Experiment.

 

Throw all size and colors of your baits.

 

Throw some baits you usually do not throw and still wonder why you bought them in the first place.

 

Ponds are fun and you can learn a lot about your presentations, baits, colors, action, and the bass themselves.

 

Have fun and post pics.

Bringing this thread back up as we transition into autumn. 

 

I’m fishing a 3-4 acre pond in SE Texas. Max depth is about 7’. Muck on the bottom but not very weedy except in a few spots close to the bank. Water is green from microscopic algae with visibility about 2’ or less. 

 

I’m starting to have success with topwater with a Whopper Plopper 75 in sungill, but no action with frogs. Still catching bass on 5” Senko wacky rigs but nowhere near the strikes and catches I had in late spring and summer. Still getting catches on weightless (or 3/8 oz weighted) Texas rigs with Zoom Mag 2’s, Zoom Trick Worms and Mann’s Jelly Worms, but once again, not like earlier. So far I’ve only caught one bass each on a spinnerbait and a jig w/trailer (3.8 Keitech). Also caught a couple on a solo 3.8 Keitech. 

 

I really don't have any crankbaits in my arsenal. I have one jerkbait but no strikes on that as of yet. I think I need something else to mix things up. What crankbaits do you recommend for ponds of this size and type for fishing in the fall? What other baits are good for fall? 

 

FYI- I fish mostly from my inflatable boat vs the bank. 

2 hours ago, BrianMDTX said:

What crankbaits do you recommend for ponds of this size and type for fishing in the fall? What other baits are good for fall?

I have had success in these types of ponds with rattling crankbaits, including red eye shads and discontinued fat bodied ratting Rapala crankin raps.  My understanding is the prevailing wisdom is to go to flat-sided cranks as the water cools, but I've done just fine with the Rapala cranks.  Maybe this applies more to truly cool water, e.g. where topwaters are really ineffective.

 

I have had good success with blade baits in ponds like this late in the fall once the water gets really cool.  I've used silver buddies.

Never underestimate small ponds.  This pond had some ice in one of the shady corners.  The pond was really small, maybe the size of a city residential lot, certainly far less than an acre.  My buddy caught it on a jig n' craw.

 

4 hours ago, BrianMDTX said:

I think I need something else to mix things up. What crankbaits do you recommend for ponds of this size 

 

 

Lipless crankbaits and flukes. I fish fairly pressured small ponds and I'm still having a good time walking the banks with those. 

It depends on the pond.  

11 hours ago, BrianMDTX said:

I think I need something else to mix things up. What crankbaits do you recommend for ponds of this size and type for fishing in the fall? What other baits are good for fall? 

Full disclosure- I don't think I've ever fished a pond for bass, but I've fished a lot of coves so I'll think of it that way. If a spinnerbait isn't working then I'd go with a squarebill in a ghost gill pattern. Non-rattling would be my first choice since I'm envisioning a quiet pond. Then I'd try a floating jointed minnow. As far as other baits I'd try a popper.   

I guarantee there’s differences (bass can leave a cove-they can’t leave a pond), but some of those baits will likely work. 

Caught my PB largemouth (8lbs) in a small 2 acre pond in NE Missouri.

 

Rainbow trout colored Slug-Go rigged on 4/0 worm hook, weightless.

 

Don't be afraid to try something new...

On 4/13/2020 at 10:30 AM, JediAmoeba said:

I am thinking of ponds that I can stand at any location and cast over the other bank.  I have a few.ponds I take my kids to that the biggest fish isnt even a pound.  I dont think I am throwing my 6 oz swimbaits there...

 

It all depends on the size and depth of the pond...

1/32 oz. Jig will catch them. I do a lot of micro creek and pond fishing. 

I fish a bunch of city park lakes, which are basically big ponds, some are narrow and maybe 100 yards long. 

I use the same lures/baits that I fish big lakes with. Colors may change, and depth certainly is different. 

99 % of the time I'm targeting big bass, and use the lures that are most like to get the bigger bass. 

My neighborhood has 2 ponds that are 2 and 3 acres ... deepest parts are 5 to 7 ft. ... one has lily pads and wood in the pond ... the other is clear ... both hold nice bass ... the HOA manages the ponds with a strict catch and release policy ...

 

I downsize my presentations from frogs to spinner baits ... lure size mostly 1/8 and 1/4 oz with various lures .. sometimes as low as 1/16 oz ...

