Paul Roberts

I've not found a pond full of bass to ever become uncatchable. Individuals maybe, from research I've read. But not an entire population. Bass do get hip to angling though -or should I say, warier -more discerning. If this pond was relatively unfished when you started fishing it, then you could notice such a change. Here, conditions become more important. But I'm going to guess that this pond was not a virgin fishery and that there has been a change you just haven't picked up on.

My wife wants to cruise, and I want to fish. Two boats it looks like lol.

Yeah, they look mean, but they're much easier to spook, or put off, than 'bows, and therefore tougher to catch. Lots of "anglers" resort to snagging them when they come in on spawning runs. Always hated that >; just makes it that much tougher for the real anglers 8-).

No I hadn't. We have some of those ultra fat bows here in CO -below tailwaters. Something about browns gets my heart racing though. There were two fish that could possibly lead me to no good -giving up all responsibility -steelhead and big browns. Glad I've got my bass ponds to keep me sane, and my family intact. ;D

I've caught 13's, and held a 20 something once. It was Chinook sized, but with brown trout markings. Almost surreal. Growth is so variable, and can be so rapid, in browns. A BIG one could come from almost anywhere. I've shocked 18" and 19" browns from tiny creeks. And once caught a 23" from a creek I could almost have leapt over -with a running start lol. I caught that one on a 4wt. Joe Humphrey's still holds the PA state record -16lbs and 33", from a (good-sized) creek. But 40+??? You know, it's the length that gets me -43"! Here's a pic (of a pic) of my 23" little creek brownie.

Neat. I'm going to try that. You've got my wheels turning.

Might have to get me one of those. Are there two person yaks out there that are good for fishing?

Very nice. Thanks Scott!

I'm glad that you (a former fisheries technician) posted the above passage. You can't imagine how many times this came up on the forums, long before you came aboard. Roger It was Ralph Manns that got me (us) thinking about this. It became almost a crusade with him it seemed, (and that was back in the 80s), among other oft-repeated mysticisms and assumptions. But the story isn't over in my mind. Never underestimate a living creature -especially a high level predator. Lots of livin' went into the development of that creature.

Ahhhh...sounds really nice. The nap too. Floating may slow you down, but there's a lot of living going on at that pace. Nice read. The mystery fish might have been a freshwater drum? And you got bit by something! That's one of the surest ways to catch a creature. If you get bit by it, you got it! ;D

One way to find out for sure, and something very few anglers ever do: drop a thermometer to the bottom of your pond. If it's not much colder than the surface, then it isn't going to have anything to "turn over". None of my ponds here in n CO (up to 16 ft deep) develop a thermocline in summer -they simply heat through. Again, this isn't to say that a pond, in the woods (no wind), esp in the north couldn't do so. Would like to hear more from Bob Lusk on this one.

What's cooler than that, is that you noticed. 8-) Yup, it's comin'. And it's exponential.

That truly is a 'Yak fest. Didn't know you guys had groupies! You've got good balance my friend. However, when there's fish to be had, adrenaline can defeat Kryptonite. I went almost 15 years steelheading with an SLR around my neck, before I finally dunked it. On rivers like the Salmon, I could have put Baryshnikov to shame. 8-) ;D

Sounds like...mud! I once fished a trout stream regularly and one day a favorite stretch was pure mud. I expected to find a broken fence and cows, or a bulldozer, in the creek upstream. I finally found it -a plume of mud and clay billowing out from a single undercut . I contacted the watershed manager and they found it to be an ancient pocket of clay probably deposited by the creek long ago. The stream had cut into it -"re-found" it, so to speak. Knocked out that stretch for a year 'till it scoured out. Pretty cool though.

Ahhh...weed break down. Have your weed beds begun dying off? This might release nutrients and decrease some O2. There might be an algae and/or bacterial "bloom" going on. This can happen fast, esp with algae under bright sun. Is this a green bloom? Or brown? Sounds like you have a gem. It can teach you a lot that can be exported to other waters in time. I've always been a 'home water' kind of angler too.

At first I was going to say, in a 10 foot deep pond -no way a thermocline had set up to begin with. But...you are in NH, pretty far north, and if this pond was in the woods (little wind able to get to it), and maybe if it's groundwater fed...then maybe. But I'd guess you are seeing something else, like an algae bloom (lotsa recent sun), dead algae (now suspended at one side of the pond), a heavy rain, carp activity (more a spring/simmer thing), or .... Ponds in my area don't develop a thermocline (after the spring heat up). Heat penetrates to at least 15 feet in most waters here. But then again, you are pretty far north, and maybe you haven't actually measured max depth? Roiled water can push bass closer to cover and into more of a short range type hunting style. Slower, straighter retrieves make the most sense. If it's usually clear and becomes very roiled, bass may not feed much at all until it clears. Go someplace else, or play around and figure something out. Lures that push a good wake (move water) in black, white, or fluorescent colors are the place to start.

Nifty! Never tried that one. Depth (and speed/action) control is pretty basic, and a chunk of the ticket in. Interesting you are on brackish water. Although I haven't fished it (for LM) from what I read and hear, brackish water anglers have to deal with suspended bass a lot, between tides. I'm assuming it's the fluctuating water levels that keep bass from getting too married to bottom structure. Vertical structure/cover and open water (as in channels) should hold fish in slack tides. Would love to hear more from tidal anglers on this. Randall, thanks for posting. Always appreciate your input. You seem to have a bead on just what's important. Would love to spend a year in a boat with you. Yeah, the surface film and the bottom are two edges/ ambush points /strike zones that can tip the odds.

