So I have been fishing at the same pond every time I wanted to fish this summer and didn't have enough time to justify going anywhere and "making a day" out of fishing. If I get a few hours freed up though, I have been hitting this same pond. I showed up there this afternoon thinking that I was going to maybe get a few bites before dinner time and I was greeted with the most disappointing sight. NO JOKE, I think 90% of the bluegill in this pond are dead. I saw everything from nice fat 8 inchers to tiny fry washed up on shore. I didnt realize how bad it really was, however, until an 18 inch bass floated belly up to the surface. I decided to walk around the entire pond and found the same scene on nearly every inch of shoreline. Dead bluegill, bass, and a few floating catfish. I did see a few signs of aquatic life, but it was the worst fish kill I have ever seen. Funny thing was, the pond right over the hill from this one seemed to be just fine. I am so mad! I lost my favorite place to practice and a really convenient spot to get a line in the water.

Gosh that must suck. Sorry about that. What was your biggest bass caught in there, if you don't mind me asking?

only like 3 and a quarter but I like trying new tackle there because I know the underwater layout so well by now

arrrghh that really sucks makes me sad. is that pond drying off?

if you saw dead catfish something is going really bad. Ive read that catfish is one of the most durable freshwater fish.

question to all the above posters: why do you photograph your bass laying in the ground?

Wow. That's horrible any idea why?

I do the same thing here in this little cove just to see how it swims, how deep, how fast, then I take it with me on my fishing trips.

LOL... prjavelin, that photo just ended up that way because I pulled that fish onto the shore and just snapped a pic before even picking it up. I guess it looks kinda bad. And yes, the catfish being dead was the kicker because I have heard the same thing about their resilience. I think the heat must have really gotten to the water (we had a few days of 110+ degree weather in my area. The water's oxygen level must have severely dropped

d**n man that sucks... Hopefully you have some back up ponds you can fish

D-A-N-G! I've been concerned about my lake lately. 90% of is shallow and since this massive heat wave has been around it's gotten shallower. The water has receded as much as 10-15 feet in some areas and it's dropped at least 2-3 feet. We've had storms go through this past week but except one severe storm, the rest has just went around us. We're getting the isolated and scattered t-storm forecast everyday which means we'll be lucky if we get to see it from a distance.

Also, I'm seeing more and more crap on the water. Not sure what it is but it can't be good. There was this one huge patch that I thought a frog would be good on. Shoot, it was like throwing the frog onto concrete. There was no ripple or water movement when the frog landed or was retrieved so I'm certain that the bass didn't even know it was there. I managed to punch it one time with a half ounce weighted Anaconda, but seconds later it was crawling on top of the stuff.

Oxygen kill?

Probably due to the heat and rise in water temperatures.

Sorry to hear about the pond.

Yup, I would say NO oxygen.. The smaller the pond the more common it is.