There's a "lake" around 20 minutes from my house. I say "lake" because most would call it a pond, as it's only like 10 acres. But it's a county lake.

 

On the DNR website, they describe it as a surface mine lake. It's right next to a major highway so I'm assuming they needed some dirt and dug a hole.

 

There are thick reeds that circle 95% it, almost zero shore access. Water is pretty clear. There are subsurface weeds everywhere. In most areas, if you are working a lure below the surface it's coming back with weeds on it. Zero weeds on the actual surface.

 

There's no map available and I have no electronics. I have zero clue how deep it gets or even where the deepest areas are. The website says there are walleye in it and they actually stocked some 6" perch in it this year. So there must be some decent depth to it.

 

Here's the deal, whenever I go there I catch nothing but dinks. I'm talking dink central. I talked to a guy (not sure how much I trust) that said there's some good bass in there but it's nothing but dinks. The DNR actually did a survey last year and they shocked a 4.5 pounder! Other than that one fish, they were all 8-12 inches. Which is what I typically catch.

 

Two nights ago I finally caught a 14 incher. Which for my past results, was a "monster". 

 

So a quick summary of the maybe four times I've been there in the last couple of years: 40 dinks that averaged 10" and one 14". Yet the DNR shocked a 20" 4.5 pounder.

 

Where are the 15", 16", 17" etc. fish?

 

Last year I mostly threw a wacky senko into the reeds. A bunch caught, ALL dinks.

 

A couple days ago I thought OK, they must be deeper. Tried fishing a neko rigged worm and a swim jig out deeper. Once again, ALL dinks minus the 14". Actually the larger fish came in more shallow water near the reeds.

 

This is turning into a novel. Sorry.

 

How should I fish this? Should I keep fishing this? Where are the bigger fish? Deeper in the weeds? If so, how do I go after them?

 

I've never been so confused with this place. It's not like a 1,000 acre lake. It's TEN acres!

 

I'm seriously wondering if there's someone harvesting the bigger fish. I just don't get it. 

 

I'm not a pro, but I ain't bad either. LOL

 

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

Bigger swim bait?  

If I went back to it, I’d throw 6-7” lures. There could be a forage related bottleneck and that 4.5lber is eating dinks. 
 

scott

Are you in a kayak or are you shore bound?
You’ve checked the whole lake and there isn't anywhere where it gets deeper and the weeds thin out?

Did they stock in with walleye or are they naturally reproducing? ’d think there has to be some deeper water for it to hold walleye. I don’t think walleye would thrive if there was no deep water or hard bottom anywhere. Also do you know what type of vegetation is growing out past the reeds?

Have you spent much time up shallow in the reeds with a big jig, punch rig, or frog?  
That's a lot of questions but I think I could help ya out a lot better if I have a better mental picture of the lake.

Without any more information I’d go with @softwateronly’s advice and throw something weedless in the 6” range. Maybe a big topwater over top of the grass in low light. 

The sad truth might be that there really aren’t many 14”+ fish. You might have to spend lots of time and commitment to work through the small fish for the occasional big one. 

Edited July 9, 2025Jul 9 by 10,000 lakes Bassin

21 minutes ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said:

Are you in a kayak or are you shore bound?
You’ve checked the whole lake and there isn't anywhere where it gets deeper and the weeds thin out?

Did they stock in with walleye or are they naturally reproducing? ’d think there has to be some deeper water for it to hold walleye. I don’t think walleye would thrive if there was no deep water or hard bottom anywhere. Also do you know what type of vegetation is growing out past the reeds? 
That's a lot of questions but I think I could help ya out a lot better if I have a better mental picture of the lake.

Without any more information I’d go with @softwateronly’s advice and throw something weedless in the 6” range. 

 

I'm in a kayak.

 

There is a deeper area where it seemed less weedy yes. I fished it with no luck. I did catch a crappie on a smaller swim bait, like 2.5". I brought it for my wife as it catches mostly everything.

 

The main bait I was throwing was a swim jig with a 4" trailer so it's a decent sized bait. The neko rig was hard to fish with all the weeds. I honestly can't remember if I fished it in the deeper less weedy section.

