Mendon Ponds Park(Rochester Ny)

[Maxthefisher]

Hey Marty, I don't know if you will read this, but I live in the mendon ponds area and I'm going to try the footbridge on Quaker. What bait did you use? Should I use a spinnerbait, rapala minnow, or live bait? Thanks

[Maxthefisher]

I justed fished quaker pond this morning from 8-9. Used a spinnerbait, jigheads, plactic minnows, and even live worms. Nothing. Probably due to the fact that its winter. I'll try aain this spring.

[Marty]

Sorry Max, but it's a tough time of the year. Start next April and your chances will be a lot better.

[RODNEY]

I haven't fished Mendon Ponds in years, when I did it was from a small inflatable, mostly 100 Acre. The Devil's Bathtub has bullhead only, the others have bass, pike, sunnys and used to have some crappie. Artificials worked pretty well, basically just move around the shore line.

Conesus, you can turn left at the ramp and start fishing right away, you can move along the shore working the weed edges and find areas with fish.

Rodney

[Maxthefisher]

I justed fished deep pond from a canoe, and it was a pretty successful day, caught 3 largemouths, one smallmouth and a black crappie. The biggest was a 16" largemouth, weighing almost 2 pounds. I got it off a spinnerbait. The smallmouths were off spinners too and they were about 8 inches, the crappie was only 5".

[madperry]

I justed fished deep pond from a canoe, and it was a pretty successful day, caught 3 largemouths, one smallmouth and a black crappie. The biggest was a 16" largemouth, weighing almost 2 pounds. I got it off a spinnerbait. The smallmouths were off spinners too and they were about 8 inches, the crappie was only 5".

Smallmouth in Mendon Ponds?  As far as I knew none of them were deep enough.  But I'd love to be wrong.  I've only fished Hundred Acre and the deepest it gets is 7 fow.

[Marty]

I don't recall catching any smallies there but Deep and Round Ponds are considerably deeper than Hundred-Acre although I don't know the actual depths.

 

Today I was talking to a kayaker just coming off Deep Pond. He got skunked but claims he does very well in the summer fishing the reeds with a hollow-bodied frog. Claims to have caught a 5 there last year.

[rmcguirk]

I was out on Deep Pond tonight. Caught a nice pike, nice for there at about 28 inches. I was in my yak, so I didn't take the time to measure. He really choked down a lipless crank.

More generally, I don't think that there are any smallies in the entire park. It is about 5 minutes from my house and I'm generally on one of those ponds an average of at least once per week for the last 6 years -- far more before finally buying a boat last year. I've never caught a smallie there. For some reason, I generally have better luck with LM, so I could be wrong.

Here's my general review of the ponds.

100 Acre Pond gets to almost 10 feet in a few spots, primarily in one hole in the cove in the southwest corner. There is also a spot in the dead middle of the lake that's about 9+ ft.  But for the most part the water is 4-7 ft. 

Deep Pond gets to 33-35 feet, in most of the middle. There must be a serious thermocline, though, as I don't think I've ever marked a fish below 20 ft. All around the edge, there is a great drop off from 10-12 ft to about 20 ft. There is also an interesting point jutting out from the southeast corner towards the middle of the lake.

Round Pond is neat. It goes to about 30 ft For most of it, there is an odd "shelf" coming off the shore. Not sure what it is made of, but bass hide underneath. The southeast corner also has a small flat, with a tapered slope into deeper water. There is usually a beaver den on the east shore (don't get too close, as they get pretty ticked off). There is also a small connecting creek to another, smaller, perfectly round pond. That one is quite deep for its size, running to at least 20 ft.

Winter 2010-2011, there must have been a pretty big winter kill on 100 Acre. It went from being a decent bass hole (catching several a night from 6:00-dark, with fish up to 4lb or so) to dead from summer 2011 to late summer 2012. (During which time I really spent a lot of time on Deep Pond.) By the end of summer 2012, bass started making a decent comeback, with good numbers of 12 inch or so fish. My gut sense is that the pike have been increasing in numbers there, and the tough winter of 2010-2011 exacerbated that "problem."  Personally, I don't mind pike, but I much prefer bass.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the park.

