Alex Phillips Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 I was wondering if anybody had any tips for fishing in neighborhood ponds and finding out it there are fish in the ponds. And if anyone knows good soft plastic baits for fishing in ponds. Quote
matt996 Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 senkos are always a good pick. i fish neighborhood ponds everyday in the summer and they never fail. Quote
Missouribassman95 Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 Lipless Crankbaits are good search baits. Quote
patbfishing123 Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 Lipless Crankbaits are good search baits. ^^^ I Agree^^^ Quote
JaxBasser Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 My number one go to bait for small ponds is a Zoom Trick Worm. You'll find out if there are fish or not pretty quickly. Quote
drew4779 Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 I'll have a jig on one rod and a shallow crank on another. When summer is in full effect I have to try a top water frog at dusk and dawn. Quote
Morgan Hedrick Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 Soft Plastics texas rigged are my personal favorite. Senko's, Zoom Lizzards, and tubes all should catch fish for you. Quote
Super User roadwarrior Posted March 7, 2012 Super User Posted March 7, 2012 Let's start with something simple: Buy the original Rapala Floating Minnow, silver and black. Cast the lure parallel to the bank, preferably along a grassline. Let the lure sit for at least thirty seconds, then retrive slowly and steadly. If you fish deep water along a steep bank for example, you can fish a Rat-L-Trap (blue & chrome) with the same casting pattern and retrieve. Both of these lures are proven producers. If you think you're ready for soft plastics, buy two bags of 5" Senkos (not knock-offs) and one bag of GYCB Fat Ika, all watermelon with black flakes. Rig these baits on a Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG Offset Worm Hook, weightless and weedless. Cast them just as I described with the Rapala. Allow the bait to settle to the bottom and leave it there for a minute. Move the bait 6"-12" with a horizontal sweep, allowing the bait to settle on slack line. Leave the bait motionless for at least fifteen seconds between movements. Focus on presentation and do NOT change baits or use anything else. Fish the entire bag of Senkos, then half the bag of Fat Ika before going back to the Senko. If you don't catch any bass on these four lures/ baits, find somewhere else to fish. Quote
DRhodes Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 Let's start with something simple: Buy the original Rapala Floating Minnow, silver and black. Cast the lure parallel to the bank, preferably along a grassline. Let the lure sit for at least thirty seconds, then retrive slowly and steadly. If you fish deep water along a steep bank for example, you can fish a Rat-L-Trap (blue & chrome) with the same casting pattern and retrieve. Both of these lures are proven producers. If you think you're ready for soft plastics, buy two bags of 5" Senkos (not knock-offs) and one bag of GYCB Fat Ika, all watermelon with black flakes. Rig these baits on a Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG Offset Worm Hook, weightless and weedless. Cast them just as I described with the Rapala. Allow the bait to settle to the bottom and leave it there for a minute. Move the bait 6"-12" with a horizontal sweep, allowing the bait to settle on slack line. Leave the bait motionless for at least fifteen seconds between movements. Focus on presentation and do NOT change baits or use anything else. Fish the entire bag of Senkos, then half the bag of Fat Ika before going back to the Senko. If you don't catch any bass on these four lures/ baits, find somewhere else to fish. Very good advice. Again - Buy the GYCB Senkos - not the knock offs. Quote
Hyrule Bass Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 in the summer just walk around the banks of the pond, you can use your eyes to see if there are fish in the pond. That should work most of the time, though i have seen the occasional pond that i know has fish where none have been around the banks. But a few good plastic in ponds for me have been Kinami Flash baby bass color, Berkley Powerbait 5in and 7in red shad shakey worms, and anything by Rage Tail has been killer in ponds for me. Also you cant go wrong with some Zoom lizards especially when pond bass are on the beds... Quote
