We recently went to an old silt pond (mining pond) that my husband used to fish but were extremely disappointed when we got there. What used go be a nice sized pond that held a healthy population of largemouth bass and bluegill and various other baitfish has been drained down to around 3-4 feet in depth. The water seems ultra clear because it is so shallow and you can see all the fish in the pond, which aren't very many. There is little cover and the bass that I've seen are extremely dark from sunlight exposure. They aren't big but I saw a few 11-12 inchers, mostly 6-8 inchers, and one bigger female I'm assuming that might've weighed 2 lbs. I want so much to catch as many bass in that pond and relocate them to a more hospitable environment. The bluegill and baitfish seem to be doing very well as their numbers seem pretty strong but I'm thinking the bass are slowly dying and the thought of that pond drying up and killing them makes me sad. We fished the pond for over an hour with absolutely no luck. As soon as my lure came within feet of the fish they fled for what little cover and grass was in the pond. I tried a craw in watermelon, a baby brush hog in black with red flake, a frog bait in green pumpkin and a topwater frog. No interest. Is there anything I can do to catch these spooky fish so I can relocate them? Any advice would be appreciated.

Cast net lol. you could try live bait if you need to get them. Senko maybe. Shaky head is another.

 

  tight lines 

 

     Andrew

The biggest issue is probably the visibility. Try at night or under deep overcast. A good wind ripple will help too. Under really high vis conditions you get to see just how stupid lures actually look, and how many fish think so too.

i have two ponds with the same issue and I've tried everything.  They only thing that consistently catches bass all day is a 1/8 oz Mepp's spinner (or Roostertail).  They don't put off a large 'eagle' shadow when over their heads.  And they don't kick off tons of vibration spooking them. My ponds have a very healthy population of large bass so I have to change the treble to a 2/0 to 3/0 for better hook ups.  Are you in a boat/canoe? If not there might be some giants out in the deeper water that ur just not seeing.  Try using one of those blue gill as bait (under a bobber)  at dusk/dawn or night.  A live blue gill will let you know what kind of bass you got in there:)

.Check ur regulation on moving fish b/c it might not be allowed.  And read up b/c you might help the tremendously help the bass population by removing some blue gill/baitfish.  that's a biology i haven't read too much about but others might know more. Google slot limits and pond management magazine/ and watch bob lusk's videos. I forget if he talks about slot limits here or not:  

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/bass-fishing-fish-biology.html

IMO you do not want to cast on top or them, the lure needs to be casted away from them and reeled back into the zone.  All kinds of fish get spooked when a lure plops on the water, one reason fly fisherman are sometimes very successful.

A problem using live bait like worms is the bluegill will peck you to death.  The mentioned inline spinner is a very good option.

Flip and pitch a Zoom trick worm in watermelon to them on a 1/16 jig head.

 

Use 8 or lighter flouro on a spinning rig.

 

If that fails downsize to a finesse worm.

 

Just remember, in clear water if you can see them they can see you.

 

Check out my pond fishing suggestions I posted today in the "Bank Fishing Tips?" thread in  the General Bass Forum section.

To catch the bigger one you could try to get a crayfish and let it run around on the bottom and drag it around every now and then

Maybe throwing in a brush pile!

Weightless finesse worms and 4" senkos on light line. Long casts

I do cast above them and then retrieve it to where they are. As soon as they see the lure they split. It's not the line that spooks them, its the lure. I'm assuming its something theyre not used to seeing because no one I know of fishes up there anymore. I was gonna try some live shiners if all else fails. I have a small spinnerbait but I tried throwing a micro chatterbait and they ran from that too. It's frustrating. I have some 3 inch yum dingers I may try. There is one deeper spot in the pond but it is literally 4 feet max. Like I could probably wade through the whole thing from end to end. It used to be a nice pond, like 20 feet deep or so but now its just a bowl of land with a little water in the bottom. They've dug a channel in the side to redirect the water out of it into a creek. I'm assuming their intention is for it to dry up. I think a natural gas company owns the property. Relocating the bass won't be an issue with local fish and wildlife I don't think. I'm trying to save them as simple as that may sound. I am a big ol softy and I can't stand the thought of them dying in that pond.