Rick

[Marty]

Rick, those are some good, intelligent observations. I don't know anything about winter kills, but I know for sure sure that my results have gone to hell the last few years to the point that I don't go there anymore, unless I want/need to go somewhere real close to home (8-9 miles).

 

There is also a small connecting creek to another, smaller, perfectly round pond. That one is quite deep for its size, running to at least 20 ft.

 

 

If you're talking about the connection in the SE part of the pond, the back pond is officially known as Lost Pond.

[rmcguirk]

If you're talking about the connection in the SE part of the pond, the back pond is officially known as Lost Pond.

 

You're right, I forgot, it is Lost Pond that is connected to Round Pond.  I always enjoy going back there -- feels like you're a million miles away from civilization. 

 

I've always wondered about Devil's Hole.  I've never been so curious as to drag my yak down that hill, though.  My bet is that it is not more than 10 ft or so, just given its location. 

[Darren.]

Holy smokes guys, all this Mendon Ponds talk is bringing back memories for me. Visited the park a LOT for winter sledding as a kid, can't recall ever fishing there, but I did sail a time or two as a young teen.

 

Sorry, just reminiscing, not helping out much...

[Marty]

I've always wondered about Devil's Hole.  I've never been so curious as to drag my yak down that hill, though.  My bet is that it is not more than 10 ft or so, just given its location.

 

 

Devil's Bathtub is a glacial kettle hole and I was always under the impression that it was stagnant, but that's just an assumption. In my entire life I can't recall seeing anyone fishing there, from shore or boat. Access is difficult; get close to the water and you sink into the muck and I speak from experience in that department.

 

I suspect that Quaker Pond has good fishing. Boating is not allowed and there are just a couple of access points for shore fishermen, so I'd guess that a lot of the fish there aren't used to lures. I've had fantasies about fishing the pond from my canoe.

[Paul Roberts]

Wow. Here to reminisce too I guess, since it's been a long while since I fished there. When I was 10 years old (that was over 40 yrs ago) I used to bicycle there from Fairport to fish. I loved that place. Still do, even though I haven't seen it in years. I used to fish plastic worms, topwaters, SBs, from shore. Much later I put boats on it, with a flasher once in deep pond. I have maps I made in my journals. We also ice fished it some for pike.

 

My buds and I took a number of bass from 4 to 5lbs (weighed and measured), and pike -mostly smallish ones. We never took any smallmouth and am betting on mis-identifications there. However, for a couple seasons we took some large old brooder rainbows that were dumped in, and easy to catch.

 

All the ponds are actually glacial kettles, but it shows best in the smaller ones -those steep undercut drops. 100 acre is one too, and has the same ledge-like rim around it but it's long been buried in detritus. From a canoe or car-topper we would flip the undercut rim where ever it was exposed and took some nice and very dark colored largemouths. Our best flipping lure was a black shad Gillraker worm -John Reynolds introduced that one to me (He won the Roch Bassmasters Classic in 97). The flash of silver on that ribbontail style worm was killer in the dark peaty water at the edge of the undercuts. Also used SBs. One of my favorites (and still is -got 3 left) is the old Strike King Grass King. I've written to SK several times over the years all but begging to have them reintroduce it. Maybe its being held a secret by SK?? Best heavy and broken cover SB there is, and a big fish taker too. We took some nice crappies there too, up to 15inches during their spawn.

 

Deep Pond also had good LM, and I did best on plastic worms off the drops and "froggin" the pads. Back in the day I used Bill Plummer's Bass Frogs to great effect. Wish they still made those. I could probably make em myself actually, and may someday. There were some nice bass in those pads and just off the drops.

 

Pike can actually help the bass fishing in some small waters I've fished. I believe the YOY pike kept down bluegill and young bass populations leaving room for growth of the remaining bass. I've also seen small waters that were overrun with little pike but these were usually very small waters.

 

Winterkill is possible in a place like 100Acre. But don't give up because. There will be survivors and they will grow quick. The good numbers of 12"ers mentioned sounds like the next wave on the way. Expect about 1.5" of growth or so per year. Follow up. It could be great and others will have given up on it.

 

Anyway, thanks for the memories.

[baytrail]

trying deep pond tomorrow8