catchnm Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 All good advice and lure recommendations. Don't forget a Mann's Baby 1 Minus in Chrome/Black Back either. Also in-line spinners, Baby Rage Craws, 3" grubs, and weightless texas rigged lizards......especially when the water first starts warming up. Quote
Fishmaster10 Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 cotton cordell big-o, lipless cranks, any small plastics 3"-5" (I prefer yum dingers, super flukes, craw imitations etc.), jigs (1/4 and 1/2 oz) assuming the pond isn't very deep, and 1/4 or 3/8 oz spinnerbaits. Quote
Trickerie Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 Another tip, depending on water clarity and where you may live, is to simply look for spawning activity. Here in FL, i can clearly see beds as I walk the shallows around a lake, some with fish that I haven't spooked away. This requires no fishing whatsoever. Also, seeing fry along the edges that get spooked from your shadow is a very good indication of life Quote
PondBassin Posted March 8, 2012 Posted March 8, 2012 Zoom trick worm. First cast in a pond I found on google maps, my fishing partner had one on. They will work well if there are fish because the pond will have probably received minimal pressure from other anglers. Quote
tugsandpulls Posted March 8, 2012 Posted March 8, 2012 hey how come no one said spinnerbaits or a rooster tail i use these in small local ponds with awsome luck Quote
BirdNestBen Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 all good tips you got here and I try them.. especially Rapala and Senko, trick worm.... Here's my strategy... I think if you can't catch them on these lures.. you can't catch em... I like the Strike King Zero if your looking to stay on a budget.. I've caught a ton of pond bass on them (watermelon)... Next- zoom fluke with a little split shot a few inches in front of the lure.... And for a worm... the best I've tried in ponds without a doubt Blue fleck powerworm...... a lot of ponds may have a lot of pressure... and you'll have to downsize then... to a spinning rod and a dropshot rig.... and some I've used that work great are Zoom trick worm and the smaller Zoom 4 to 5 inch worms.... if you still don't get a bite- go wacky and wacky rig with a dropshot.... I love a cloudy day cause that means a good chance of catching fish on topwaters.... zara spook is still tough to beat....but you'll need an assortment of topwaters.... chuggers, buzzbaits, etc.. pop r... I also love that chrome blue back lure... hotspot, rapala, rat l trap etc.... Good luck and let us know if you catch any... Quote
guitarkid Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 I consider ponds my specilty, so lets begin. First what you want to look for is weedlines. Since there is'nt a real wide variety of cover/structure weedlines are going to be what to look for. Next comes lure selection for finding the weedlines- I find spinnerbaits to be good for finding deeper weedlines about 6-10 feet. Crankbaits are my ideal choice for finding shallower weedlines in 0-5 fow. After you have found the weedlines- pick apart every inch you can, I mean EVERY inch. the top edge is usually the money spot. find the edge and go about 2-3 inches behind and... money in the bank. I prefer extremely slow falling lures for this. My favorite is a weightless or really light (1/32-1/16) trickworms, but I would also recommend senkos or any slow moving horizantal falling plastics. If you do have any hard cover that is fishable from the bank, I would recommend a jig, because it has some weight, so you can feel it fall and make contact with what ever is doen there. Also, I see where a lot of people are like "down size, small water small lures". Those same guys are the ones always wondering why nothing but bluegills peck at there baits. The only case I would say this is true, is jigs. I prefer finnesse jigs 1/4,5/16, and 7/16 are the most used sizes. Also don't be affraid to use jerkbaits, in fact I have'nt really told anybody that secret until now. I hope I was of some use, if this makes no sense, I tiped it at like 3 in the morning. Any questions or comments, just let me know. -gk Quote
cajun_flipper Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 Get a pair of fins, goggles, and a snorkel. If that's not an option, follow Roadwarrior's advice. He's got a good plan. After all these years, I'm still not a senko fan, so I'd say try a fluke in the same color and a little bit faster retrieve. But he's definitely the man with the plan and his tips are rock solid Quote
Super User SirSnookalot Posted March 15, 2012 Super User Posted March 15, 2012 If there is fish, any kind of plastic worm and inline spinners will work very well in community ponds. Quote
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