nboucher

I still don't understand why you want to get rid of them. Their presence at the pond is a sign of health, of fish abundance, not imbalance. It's highly unlikely they'd be responsible for a severe drop off in fish, and if there is one there, the birds would simply move to another pond with more fish in it. The dropoff is likely caused by other factors--overfishing, chemicals in the water, a die off in aquatic plants, etc.

Beautiful, Russ.

Lines are rated according to their breaking strengths, but not rods. Rods are rated according to the line-class that's most appropriate for their range of flex, tip action and butt section. Roger Thanks, Roger. Why didn't I think of that? Sometimes the simplest answers are the hardest ones for me to see. 8-)

I love sharing my water with great blue herons. They show me where the fish are, and to me they're handsome birds. Yes, GBHs mostly eat small bait fish, but I have seen a few impale fish in the size range you mention. Like most wild animals, they are opportunists, and innately "calculate" the energy spent getting a meal vs. the energy they'll get out of it. (That's why coyotes will sprint after a deer, but if the deer doesn't trip or die of heart attack in front of them , they'll back off after a few yards.) Similarly, if a large fish is available a great blue heron will make a stab at it and once in a great while they get lucky. The herons I've observed doing this seem to be completely suprised by their success, and they take a really really long time trying to figure out how the get that big heavy fish off their bills and into their stomachs! As RW noted, cormorants are another story altogether. Supposedly the Chinese have used them as fishing aids. They a tie noose around their necks so they can't swallow and release them on a tether. The fish dives, gets fish, and the fishermen dig them out of the birds' gular sacs (a smaller version of the pouch you see on pelicans). It's supposed to be pretty productive, though I suspect it's still done only in very rural parts of China, if at all.

Laggyman, you make some interesting points, but I'd be a little bit cautious about your conclusions. I'm not a big fan of fishing generalizations, because they tend to create blinders. They can make you miss the big one that's there because you believe it's not supposed to be found there. I suspect that your own confidence may play a large role in this. I've caught bass in small ponds on fast-moving crankbaits and deadsticked Senkos, but if you believe that bass in ponds don't chase fast-moving lures, you likely won't give them a fair chance and fish them as intensely, and that will affect your results. As for pond bass sticking to the bank, well, it depends on the conditions around the bank. What kind of drop-off is there? What kind of cover? Most anglers fish banks most of the time; therefore, most fish are caught near the banks. If a deeper spot in a pond has all the conditions to hold fish, there will be fish there, and they may be the biggest fish in the pond. If they are, the bites will be fewer, and the fish caught will be fewer, but they may be some nice hawgs. That's not to say that there are no rules or guidelines. My point is that each pond has its own set of rules. Each has a particular topography, particular cover conditions, and a particular ecology. The better you understand those things, the better able you will be to find the best fish in that particular pond. For example, my favorite pond has no cover in its deeper waters (about 20 feet or so), yet every time I'm out there, I take a little time to work that deep water, just in case a big lunker is swimming through there. I've had no success at that depth, but I've caught some big fish in dropoffs between the deeper water and the bank. I have a birdwatching friend, who, every time he sees a bird that's not supposed to be in a particular habitat, says, "Hey, they got wings." The same is true for bass: they got fins. They can surprise.

Not sure what the answer is, but here's my $.02: If there are lily pads in nearby ponds and none in this pond, that may be an indication that this particular pond just doesn't have the soil chemistry or water depths & temps to support them. Otherwise they'd be there. I'm almost certain that insects and birds have distributed the seeds to this pond from nearby ponds, but theyhaven't taken because the ecology isn't there for them.

Chris, here's what confuses me about lines and rods. I have zero experience with braid (for no particular reason) so I'll use Yo-zuri hybrid, which I do use, as my example. I use 12#, which has a 20# breaking point. My rod is rated for as high as 20# line, so I figure I'm fine. But small-diameter braid can have a 30 or 40# breaking point. Even though the diameter of braid would suit my rod just fine in terms of the rod guides and casting, if I'm hung up in thick salad, why wouldn't my 20#-rated rod break before the 30# braid on it? What am I missing? Norman

Crankbaits and jigs. In that temperature range, soft plastics might still work, too.

It's no good using heavy line if your rod can't take it. Your rod should have its range of recommended line strength printed on it just above the grip. If your line falls within that range, you're not going to break a MH rod. I'm unfamiliar with that reel, but you should be able to thumb the spool and lift that bag, keeping your rod at a 45 degree angle to the floor. (You're just trying to lift it an inch off the floor.) Not sure what's going on with your drag. Maybe ReelMech can offer his expertise on that.

Hey, Muddy, we can pick at each other's bird's nests when we're at Fork, like two apes picking the nits off each other. :

ReelMech, I'm going to send you my Shimano Citica after Thanksgiving, but do you also do spinning reels? I'd like to send you a Shimano Sahara for routine end-of-season maintenance.

I agree with Muddy.

Well, in New England, bluegill and shiners are the most common forage generally. The pond I regularly fish doesn't have a way for shad to get into it, and I've caught bluegill there and no shiners. That's not to say there aren't some shiners in there, but undoubtedly bluegill is predominant.