 

The subsurface weeds? Hmmm, I'm not an expert on weeds. All I know is that a lot of times you would bring back a 3 foot long weed with your bait.

 

Not sure about the walleye. They show recent stocks. All catfish other than the perch this year.

11 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

 

I'm in a kayak.

 

There is a deeper area where it seemed less weedy yes. I fished it with no luck. I did catch a crappie on a smaller swim bait, like 2.5". I brought it for my wife as it catches mostly everything.

 

The main bait I was throwing was a swim jig with a 4" trailer so it's a decent sized bait. The neko rig was hard to fish with all the weeds. I honestly can't remember if I fished it in the deeper less weedy section.

 

The subsurface weeds? Hmmm, I'm not an expert on weeds. All I know is that a lot of times you would bring back a 3 foot long weed with your bait.

 

Not sure about the walleye. They show recent stocks. All catfish other than the perch this year.

Personally I would really focus on that deeper, less choked out area. I’d guess that’s where the bigger fish would be holding. 
When I’m in my kayak with no electronics I like to a heavy jig as a search tool. A 3/4oz arky jig will let you feel the bottom and feel grass but won’t get miserably buried like something with no weed guard or with treble hooks. 
Methodically work your way around with the big jig and try to make a mental map of the deeper area, a fish at this stage would be a bonus being that you’re really just mapping it out. Then I’d focus on the spot with your normal stuff, or whatever you have confidence in that won’t get bogged down in the weeds. You know there’s 6” perch in there so that could be a could starting point for bait selection. You know there’s crappie in there too, both those are likely what the big girls are feeding on. 4.8” or 5.8” keitech on an owner beast or flashy swimmer could be good. 

On the other end of the spectrum I’d look in the thickest of the reeds and other thick cover. A punching setup or a frog would be about all you could use effectively. 
Hope this helps. 

6 minutes ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said:

Personally I would really focus on that deeper, less choked out area. I’d guess that’s where the bigger fish would be holding. 
When I’m in my kayak with no electronics I like to a heavy jig as a search tool. A 3/4oz arky jig will let you feel the bottom and feel grass but won’t get miserably buried like something with no weed guard or with treble hooks. 
Methodically work your way around with the big jig and try to make a mental map of the deeper area, a fish at this stage would be a bonus being that you’re really just mapping it out. Then I’d focus on the spot with your normal stuff, or whatever you have confidence in that won’t get bogged down in the weeds. You know there’s 6” perch in there so that could be a could starting point for bait selection. You know there’s crappie in there too, both those are likely what the big girls are feeding on. 4.8” or 5.8” keitech on an owner beast or flashy swimmer could be good. 

On the other end of the spectrum I’d look in the thickest of the reeds and other thick cover. A punching setup or a frog would be about all you could use effectively. 
Hope this helps. 

 

Yeah I actually purchased a perch colored 110 +1  after I saw they were stocked. It could work in the deeper area maybe. Otherwise too much grass.

 

I'll have to get some bigger jigs and work the deeper area slower. Heck drop shot?

 

It's pretty clear water so I think I need to keep it as natural as possible.

 

I thought night would be the best but last time I was out I fished the swim jig quite a bit and just dinks. Maybe a buzzbait might be better.

 

Bigger baits I have a 6" Magdraft and one of those S Wavers but they might just collect weeds.

 

I did some googling trying to find some 6" weedless swimbaits. 6th sense appears to make a Sweep that looks pretty cool.

 

IDK, I'm such a competitive person I feel challenged to find a big fish in this "lake". LOL

 

5 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

I did some googling trying to find some 6" weedless swimbaits. 

A magdraft freestyle in perch rigged weedless would definitely be an option. 2for the price of one 6” rigged version. I think a 8/0 beast is the standard hook. 

A forage size bottleneck is very possible -- there may not be very many bass over 14".  There are multiple lakes in my area where I catch mostly undersized fish, and very occasionally a big one, with very few in-between. 

 

Have you tried going early morning or late evening? Low light topwater over submerged weeds could be productive for larger fish. 

