cport0519

Which apartment ponds have you fished? I know a few that hold fish. Here's one

I would go to Back Bay in the Currituck Sound. Freshwater marsh, lotsa grass. Top choice there is a Johnson spoon fished over and through the weeds in a skittering manner. Punch plastics work well too. Do you have a boat with you?

Caught my first ever bed bass today. Went to a little retention pond I know of at lunch and spotted this buck guarding a nest. I had been throwing a small baby bass zoom fluke, so I tossed it at him for about 10 minutes, and all he did was look at it. Tied on a 3.5" watermelon red flake havoc and after 3 casts, he finally got pi**ed and swam off with it. Weighed in at 1 lb 10 oz, not huge, but great lunch time fun.

I've always had success tossing sluggos at bass breaking on baitfish in ponds. Used to float tube a 1.5 acre pond in San Diego. Every morning with the marine layer in the summer, 2-4 pounders wold break on the shad schools. they would roam around the middle of the pond, and I'd stay in the center and kick over to where they were breaking and pick off a few. Interestingly enough, I'd catch the bigger ones by casting over the boils, "walk the dog" with it by twitching it as soon as it hit the water, and let it drop right in the middle of the boils. The bigger, smarter ones wait under the action for the injured ones to float down. If they don't get it on the fall, usually one twitch-twitch-pause will get em. Keep that line tight to detect them on the fall.

Thank you very much Lonnie, and yes i do, I am truly blessed. Making lemonade outta lemons

Thanks for the welcome, guys.

Thanks PF. Where are you in Polk County? My father is a Bartow OG, and I lived there after pops retired from the Navy and moved back home when I was in high school.

Howdy! I am a new member currently living at the Grand Lake RV resort on Orange Lake, recently moved there due to a fire we had at our old house. We will be here a while, so I'm hoping to learn how to fish this huge lake, and will make sure I share what I have learned (except honey holes of course!). I have been fishing all my life, first cut my bass teeth sneaking into the botanical garden ponds on Lake Whitehurst in Norflok, Va when I was 9-10 years old. Didn't fish for a bit while in the navy, but rediscovered it when I lived in Seattle, targeting LM and SM bass and mountain lake trout. Went hard core bass after moving to San Diego, float tubing the SD River ponds and those wonderful SD county reservoirs, clear and deep, stocked with florida strain LM getting fat on stocker trout in the 90s as part of a great program to develop the lake system by the SD Lakes supervisor. Moved back here in 2007 (originally from Bartow FL), haven't done much bassing as I had no boat. Fast forward to now. After the fire in August, my wife's father let us use his fifth wheel indefinitely. So we ended up at the resort, right on orange lake. We finally got the insurance check in November, and right away the better half put it into savings (she's an accountant and handles the major financials). However, she got me a great Christmas present; she took some of the savings and got a used fishin barge pontoon boat! I just have to rebuild the Yamaha's trim tilt solenoid, and then she will be in the water. The RV park has slips for $50 per month, can't beat that. Any way, I like throwing flukes, its my confidence bait. Plastics are a favorite as well, can toss a jig, and have caught a few on spinner baits. Want to learn how to throw more cranks and the chatterbait. Looking forward to learning and fishing, fishing and learning, with all of you here.

Thanks Mike! College side is off limits to non-UF folk, unless you are a guest. I have accessed the park once, but the conditions weren't that great, so no success. I'll get back out there soon and toss some T-rigs at em from shore, although with this cold weather maybe a more finesse presentation is in order, maybe shaky head or drop shot. I have a pontoon boat that I am currently trying to rebuild the trim tilt solenoid on, after that, the RV park has moorage for 50 a month, and I will be on the water at Orange. Thanks for your responses Mike.

Hey ElCamino! I live in this area too, down in Citra, work in Gainesville. When I get my pontoon boat up and going, maybe we can head out on Orange Lake.

Hey all! New member here. As I had mentioned in a reply on a different thread, I am looking for some tips for patterns and general locations to fish Orange Lake (boat) and Lake Wauberg (shore). Not asking for your top secret lures or honey-holes , just some general plans of attack per season. I am fond of plastics, especially soft jerk baits and T-rigged and split shotted worms, know how to work a standard jig w/trailer, spooks and poppers, and have had some success on spinner baits, although I am unsure of colors and blade types to use for specific conditions. Looking forward to hearing any tips and learning to throw some new baits. Thanks in advance!

I agree that Lochloosa is far more pleasing to the eye. I am currently living at the Grand Lake RV resort right on Orange Lake, due to a fire at our previous dwelling. I would like to learn from some of your experiences on both Orange and Wauberg, as Wauberg is close enough to work that I can wet a line at lunch. I will post this as a tip request topic so this thread stays on topic. Thanks.

Hey Mike, would one of those lakes happen to be Orange Lake?