Good one, Russ.

Russ, you still using primarily jigs and cranks? Or was this another live shiner trip?

The 4000 is my one and only spinning reel, spooled with 8# Yo-Zuri Ultra Soft. I love it and have never had a single problem with it. Oh, and welcome to the site!

Blue shad. As I posted elsewhere, it has a similar pattern to bluegill, so it resembles the primary baitfish where I am, but it has more flash, which I think helps trigger more reaction strikes.

Caught my PB this year on a green pumpkin Zoom horny toad.

Good question, and maybe someone knows more about bluegill habits than I do. I assume their metabolism slows as the water temps drop. That would mean their feeding behavior would slow but other than that it should remain unchanged as long as the zooplankton is available on the surface. One thing about fall fishing here in New England is that the wind becomes more of a factor. Calm days become rare. The effect on the zooplankton is that a few days of steady breezes from one direction will push the zooplankton to one side of a pond and the bluegill will follow. So I tend to concentrate on the shoreline that the wind is blowing toward. As far as finding the most-productive depth is concerned, I like to use a few different Rapala DT cranks this time of year until I find the one that works (the DT-6 has been working for me recently; I like blue shad color over bluegill because the pattern is close to bluegill, but it has a bit more flash). Jigs have also been productive in five or six feet of water. Others have been having success with X-raps and husky jerks, but the pond I'm fishing these days has enough submerged lily pad stems to make those a bit tricky. As the water cools further, though, I may use them more. For me they combine the best of jigs and cranks: they offer a minnow-like presentation, as a crankbait does, but you work them slowly, as you would a jig. That's a good fall combo.

Shane, if you wait a little while, as you may have heard, a Bass Pro Shop is due to open right by Foxboro stadium next year, though I don't know which month. Also, I've read that Cabela's is due to open a store over where Routes 1 and 495 intersect. In the meantime, one of the very best tackle shops in our region is Northern Bass Supply, which is in Kingston, NH. They've got a large inventory and will let you try out stuff. It's worth the drive. Norman

RW's advice is great for general conditions, but you should be able to refine it further for the particular conditions of your pond. Each shoreline of the pond I regularly fish (main forage: bluegill) offers a very different topography. On one side the water drops from a foot to seven, or even ten or twelve in some spots, within about three-to-five feet of the shoreline. On the facing shore, the dropoff is more gradual, while on a third shore there is an expansive plateau with water ranging from one to three feet and then a moderate slope down to about ten feet. Over the past few weeks (although I haven't been out in two weeks now, so things might have shifted a bit) I've been finding the choiciest bass in about 5-8 feet of water. On the first shoreline I described above, this means casting parallel to the shore only a yard from shore, whereas on the facing shore it means casting ten yards from shore. If you can, note at what depth you're catching fish and adjust your parallel-to-shore casts to the right depth.

As George noted, 200 is fine for most bass fishing. 50khz is better suited to deeper offshore fishing, or if you do some deep water bass stuff. I've never noticed a difference with the FF on or off, as far as spooking fish is concerned.

Chode, transport's no big deal. I live about a half hour south of Boston and there are tons of ponds and lakes suited for a kayak around here. (I also just got back from a conference in Ithaca, and, despite the occasional snow shower, I kept wishing I had the yak with me. ) I have a Thule rack with a Thule Stacker and getting my Old Town Loon 111 on it takes about five minutes, and getting it off takes even less. I can easily manage to do this solo. I've had two kayaks and a canoe on the Stacker at the same time.

Definitely a good idea to try fishing from one before buying. Body type may have something to do with comfort. A couple of years ago I had no interest in a kayak, and thought they were too confining, etc. Then I fished out of one and found my preconception didn't hold up. I can't say I've ever felt claustrophobic in it. As for positioning, I don't find it's a big deal. You get good at sensing wind direction and positioning yourself to drift in the direction you want. I leave the paddle untouched for 15-20 minutes at a time, making slight corrections by sculling with my free hand. I also use a drift sock when the wind is considerable. You learn to sense what the kayak is going to do and anticipate it; the kayak becomes an extension of your body, which is what I like about it. It's really not as hard as people think. It's a natural fit in the 30-40 acre pond I fish regularly, but I've also been out in all conditions & temperatures and in much bigger water without any problem other than getting splashed by waves. That said, it ain't for everybody . . .

Chode, most of my fishing is from a kayak, and I love it. But it's not for everybody. Check this link for another recent discussion on this topic: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1158727646/0 Fishing from a kayak is NOT for you if (1) you don't like fishing from a sitting position, (2) you fish a windy lake, or (3) you like fishing with a lot of tackle. Space in a kayak is limited, but you can rig them up to be great fishing machines. I have a rod holder and fish finder mounted on mine, and my Old Town Loon 111 comes rigged with a cord that allows you to stash your paddle out of the way while you fish. I also use a drift anchor in breezy conditions. You can take two rods max comfortably in a kayak, and probably one tackle bag. For more advantages and disadvantages, see the link above. Also, check out http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com for all you'd ever want to know about kayak fishing.