 

Reeds are good habitat -- look for a patches of thicker reeds next to, or on a depth change, even as little a a foot.  

 

The place where the weeds start to thin out is probably a change in depth, or change in bottom composition, either of which could be a good holding area for bigger fish. You might try slowing down and fishing the edge of this area vertically with a jig or worm. Lift and drop, shake gently when you catch vegetation. 10 acres is the perfect size body of water for curing impatience with a slow presentation. 

 

8 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

A forage size bottleneck is very possible -- there may not be very many bass over 14".  There are multiple lakes in my area where I catch mostly undersized fish, and very occasionally a big one, with very few in-between. 

 

 

I've never heard of this but I'm very curious as to the "Why". I'll have to do some Googling.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, everybody!

 

I'm either going to catch a hoss or I'm just going to cross it off the list.

 

PS I do see plenty of smaller bluegills if that matters.

Sounds like the pond is severely stunted and bass can't grow past 14". Sometimes in those situations, you'll find one or two big bass that lucked into growing to a size where they could cannibalize the smaller bass. That would be the 4.5 lber they shocked up. If it were me and I wanted to catch bigger fish, I'd fish somewhere else. 

Sounds like the pond/lake is over populated with a year class of bass.

What is the water source?

Tom

36 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

 

I've never heard of this but I'm very curious as to the "Why". I'll have to do some Googling.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, everybody!

 

I'm either going to catch a hoss or I'm just going to cross it off the list.

 

PS I do see plenty of smaller bluegills if that matters.

 

My limited understanding is that a fully healthy fish population in a body of water has a pyramid type relationship; phyto/zoo plankton as the base to the largest weight of the top predator after a mature life cycle at the top.  Right now, a 14" bass is almost as mythical as the 20" bass shocked by dnr and yet 8-10" bass are everywhere.  This could mean that water is not carrying enough overall food for all the fish that live in it; these 8-10" bass might be 3-6 years old where on a more even distribution/healthier body of water they are all 3 years old.  So these 4,5, & 6 year old bass are not big enough to eat the 2-3 year old bass, bluegill, perch what have ya and are forced to compete with immature bass for insect, fry and yearling forage.  The determined/lucky few bass who break thru will be rewarded with an enormous forage base if they get big enough.    

 

I read more of what you're up against, I like the deep water and off time plans by @10,000 lakes Bassin and  @MIbassyaker and your "stubborn competitive determination."  My only add is that if it's former mining pit and gets real deep, just worry about covering the first 30' of the water column.  No need to bang a jig in 54' fow, but plenty of reason to run a swimbait 15' down over it.  Good luck!

 

scott

17 minutes ago, JHoss said:

 If it were me and I wanted to catch bigger fish, I'd fish somewhere else. 

 

With only 20 or so minutes away, I'm going to give it a couple more shots.

 

If no luck, there are better places also not far away.

 

The large amount of frustration almost draws me in to figure it out. LOL

13 minutes ago, WRB-2.0 said:

What is the water source?

 

Great question, I'm honestly not sure.

 

I've gone on Google Maps and there are no streams feeding into it.

 

Last time I went out there was a ton of rain. I was walking on a trail around the perimeter just looking around and along the trail there was a decent amount of water on the surface running into it from the highway. There was enough water that I had to stop and go back so my shoes wouldn't get all wet.

The reason I ask what is the water source?  helps to solve what type of pit lake you are fishing is.

DNR’s do electro shock study to determine the fish population health and density. After the finding they usually post a slot limit or other recommendations. Did the Walleye and Perch show up in the study?

Walleye have specific prey needs along with a water source to spawn.

If this Pit lake is spring fed the Walleye my not survive.

The fact they only  found 1 adult LMB is disturbing.

If the water source is a spring then it’s located in the deepest area, they stop digging after unearthing a spring. A spring also helps to break up thermocline developing in the Summer and prevents the pond from freezes solid in the winter.

This time of year consider fishing at night.

Tom

13 minutes ago, WRB-2.0 said:

The reason I ask what is the water source?  helps to solve what type of pit lake you are fishing is.

DNR’s do electro shock study to determine the fish population health and density. After the finding they usually post a slot limit or other recommendations. Did the Walleye and Perch show up in the study?

