I fish at a small pond that is about the size of a pond you would see along the side of a road. (The pond is private) Had lots of luck on Soft Plastics, Topwater, and Crankbaits at any depth/size. But bites have slowed down when the fountain turns on, Why is this? The property owner says that the bass like the fountain. The fountain does not spray like a mist very high up like others, this one gushes the water like a flooded storm drain. I have tried fishing the fountain a lot of times but nothing is working. What should I through? What tricks/techniques I should use when fishing the fountain. I know this pond inside and out- but this is making me stumped.

_________________________________________________________Notes___________________________________________________________

Fountain Turns on at EXACTLY 7:00 PM

Bass "Disappear" When fountain turns on 

 

Ask the owner not to turn the fountain on.......

 

Seriously, I have no idea. That's an interesting problem. 

Ask the owner not to turn the fountain on.......

 

Seriously, I have no idea. That's an interesting problem. 

The fountain is to keep the weeds along the shore

The fountain is to add oxygen into the water, which is better for all living organism's in the water. 

 

Why it shuts the bite off, I do not know. 

Knowing what causes fish to act a certain way is beneficial, but not imperative. Knowing that the fish turn off when the pump is on is as beneficial to you as knowing that they get tight lipped under high pressure/cold front conditions. I guessing the pump is on a timer, so planning your fishing trips when it's off would be to your benefit. I'm not saying don't fish it when the pump is on, but treat the situation knowing the bite will be tough.

It's possible that if the pond is deep enough it may stratify. If so the deep water may be low in oxygen and chemically different from the upper water. In other words, the fountain may be creating turnover every evening. THe fact that the fountain's function is to keep "weeds" along shorelines (possibly algae?) makes me think the pond may be excessively fertile and prone to O2 deficits in the depths. It shouldn't affect the entire pond. There may be fish further away that you can target?

 

If the algae/'weeds' is actually pushed to the shoreline the resulting matts may attract bass. I've had a few ponds where a lot of good bass pile up under wind-blown matts of algae. Some matts were just a foot or so wide but had good numbers of bass beneath. Some shorelines with matts will be the hotspots, others won't attract bass. Worth a look anyway.

 

Another thought, if turnover is not the issue, is that the bass are taking advantage of some feeding opportunity resulting from the fountain that your techniques aren't covering.

 

A third thought: How many times has this happened to you? Are you certain the fountain is the culprit?

 

Interesting problem though. If you figure something out, let us know.

Kinda off topic but i fish a few neighborhood ponds that have outlet pipes that drain into a creek and the day after a good rain when theres more outflow than normal bass stack up right below the falling water..can catch 10 bass in ten casts and then nothing, theyre sittin tjere mouths open, if i make 3 casts and no bite i know ive caught every one and its time to go downstream..

I remember a small neighborhood pond that had a fountain I often fished as a kid. It turned on every day around 12pm, which is also getting into the hottest part of the day, which ALSO meant the fish slowed down, especially during the summer when I was out of school fishing it all day.

 

It took us awhile to connect the dots, but it wasn't the fountain, it was the heat. Could that be what's happening?

It's possible that if the pond is deep enough it may stratify. If so the deep water may be low in oxygen and chemically different from the upper water. In other words, the fountain may be creating turnover every evening. THe fact that the fountain's function is to keep "weeds" along shorelines (possibly algae?) makes me think the pond may be excessively fertile and prone to O2 deficits in the depths. It shouldn't affect the entire pond. There may be fish further away that you can target?

 

If the algae/'weeds' is actually pushed to the shoreline the resulting matts may attract bass. I've had a few ponds where a lot of good bass pile up under wind-blown matts of algae. Some matts were just a foot or so wide but had good numbers of bass beneath. Some shorelines with matts will be the hotspots, others won't attract bass. Worth a look anyway.

 

Another thought, if turnover is not the issue, is that the bass are taking advantage of some feeding opportunity resulting from the fountain that your techniques aren't covering.

 

A third thought: How many times has this happened to you? Are you certain the fountain is the culprit?

 

Interesting problem though. If you figure something out, let us know.

This happens every time; The tips you gave me do match but I think the fountain is the culprit.

I remember a small neighborhood pond that had a fountain I often fished as a kid. It turned on every day around 12pm, which is also getting into the hottest part of the day, which ALSO meant the fish slowed down, especially during the summer when I was out of school fishing it all day.

 

It took us awhile to connect the dots, but it wasn't the fountain, it was the heat. Could that be what's happening?

No, the heat is not the problem.