 

these are not the only waters I fish but it has been my experience pond bass respond better to a downsized presentation that I usually will not use on a reservoir ... other than plastic worms ...

 

good fishing ...

On 10/12/2020 at 11:54 AM, mikey z said:

Lipless crankbaits and flukes. I fish fairly pressured small ponds and I'm still having a good time walking the banks with those. 

I bought both and will be trying them tomorrow. All rigged up and ready to go!

Lots of great suggestions on here. For me, weightless Flukes and Boo-Yah Pond Magic spinnerbaits. 

39 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

I bought both and will be trying them tomorrow. All rigged up and ready to go!

Let's see a catch if you get one!

4 minutes ago, mikey z said:

Let's see a catch if you get one!

Absolutely! Fingers crossed!

There's really only one small pond that I fish...a little less than an acre. I've caught numbers and a few nice ones. I usually fish soft plastics. Two reasons. First the water is small and sometimes very clear so I try to be quiet (finesse). Second because I can almost afford to lose a few baits. I have also had some success on a "swimmed" jig.

 

Fogy, caffeine Shad, ned rig, neko...those basically have me covered. I’ll occasionally throw a jig if I target larger fish that aren’t hitting reaction. 

On 4/17/2020 at 7:52 AM, the reel ess said:

Normally, I fish all the same baits in a pond. I put more emphasis on topwaters because fish will be closer to the surface on average. I still catch dinks on bigger bass baits. 

 

However, I have a pond I've been fishing lately where I can't seem to buy bites on the regular bass baits. Zero on spinnerbait, jerkbait, frog, stick worm or any topwaters so far. But it was a little early in the season for topwaters. There are good bluegill there so I broke out the ultralight and tiny Rooster Tail and started catching bass too. Even some decent bass. I know there's at least one big mama in there because I saw her on a bed. I couldn't get her to bite, but I did catch a decent male off it. I caught a few on the Trick Worm. But mostly, I have yet to figure this place out. I want to fish until dusk there sometime and see if they'll bite better at low light. Also, I have a Pond Magic spinnerbait I'll give a go there.

Do a lot of people fish it? There is this pond near near a lot of people fish literally everyday and the ticket for me was getting there as the sun was rising because nobody else fishes it in the morning.

The farm pond I fish I usually upsize my baits because I know there's bigger fish in there that will take them.  It also keeps the dinks off of them and the bluegills and sunfish don't tend to bother them as much.  My in-laws who own the pond look at the size of some of the lures I use and they think I'm crazy until I pull in the bigger fish they have.

 

Strike King baby Rage Craw Texas rigged on a 1/0 worm hook and a 1/8 oz tungsten weight. Catches dink’s and donkeys.

One word....

Mann's Baby 1-Minus 

On 10/16/2020 at 11:56 AM, mikey z said:

Let's see a catch if you get one!

Only caught one. On a purple Zoom Max 2 Texas rig. I batted o’fer on the new lures. 

On 10/17/2020 at 9:28 AM, BlakeMolone said:

Do a lot of people fish it? There is this pond near near a lot of people fish literally everyday and the ticket for me was getting there as the sun was rising because nobody else fishes it in the morning.

No. One other guy fishes it occasionally as does the owner. I have been there since I posted that and caught 13 in a couple hours. Every one was on a size 90 Whopper Plopper. I did try other baits, but I couldn't keep the fish off the WP. The biggest was 3.5 lb and the rest were about a pound. As I said in the previous post, I had seen a big gal on the bed in the spring. I hope this is not the same fish and there are multiple bigger bass on the pond.

 

That was in the evening as it got darker. I agree on fishing the the low light periods. Especially the morning. A lot of people won't make the effort to be on the water at sunrise. I've caught a few PBs at or before sunrise.

Depends on the pond, I have a buddy in Alabama who has a pond with at least a few 14lb bass in it, and that pond isn't very big, maybe an acre, two at the most, but he actively manages it and the results speak for themselves, more fun cannot be found than nailing double digit fish while drinking a cold beer and chatting with a buddy I don't see as much as I'd like anymore since we both ETS'd, his pond is easy to fish, worms feature heavily, as do lizards at the right time of year, as to downsizing baits? Not a chance on that pond, up size is more appropriate, other ponds I have never seen a fish much over a pound, those ones are ned rig specials, or drop shot depending on circumstances, but if it's a dink fest, I usually take the fairy rod and finesse presentations and leave the power fishing gear in the truck or at the house.