I have been seeing tons of small cruisers lately, but they spook as soon as I get near them. The pond I fish doesn't really have any offshore structure. Its just mud bottom with pea gravel everywhere. I know that to catch fish during this period you have to target the bass that are on the first dropoff, but there are no dropoffs in this pond. Where should I fish and what level of the water column? (Bottom, middle, top) thanks!

The drop off that they might be on doesn't have to be a big one. A drop of only a foot or two can be enough to hold bass. That being said, if the males are cruising for spots to make beds then the females won't be far from them. Try working the deepest water (again, deep might only be a foot or two deeper) closest to where you are seeing the males. Try working some soft plastics (craws/lizards) and jigs from deep to shallow in theses areas. If the males are cruising for beds then the females should be in a feeding mode to get ready for spawn.

Hope this helps! 

Thanks for the tips. I ended up catching 16 on a swim jig.

Thanks for the tips. I ended up catching 16 on a swim jig.

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Nice!!

i don't buy into the whole theory the big fish are only off shore in deep water. I have found large females with the males. try throwing big baits and you have  a better shot at the bigger females.

The term pond means different things to different people in different locations.

In Texas for example a pond is called a tank. One persons pond is another's small lake!

For the sake of argument lets define your pond as being a man made small lake about 20 acres, maybe 12' deep in the center and bowl shaped. No structure features visible, other than bottom contour. The shoreline zone is weed covered, the center being mostly open water.

Where are the bass going to be located seasonally?

Winter in the warmest water they can find, springs or deepest water.

Spawn near the shoreline where ever they is sandy/gravel bottom without any mud or muck, about 1' to 5' deep. Big rocks or any wood is the wild card, plus a rock face dam, if it exists, and man made structure or cover like docks.

The balance of the year "pond" bass tend to be shoreline oriented fish because that is where their food source is located. The pond is a fish eat fish ecosystem with whatever else falls into the water or lives in the water.

Cold water; start deep and work shallow, warm water; start shallow and work deep. Night surface to about 8'.

Use whatever you are good at fishing with. Big bass; use a wake bait, jig or soft plastic big worms. Bluegill profiles and color should work very good.

Tom

I have a pond I fish that lacks much obvious structure, and precious little cover ealry before the vegetation grows up. In spring I find good numbers of bass distributed along one particular shoreline that leads into a shallow bay. One early spring day I found that some tumbleweed had rolled in and sunk, and they attracted bass, giving them something to hold at. I caught several under and next to them.

Are there any trees along the shore at all? Or is it just a pond in a field?

Most fun you will have is throwing a buzzbait. It drives bedding fish crazy. Caught 3 3lbers in ten minutes on Friday using this method. 

I fish a pond very similar to the one you spoke of and i have had A LOT of luck on a Texas or Wacky rigged 5" Senko in Watermelon with black and red flake also i have had luck with a 8" magnum lizard by zoom in Junebug color fish both of these wheightless and SLOW SLOW SLOW drag it up from the bottom and wait for it to fall then repeat you can jig and pop the lizard as you swim it but i would just lift and drop the senko