Finding underwater ditches/trenches

[basslover12345]

I fish a pond and there is a large, shallow flat that kind of slopes off into deeper water, Would I be able to find a underwater ditch there to fish?

[Sam]

Who knows?

Give it a try.

Can you ask anyone in the neighborhood if there was a road or a ditch there before the pond or created when the pond was put in?

If you have a raft or want to go wading this summer you can get a 12 foot pole and start feeling the bottom to see if it drops and then rises to signify a ditch. 

[fishfordollars]

When hunting ditches or drains study the lay of exposed land. Most are just extensions of what you see above water.

[Bassnajr]

When hunting ditches or drains study the lay of exposed land. Most are just extensions of what you see above water.

This is great advice...this past summer, I found myself looking as much at these "extensions" as I did the Lowrance. Hopefully this summer the two will peacefully mix!! ;D

[Catt]

Many ponds are man made using heavy equipment; ruts can be formed by the use of such equipment and then intentionally left as structure.

[J Francho]

I watched a man made lake being dug.  They would carve out channels, then knock down the walls, leaving "ruts" like Catt describes. 

[Bassnajr]

I watched a man made lake being dug. They would carve out channels, then knock down the walls, leaving "ruts" like Catt describes.

...and I'll bet you were there with a video camera or at least a sketch pad!!!! lol  ;D

[J Francho]

Not really.  I fish real lakes.    ;D

[basslover12345]

Thanks for the suggestions,I will try every one of them. The pond was built in the 1970s as a Run off pond in the Neighborhood. The shallowest the pond gets is less than a foot deep on the flats I was talking about. The deepest part that I know of is by the spillway and is 6 feet deep, Im not quite sure how deep the middle of the pond is, All i know is that thereis a spot at the pond where its about a foot deep, than gradually gets deeper and deeper and then goes shallow again, SoI am wondering if there is a ditch there. The lay of the exposed land around thisd pond is fields and woods, there is a hill going all around the pond.

[webertime]

Your Town Hall (Town Clerk) should have older Topo maps of the area that they'll let you look at.  Should have a bunch of information on the map.

[farmpond1]

When hunting ditches or drains study the lay of exposed land. Most are just extensions of what you see above water.

Exactly! With some exceptions, you'll seldom find a steep drop off near a shore (dry land) which is gradual sloping.  Likewise, a steep or vertical shore, (such as a cliff), is seldom shallow (or shallow sloping) immediately adjacent to the cliff.  Areas where deep water "butts up against" shallow flats are key places to find bass.  You may have to fish one side or the other (or right smack dab in the middle) but usually there are at least a few bass there-especially if there is secondary structure or a good solid weedline.  But I digress.

It's my observation that few developers of man made ponds get very creative when they dig out a pond.  Most are bowl shaped with the deepest area being near the levee.  Any deviation from the predictable slope is a good place to look.

[basslover12345]

I emailed the head of the home owners association and asked him what was at the site of the pond before it was built

[Shane J]

Use a heavy jig or C rig to drag the bottom, and you will learn the bottom slowly, if a depth finder is not available to you.

[basslover12345]

When hunting ditches or drains study the lay of exposed land. Most are just extensions of what you see above water.

Exactly! With some exceptions, you'll seldom find a steep drop off near a shore (dry land) which is gradual sloping. Likewise, a steep or vertical shore, (such as a cliff), is seldom shallow (or shallow sloping) immediately adjacent to the cliff. Areas where deep water "butts up against" shallow flats are key places to find bass. You may have to fish one side or the other (or right smack dab in the middle) but usually there are at least a few bass there-especially if there is secondary structure or a good solid weedline. But I digress.

It's my observation that few developers of man made ponds get very creative when they dig out a pond. Most are bowl shaped with the deepest area being near the levee. Any deviation from the predictable slope is a good place to look.

This pond is kind of bowl shaped................ it has a pinensula

[basslover12345]

Ok, I got a response, Here is what he said:

I don't know.   You might ask one of the original homeowners to see if they remember what was there.  The berms around the perimeter look like they were engineered to create the pond as a last-stage reservoir of the set running alongside the creek.    The size may be bigger than the upstream narrow ponds because all of them are supposed to buffer runoff from tributaries or storm sewers.   

[fishfordollars]

Ok, I got a response, Here is what he said:

I don't know. You might ask one of the original homeowners to see if they remember what was there. The berms around the perimeter look like they were engineered to create the pond as a last-stage reservoir of the set running alongside the creek. The size may be bigger than the upstream narrow ponds because all of them are supposed to buffer runoff from tributaries or storm sewers.

You failed to mention the creek. walk it and see if it makes a turn over into the pond. You could have a ditch(Creek) that you do not know about. If so, fish it.

[evrgladesbasser]

Use a heavy jig or C rig to drag the bottom, and you will learn the bottom slowly, if a depth finder is not available to you.

This is how I do it in my jon boat with no depth finder, or fishing from the bank. It takes some practice to get used to but it works great. After a while you'll be finding underwater structure and cover like a pro.