Walleye have specific prey needs along with a water source to spawn.

If this Pit lake is spring fed the Walleye my not survive.

The fact they only  found 1 adult LMB is disturbing.

If the water source is a spring then it’s located in the deepest area, they stop digging after unearthing a spring. A spring also helps to break up thermocline developing in the Summer and prevents the pond from freezes solid in the winter.

This time of year consider fishing at night.

Tom

 

Nope, no walleye. Survey was last year. The perch were or are going to be added in 2025. Not sure if it's happened yet.

 

They caught 93 fish.

 

10 bluegill, 2 catfish, and 81 largemouth.

 

Species                    Avg Len(in)    Min Len(in)    Max Len(in)
Largemouth Bass      10.51                8.20                  20.00

 

The 20"er weighed 4.5lbs.

 

I'm a numbers guy and my math agrees with theirs.

 

98.77% of the bass were between 8-12".

 

1.23% were between 15-20". It was just the ONE.

 

I've said a million times I'm no expert, but this place just confuses the heck out of me.

 

 

That tells me it’s a spring feed pit lake and know one is keeping the small bass for food and it’s over populated with 2 years classes.

Why the DNR stocked Walleye without a creek or stream feeding the lake is beyond me.

Highway water runoff is full of chemicals that will eventually kill the bass in this pond if not diverted.

Tom

2 minutes ago, WRB-2.0 said:

 

Why the DNR stocked Walleye without a creek or stream feeding the lake is beyond me.

Tom

 

The perch stocking also has me baffled. I'm assuming they are for the walleye.

 

IDK

 

To me it means there must be some decent depth. I guess if it is spring fed the water is cooler as well.

 

Very rare to have walleye in lakes this size (aka ponds) in Iowa.

Your DNR probably had some left over fish and stocked them into the pond hoping locals would harvest them. Don’t over think this!
Tom

County lake implies more than a few people fish it, potentially keeping some fish but at least adding pressure.

 

A DNR survey turned up 1 fish over 14".  Unless it is a deep lake like a strip mine and ALL of the fish over 14" were in 20 FOW when they shocked, that's pretty bad.

 

Only shocking 10 bluegill is maybe even worse.  Bluegill are easy to turn up in electro surveys.  The lake I was fishing yesterday you could have dropped the probes in and shocked 30-40 at each site.  Only getting 10 tells me there is a lack of forage.  That would also explain the small bass.  The lack of a feeder stream would imply low nutrient productivity.  If there are no springs seeping in and it is just a runoff pond, then that's going to be a tough go.

 

I'd have to weigh my options.  If you can go and catch 20 bass 12-14" in an evening and it's only 20 minutes from your house then sure.  I'd fish it every now and then as an easy to fish, close place.  I have a couple of those lakes around that I'd hit in the kayak.  Grab the light gear and have a ball.  If you end up catching some that are bigger than 14" then maybe there is a chance they are in there and it is worth more time.  Heavier pressured lakes and summer conditions mean going in the dark if you're looking for bigger fish.  If you're comfortable night fishing, then I'd be throwing a small colorado blade spinnerbait over top of the grass that doesn't hit the surface, and a frog or toad across the grass that does.  Basic night pond fishing 101.  Maybe throw in a jitterbug or small wake bait in place of the spinnerbait. A plopper or buzzbait perhaps because I like them.  

7 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

Heavier pressured lakes and summer conditions mean going in the dark if you're looking for bigger fish.  If you're comfortable night fishing, then I'd be throwing a small colorado blade spinnerbait over top of the grass that doesn't hit the surface, and a frog or toad across the grass that does.  Basic night pond fishing 101.  Maybe throw in a jitterbug or small wake bait in place of the spinnerbait. A plopper or buzzbait perhaps because I like them.  

 

This has been my thought as well, especially since it's pretty clear.

 

With this thinking, the last outing I fished until 11:00pm so I fished it a bit in the dark. Dinks.

 

I'm going to fish the deeper area more during light and then I'm going to give it a good night outing.

 

After that I'm done with her and moving on.