Was out fishing a local pond that I've fished for years. In the earlier years the Bass averaged 1 to 3 lbs. After a few years of not fishing there i desided to see what has changed over the years, what a surprise I was in for. I started out with a jitterbug and only caught 1 , tryed a spinnerbait and got 3 more, i finished with a lizard and got another. The ting that stood out to me was the size they were mostly around 8 inches and the one caught on the jitterbug about 12 inches. These were not the fish I had remembered . They would short strike the spinnerbait and at fist thought i waas hitting debri ben then seen one hit close to shore. The one caught on the jitterbug hit so soft that if you didn't see the strike i might have missed it. I could only think that this is due to over fishing and people keeping the larger fish causing what is leat behind to become indecisive and lure shy . Is this becoming a common situation .
Give lots of details on the pond. Is it neglected, no new fish being added, different species of fish not being added, fertilized/weeds.
I have seen ponds in neglect get over run with bass. They eat everything, become cannibalistic, dwarfed, small body and a big head, all of them about 10".
The pond is bordered by a golf course on one side so fertilizer could become a factor. The pond is not stocked so no fish are being added. There are some sunfish and bluegills with the usual turtles , but over the years I think the brothers and their buckets have taken most of them. That alone can cause a good fishing place to go bad. The bottom is mostly decaying leaves some weed but this has changed every couple of years. I do think that with limited food sources the are feeding on each other. It's hard to really say whats been going on there , I haven't fished it seriously in years but was dissapointed with what is there now.
Yep, thats it. They're starving and have become cannibals, eating their own eggs and fry. They will never get any bigger than what they are now. The only way to recover a pond like that is to kill everything in it by over oxygenating the water and start over.
When fish are taken from a pond and none are put back thats what happens.
So sorry to hear that happened to your memorable fishing hole.
If the property is run by the state you could enquirer about why its not being kept up. If its privately owned maybe talk to the owners about turning it over for state G&W refuge management.
It's sad i was looking to find at least one of those bigger bass that have gotten bigger hoping to catch a trophy. This place has been there for years even going back to when my uncles were kids fishing there many years ago. I guess i could inquire about it because a couple of years ago they turned the other section into a park so someone might have to maintain it.. thanks for your insight . By the way good job on your crankbait patterns
I hope you do have time to look into whos managing the pond. If no department wants to own up to it try bringing up "economical impact". Even a small body of water moves fishermen. Fishermen move money.
And of course "The environment", I bet a local news station would be willing to talk to you about "How it use to be".
You should try fishing it more often, conditions may change and bigger ones may bite if they are in there. Then again, if the bucket brigade hits that spot then they might have already caught all of the bigger bass and brought them home for dinner. Try a big tube texas rigged and hop it along the bottom. That's what I use on small ponds in Oklahoma and I usually catch any of the bigger fish that are in there.
If you are sure that there are no big fish in there, then maybe the population needs to be thinned out. Maybe harvesting some of the fish would help it out. Does the pond ever flood over? I've seen ponds down south emptied by heavy floods. Then again, I've fished ponds last year that held almost no fish - the same ponds 4 years ago were full of bass from 1 to 6 lbs, most likely due to the lack of stocking/management.
It's hard to say what would help the situation without knowing more about the management or conditions of the pond. Maybe you could contact the property owner or DNR if it's public land and see what they can do.
Its hard to say whats going to happen there within this year . I'll fish it more and try what you suggest. Its just that this was one of the places i used to test new spinnerbaits and jig colors and patterns knowing that the was quality fish there. But when i moved away from there i haven't spent much time going back because i'm now fishing within the town that i live in now.
Next time you fish it take a close look at the bass. See if they look like what I was describing, dwarfed, big head and funny little/skinny body.
I noticed you use a rather expensive swivel on your spinnerbait blades. Does it make a big difference from the cheaper #10 snap swivels in getting the blade to start spinning, slower retrieve and such
The bass that i did catch had a thin body like a trout , not really a big head. The body was proportioned for the really small size. It also could be that i just caught a lot of young ones that day. I'm gon'a start fishing there at least once a week and up my lure size and see if the size of the fish improve. I use a ball bearing swivel really because the blade feels to start spinning alittle easier and smoother. I tried other swivels like a crane they worked fine but to me it didn't have that smooth feel. I think it just personal perference.
I have a small pond that was stocked about 3 or 4 years ago, the bass are very aggressive and if you walk the pond you can catch about 10 or 12. All around 10" to 14". I pulled some last year, 5 total, plus 12 bluegills. The pond is small but loaded with fish, even the catfish hit crankbaits! I am the only person who fishes it, fun to takes kids, but how can I manage the fish in there? I don't want to deplete it but am worried about stunting. You still see minnows in the shallows, idealy I want to get lunkers all growed up.
I when back about a month ago . I had a big strike on a jig with a craw trailer.There was some weight felt when i set the hook but the fish was able ot shake the hook when it broke the surface. Realy didn't see the size but my guess there is at least one good fish left. I would suggest that you check the growth rate for bass in the region you live. That way you could judge how much the fish will grow per year . A 14" bass may be the larger ones within a 3 to 4 year range.
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