you are living down in Florida I suspect a new PB is on the horizon.

 

 

I certainly hope you're right!

 

[Jamers]

On 4/6/2009 at 1:01 PM, wagn said:

I fish a pond that is mostly 4-6 feet deep except for one channel that's right around th 12-13 foot depth. I pulled a 6 1/2 pounder out last year as well as a few 4's.

Those are pretty good sizes for up where I'm at in NH.

How do you guys tell the depth of pond water, I have a pond (barely accessable because of reeds theres about 2 or 3 "swims" they are more just areas that I myself pushed the reeds out of the way and so far max depth looks to be maybe 4 or 5 ft only caught perch so far, A jumbo perch bit my 3/0 EWG  with a 4" kvd caffeine shad but no signs of bass at all (theres a lillypad filled area that looks to be 1.5ft deep or less not to mention its the hardest spot to get to I havent even gotten a cast into the lillies yet

[Luke Barnes]

33 minutes ago, TitanBeats said:

How do you guys tell the depth of pond water, I have a pond (barely accessable because of reeds theres about 2 or 3 "swims" they are more just areas that I myself pushed the reeds out of the way and so far max depth looks to be maybe 4 or 5 ft only caught perch so far, A jumbo perch bit my 3/0 EWG  with a 4" kvd caffeine shad but no signs of bass at all (theres a lillypad filled area that looks to be 1.5ft deep or less not to mention its the hardest spot to get to I havent even gotten a cast into the lillies yet

I would be throwing a frog over every Lilly pad if I were to fish there. Also throw a big bait, maybe a bigger bluegill swimbait, ought to keep the gills off of it. 

[Bluebasser86]

35 minutes ago, TitanBeats said:

How do you guys tell the depth of pond water, I have a pond (barely accessable because of reeds theres about 2 or 3 "swims" they are more just areas that I myself pushed the reeds out of the way and so far max depth looks to be maybe 4 or 5 ft only caught perch so far, A jumbo perch bit my 3/0 EWG  with a 4" kvd caffeine shad but no signs of bass at all (theres a lillypad filled area that looks to be 1.5ft deep or less not to mention its the hardest spot to get to I havent even gotten a cast into the lillies yet

You can get a bait with a known sink rate and count it down, or go more scientific and get a slip bobber and just tie a bell sinker on then end. Keep adjusting the bobber stop until it hits bottom and the bobber isn't laying on it's side. 

[the reel ess]

NM. I was responding to a 12 year old post.

[QED]

On 4/6/2009 at 10:16 AM, Raul said:

[stuff deleted] ... it 's not depth what counts but what 's in it, if you have a well balanced prey-predator population, the genetics and the climate you can have trophy size fish in a small pond, you won 't have many loonkers living in them but you will have them.

 

Interesting point.  Reminds me of the Lotka-Volterra predator/prey model from differential equations.  Although the model is over-simplified, it provides some interesting insights.  In particular, predator/prey populations can vary wildly over time but some initial states vary far less, so managing the relative predator/prey populations can be useful. 

[Dwight Hottle]

My only experience with fishing shallow ponds under 12' has been in southern GA & FL. Lots of 7-8lb bass with bigger bass mixed in. My PB pond bass is 9-2. My buddy caught a 14-8 which I measured & weighed. The owner of the pond has several 10s & a 12-8. FL golf course ponds & other low pressure ponds produce similar quality fish including DD's. Obviously they share a yearly growing season without any winter kill. The better ponds have off color or lower visibility & good food source. Farm pond with natural fertilization seem to always produce well.  

[PressuredFishing]

okay so its all really about forage and structure for the bass. I used to fish a pond that had tons of vegetation, Frogs out the wazzu, huge bluegill and tons of small bluegill, toads, crayfish, and dragonflies that got stuck in the water. thats a ton of food for the bass, and they can get in the 4-7 pound range,