Just a great post! Great images. I feel like I'm there! Thanks for that. Post-frontal blue, 20+ clarity, swimming pool topography; You shoulda' targeted trout, or pickerel, or maybe hit a stream somewhere. That's what I always did on those days. Al Lindner once said of those lakes paraphrased wish I had the actual quote: If you can catch bass in THOSE lakes consistently, with the back to back cold fronts that blow down through the area, you are really doing something. I think Al was lamenting after getting his butt kicked. Seriously. BTW: Those machine gun hits were likely small bows. They are a lot of the life you can ping out there esp below the creek mouths. They also have sharp teeth rough on Roboworms. I diff hook rig could stick some of those, and not be a problem with bass in that swimming pool.

Hi Jim. PM'd you. Also, here's a good site, run by a serious angler, Norm, who's not afraid of digging into things deep. The UK reminds me a bit of CA; a culture that will take things to the nth degree. Eccentric they call it in the UK. I think it's called Out There in CA lol. I see it as completely normal. Just a matter of priorities. http://www.greenhobbymodel.com/floattubeireland/index.html Thanks for the thanks. It's nice get feedback. As to Perry's Depth Control, he saw it as a way of bringing some preciseness actual control into presentation; something sorely needed if you want to tease out any answers. What he didn't quite understand, it appears, is how it works from the fishes end, day to day; and we're still only just chipping away at that now. So far, he is turning out to be more right than off mark except maybe in terms of overall magnitude of movement. Amazing what critical thinking, perseverance, and some controls can yield. looking4, the biggest I've taken from a tube was an oz shy of 5lbs. I've taken a bunch in the 4lb range, and no, none of em have moved me. They can spin me around -fast! -and I'll spin to keep control of one. But they just don't run for distance like some other fish can. They're too busy either trying to dive into cover, or leaping.

Dunno cats very well. But here's a channel I caught on a plastic worm. No spots on this one.

Common myth is that suspended fish are inactive. Nothing further from the truth. if your a spotted bass guy fishing for suspended fish is a way of life. If you aren't comfortable working the middle depths you will always be fighting an uphill battle especially in the summer and deep of winter. My first choice would be the Fish Head spin, 2nd would be the spoon 3rd would be float N fly.. Reverse the order of this list in the winter. Mike Thanks for piping in. Is he just not getting his lures to those fish's level accurately enough -probably what you mean by not being comfortable with mid-depths? Also, would you say (quality-sized) LMs are in any way different from quality spots? In what way? Paul, What I mean is that alot of people don't fish for suspended fish because they think the are inactive or they just don't know how. I honestly feel that every fish needs to be coaxed some more than others but every fish has a strike zone granted some shorter than others.. Alot of people catch suspended fish but just don't realize they are in a suspended state. Every catch a fish at the boat while your sitting in 30ft of water?? Chances are likely that that fish was suspended. Having said that most anglers fish top, bottom or sub surface. Not many key in on mid level fish ie suspended. It's jup to us to figure out what the best method is for attacking these fish. I will say that that the BIGGEST of the biggest spotted bass that I catch the vast majority of them are caught while suspended. Mike Thanks Mike. Great post. I think a lot of fish are missed, not due to the 'wrong lure' as much as putting an appropriate lure in the right place, and sometimes, in the right way. Getting a crankbait to rise at the end of the retrieve -start coming up toward the surface -can trigger that "reaction strike" in suspended fish sometimes. It is similar I think to the surprise strikes we get under our rod tips -at boatside, or at our feet at shore. "Lunch is gonna get away and I'd better move it or lose it!" But your overall point is a good one -they could be willing biters. To do this you gotta know what depth the fish are at, then where your lure is. Otherwise those surprise catches will remain just that. Real good stuff here.

Common myth is that suspended fish are inactive. Nothing further from the truth. if your a spotted bass guy fishing for suspended fish is a way of life. If you aren't comfortable working the middle depths you will always be fighting an uphill battle especially in the summer and deep of winter. My first choice would be the Fish Head spin, 2nd would be the spoon 3rd would be float N fly.. Reverse the order of this list in the winter. Mike Thanks for piping in. Is he just not getting his lures to those fish's level accurately enough -probably what you mean by not being comfortable with mid-depths? Also, would you say (quality-sized) LMs are in any way different from quality spots? In what way?

Thanks all. Wayne, Sonic has replaced Superbraid, according to their website. It's more expensive than PP and SW -which is all I've used so far. Looks like I'm going to have to order something on-line as local shops carry green only.

I'm looking for a Hi-Vis braid -like PP in hi-vis yellow or orange or... Who sells these lines in a roughly 15#?

It varies with my workload. I'm self employed, and flexible with time -unless work piles in. My priorities are: family (wife and son), job, community, self. Since my family does not fish much -so many competing venues -fishing time is mostly in the self category. My goal is twice a week, but sometimes, like this summer, it's been MUCH less. In the spring I've been doing spawning behavior observations the past three springs (no fishing involved), and this is an every other day investment. I burn a lot of 'clout' during this period. For a lot of my life, except for some college years and before having a family, I fished around 150 days a year. Follow your bliss, but don't be selfish. 8-)