Fishing In My Pond... Tips?

[Zack M.]

Ive been fishing in my pond lately and we have really havent been getting much. Ive caught my PB and my friend caught a nice around 2 1/2 lbs and some little ones on rattletraps. Ive also caught some little ones on spinners. Should I keep going with the rattletraps? If so, should i keep fishing them the way i was (casting it out there and just reeling in) or try something different?

Thanks!

[Bassn Blvd]

It sounds to me like you're are already doing a fine job at catching those green monsters.

Fishing isn't a sport you are going to learn in a short period of time. Try a different technique on every fishing trip. The same technique may not work on every trip. If the fish arent biting your trap on a straight retrieve, then slow your retrieve down or speed it up. Try reeling fast then slow. Try reeling fast and then stop reeling for a second or two and start reeling again. There are a whole buch of ways to fish one kind of bait, you just have to find which way works best for the trip you're on.

Let your imagination be your guide.

[Khong Y.]

You're doing great BTW. You should try finest style also. Use a worm/jig with trailer and walk it very very slow. Remember, the reason why you are fishing artificial lure is to always try to trick it to bite.

[SirSnookalot]

Bassn' is right on...............I catch more fish, bass and others, on the pause or the drop. Don't be afraid to try a Johnson weedless spoon over the shoreline,

[Jigfishn10]

Bassn Blvd is on point. Mix it up. By doing a stop and go retrieve, you're imitating a dying or wounded fish. Prey fish like bass will eat any fish in a school that is behaving differently from that school, it detects an easy meal. Try new techniques as well, no need to be a one trick pony.

If you're catching smaller ones on spinners - I'm assuming you're using an inline spinner from your description - try up sizing the spinner. I like a #3 or #4 for bass. Stop and go on inline spinners is a killer technique. I use one with a colorado blade and sometimes on the stop the bait will flutter down while the blade spins and other times the blade won't spin and the bait will act like a spoon.

[Sam]

Zach, have you mapped your pond?

The shoreline and anything you know is under the water.

Have you placed any bushes or Christmas trees in the pond along with rocks to attract the bass?

Wood. Bass love wood. Have you placed any fallen tree limbs or trunks in the pond?

If not, please consider doing so and making a map of the pond, especially where you have caught your bass including their size. Keep this map to yourself and do not share it with anyone.

As for catching bass, experiment.

Take your time and throw one bait for one day. Throw nothing else. Get to know the feel of the bait in the water. If the bait feels different, set the hook.

You may want to throw one bait for two days. The goal is to know the bait and technique and become proficient with both.

Check out fall fishing in your area and note the suggested baits and techniques. Then use those baits and techniques and see what is the most productive. Talk to tackle shop bass fishermen and also ask which bass baits are selling the best.

Keep a log of each day you fish the pond. There are fishing logs on the internet you can download or make your own. Include the time of day, weather details, bait details, depth, water clarity, wind conditions, how fished, rods and reels used and where you caught them. You can add other items to your log as you wish.

Put the logs in a three-ring binder and keep them for future reference.

So what to throw this time of year in your area? You are in California where the weather conditions are nicer than most of the USA. So what I can suggest is based on my fishing in Virginia and it may or may not prove valuable to fishing in California. So I will not offer any specific suggestions as I do not want to steer you down the wrong path.

You may want to suscribe to Bass West Magazine. http://www.basswest.com/contact.html

Bassin is a great publication, too. Get both for Christmas and start your library by tearing out the articles and putting them in folders or a three ring binder. http://www.magazines.com/product/bassin?afd_number=3823&s_kwcid=TC|22554|bassin%20magazine||S|e|6265912808&gclid=CLzp16SW96sCFY515QodNlnDKg

Also consider attending a Bassmaster University when one is in your area. You will love it and have a great time in addition to meeting the pros.

Last, check out the web sites and send an email to Don Iovino, the father of finesse fishing. Don is a great guy and he can give you some tips on fishing California ponds.

Take your time and have fun learning different baits and techniques. And continue to ask your questions on this forum. Post the pics of the big ladies you catch, too.

[Sam]

Oops! I mispelled your name. Sorry. Hit the wrong key.

Now do some homework and go fishing this weekend!!!

[North Ga Hillbilly]

Good job man! I agree with whats been said before, add some finesse in there, be it shaky heads (deadly alot of the time), senkos, or whatever you get confidence in. Go find a plastic you think looks good, and then figure out how to fish it.

Having a pond of your own gives you the chance to not only catch fish, but manage fish. I would suggest reading up on pond management and I bet you can grow some monsters. Just looking at your photo I know your pond is larger than one of my buddies, yet me manage to pull some decent bass out most of the time.

Keep learning and reading, but most of all keep taking time to fish. Dont get caught up in the mistake of reading and talking about fishing more than actually fishing, its a mistake easily made.

NGaHB

EDIT: I see your fishing in a pond alot of people probably have access to, so some management might be possible, but focus on fishing