Pond fishing

[JWR075]

I have limited access to a private pond. Since it has been very unstable weather here (70 and windy one day 50 and clear the next). I have not fished this little piece of the pond, but I am getting the itch. What bait would you use knowing that you only have a limited mount of room (the pond in on one piece of property, but the feeder creek and its inlet into the pond, roughly 15 to 20 feet across is accessible to me). Would a weightless senko type bait work right now?

[mrborohachi]

senko or 3in fat Ika if it's weedy

[USA-RET]

I have limited access to a private pond. Since it has been very unstable weather here (70 and windy one day 50 and clear the next). I have not fished this little piece of the pond, but I am getting the itch. What bait would you use knowing that you only have a limited mount of room (the pond in on one piece of property, but the feeder creek and its inlet into the pond, roughly 15 to 20 feet across is accessible to me). Would a weightless senko type bait work right now?

That would certainly be my first choice. I'd be throwing a 4". Feeder Creek would be my choice too, even if I had complete access.

Water temps play a big part. Senko, Ika or Craw fished slow if water is cool. As it warms I'd throw a tube or even swim a vibra-tail worm covering ever bit of water I could.

That's my approach, I could be wrong

[Captain Chaos]

Fish em slow if the water is still cold. Like real slow.

[Tokugawa]

A lipless crank is the first thing I'd try. A senko is a great choice too.

[zodiak311]

It depends on many factors. If it was up to me, I would throw anything baby bass or blue gill colored, whether it be Senkos, or flappin hawgs. I have always had luck with a white spinner bait in most ponds as well, especially since its pretty weedles. Like everyone is saying, fish s-l-o-w.

[JWR075]

Well, the pond proved pretty good even though it was a little cool with the wind. I was throwing a Zoom Ultra vibe grub (white) weightless with a size 1 worm hook. I ended up catching 2 in about 1 hour (not great but I will take it) 1 weighed about 1lb and the other 2 to 2 ½ lbs. Not bad for a quick run down there it see if anything was biting and to see if it was worth trying any more. FYI, I was using a Mojo inshore MIC70MLM and a Daiwa Sol.

[zodiak311]

Well, the pond proved pretty good even though it was a little cool with the wind. I was throwing a Zoom Ultra vibe grub (white) weightless with a size 1 worm hook. I ended up catching 2 in about 1 hour (not great but I will take it) 1 weighed about 1lb and the other 2 to 2 ½ lbs. Not bad for a quick run down there it see if anything was biting and to see if it was worth trying any more. FYI, I was using a Mojo inshore MIC70MLM and a Daiwa Sol.

Thanks for the update. Were they on the bottom?

[JWR075]

I would say that considering the average depth (just guessing) of the inlet appeared to be 3 ½ feet, I would say yes and no. The two fish I caught were from 2 to 3 feet, but these bites would be considered shallow in a normal lake. The bigger one was shallower than the small one. I think that the big issue was the size of the bait. I did throw a senko, but did not have any takers, flipped the grub at a fence post (about 1 foot short, but hard to cast with briars in your back) and the larger bass hit it on the retrieve about 3 seconds after the lure hit bottom. I had to really slow down my retrieve (I mean barely turning the handle slow). I did get a lot of bream hits too. Both fish I would say were relating to cover near the creek channel as the other fish came off a bush in the center of the inlet. I was going back today with some smaller senko type baits but the weather here is now about 5 degrees cooler and a lot windier, man I can not wait till spring temps get here to stay.

[vuehouaxiong]

that little small spinnerbait by booya is hard to beat.

[zodiak311]

Any lily pads in the area, or is it too cold?

[JWR075]

No pads, other than dead structure the only thing I noticed was some type of algae growing on the bottom. Like I said earlier I only have access to a limited amount of it and have never really noticed it until this past winter. So maybe I will be surprised come warm spring weather, but it appears that this pond is some kind of feeder pond for a much larger one b/c they butt up against each other with a 2 to 3 foot wide canal between them. Pond also seems kind of neglected lots of debris around the banks and a couple of fall downs still attached by a small piece of wood to their stumps blocking the only real fishable bank outside of the area where I am fishing. But hey if it holds a 2 or 2 ½ lbs bass, there could be others and with another pond joining it via the canal, the area I am fishing might prove to be pretty good.

[zodiak311]

I love pond fishing, especially when it is a new body of water. Whenever I head out to the country in Georgia where my wifes family is from, I lose my mind, because there is literally hundreds of ponds all over the place teeming with lunker Largemouth. I love breaking each one down, figuring out where the fish are, and what they are biting on. Good luck with this pond i wish there were some over here.

[Trooper46]

I fish a pretty similar set up, but instead of a feeder creek its a bleeder creek. I have lots of luck in the creek fliping right up against shore from the opposite side. If that doesnt work for me I toss a wacky senko up current a little and let it "drift" past the same spots.

I will have to try little spinner baits and lipless cranks in the main pond in the spring before the weeds come. The hair algae gets so bad large parts of the pond get un-fishable.

[Carlos Carrapiço]

Very simple.
1/4 to 3/8 oz Jig. Great lure during winter everywhere. Good amount of water displacement and weedless.
3/8 or 1/2oz Spinnerbait single big willow or single colorado. Slow rolling is the answer.
Light hard swimbait like the Deps Silent killer Jr.. Works like a crank but has 3 times the appeal.

This is my approach from the bank in small ponds when aiming for 50cm plus bass.
With this you can take one 6'8" H rod and a reel with 20lb FC and fish all the lures.