Fish Tales: Small Pond Big Loss

 

I launched the kayak into a very small pond (23 acres). I have never been to this pond so it was a new experience. Does this pond contain any fish? If so, what kind of fish? What would be the prospect of returning to this pond?

 

It wasn't long before I started to catch fish. The largemouth bass were very hungry, however, they were all stunted, no real size to them. I can only guess the pond was not managed and the pond was left to it's own demise.

 

Later I learned that downstream is an abandoned manufacturing site that used the pond as a water source and has not maintained the pond. The ponds dam is leaking and is being considered for demolition. 

 

So I'm casting away, having fun, and catching lots of small bass, when I notice this huge spider dangling off the brim of my hat. Naturally, being so close to my eyes, the spider was as big as King Kong. In a panic, I swat at the humongous spider. The spider is swatted right into the water.

 

There is a problem. The hand I used to swat the spider, held my fishing pole. The spider AND the pole land into the water. I made a loud gasp and quickly reach for the pole as it hits the water. But it sinks fast enough to be mere fractions of an inch from from grasp. Much like in the movie where one is reaching for the keys to escape but it is just out of reach. I engulf my whole arm in the water and I cannot get it. I watch it gradually disappear. 

 

On a still calm body of water, with picturesque forest trees in the background, a lone person is sitting in his kayak, with his head bowed low. He has lost his favorite fishing pole. No, he's not coming back to this pond. 

I like your fish stories, Andy.

Sometime reflex just kicks in, consequences be damned.

I was worried you lost a double digit bass!  Go buy a new rod!  😂😂😂

If you make it home, its a good day.

Sorry to hear of the loss. I don't suppose there is any way you could go back to that spot soon (so it's fresh in memory) and dredge around for the rod?

 

You consider a 23 acre lake a small pond? I consider a 1 acre pond a small pond, and 2 acres to be decent sized pond.

6 hours ago, Bazoo said:

Sorry to hear of the loss. I don't suppose there is any way you could go back to that spot soon (so it's fresh in memory) and dredge around for the rod?

 

You consider a 23 acre lake a small pond? I consider a 1 acre pond a small pond, and 2 acres to be decent sized pond.

I’m with ya there. That’s a lake to me lol. Even when I lived in Florida the area I was in that was a good small lake. 

😂, sorry that’s pretty funny. 
 

my buddy was swatting at horsefly once and knocked his glasses in the water. He jumped in after them but couldn’t get them. When he hoisted himself back into the canoe, the tilt caused his handheld GPS to slide off a cooler and into the water 😂 😂 

 

I was like “why you need GPS, we can only go down river?” 
 

you should return to the pond and dredge up your rod, many people have success doing so . But right when it sank would have been your best shot 

I’ve slapped my glasses off my face lots of times because of a spider. The other day I watched a documentary about how those little boogers get that far from the shore. They poop out some silk onto an anchor point and then jump in the air to let the wind carry them . 

I have a wise old aunt that says concerning spinders, "They won't hurt you, they'll make you hurt yourself." 

 

Glad that I ain't afeared of spiders, or snakes either for that matter. A lot of mishaps have been avoided as a result.

 

I believe it was Tom that suggested that one of those chain stringers with the clips open makes a great rod retrieval tool.

That was a brutal. Sorry you lost your rod

On 11/13/2025 at 11:32 PM, Bazoo said:

Sorry to hear of the loss. I don't suppose there is any way you could go back to that spot soon (so it's fresh in memory) and dredge around for the rod?

 

You consider a 23 acre lake a small pond? I consider a 1 acre pond a small pond, and 2 acres to be decent sized pond.

Anything I can jump over is a pond. If I can't jump it, it's a lake! Here in middle TN, we just have such a scarcity of water that every wet area is coveted. We have a thin soil over limestone and this ground will not hold water. That's why my pond had to have a vinyl liner.

Reminds me of when a bass I was taking a pic of with my phone started flipping its tail violently and oops! There went my phone, over the side. It also “almost disappeared” from view. But I made a snap decision that I wasn’t losing my phone, so I went over the side. 
 

Got the phone. Still works fine. Lost my truck keys lol. 

What a story! All rods will eventually go to bassin' Valhalla. Don't feel too bad. At least it was lost in the line of duty. 🤣

 

Also, man, I'm with the rest. This Carolina bred dude would consider that pond a lake! 

In New England, a body of water is considered a pond up to about 1,000 acres, but the number varies. The pond where I own land is literally called a pond and it's 170 acres.

 

We have a place officially called “1000 acre swamp” that’s actually a pond not a swamp, at least till late summer, and it’s really 155 acres.

On 11/13/2025 at 6:17 PM, Angler Andy said:

Fish Tales: Small Pond Big Loss

 

I launched the kayak into a very small pond (23 acres). I have never been to this pond so it was a new experience. Does this pond contain any fish? If so, what kind of fish? What would be the prospect of returning to this pond?

 

It wasn't long before I started to catch fish. The largemouth bass were very hungry, however, they were all stunted, no real size to them. I can only guess the pond was not managed and the pond was left to it's own demise.

 

Later I learned that downstream is an abandoned manufacturing site that used the pond as a water source and has not maintained the pond. The ponds dam is leaking and is being considered for demolition. 

 

So I'm casting away, having fun, and catching lots of small bass, when I notice this huge spider dangling off the brim of my hat. Naturally, being so close to my eyes, the spider was as big as King Kong. In a panic, I swat at the humongous spider. The spider is swatted right into the water.

 

There is a problem. The hand I used to swat the spider, held my fishing pole. The spider AND the pole land into the water. I made a loud gasp and quickly reach for the pole as it hits the water. But it sinks fast enough to be mere fractions of an inch from from grasp. Much like in the movie where one is reaching for the keys to escape but it is just out of reach. I engulf my whole arm in the water and I cannot get it. I watch it gradually disappear. 

 

On a still calm body of water, with picturesque forest trees in the background, a lone person is sitting in his kayak, with his head bowed low. He has lost his favorite fishing pole. No, he's not coming back to this pond. 

     I started a thread "What have you lost over the side", a while back, and some of the responses were hilarious. This would fit right in. We have lost everything over the side including my daughter! When she was little, she was standing on the bow and when I stepped onto the dock, the sudden rise of the bow sent her airborne! Of course dad had her in a preserver but she got dunked in cold water just the same. Rode home in my dry clothes promising me she wouldn't tell mom! Boy was I not surprised when she started blabbing.....☹️

Boy, did I get an earful that night!

I wondered is you meant 2-3 acres. That's a small pond to me. One I can get around 3-4X in a fishing trip.

37 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

I wondered is you meant 2-3 acres

Although my fat fingers are prone to make mistakes like that but it is 23.