Small ponds produce big bass

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Often, small ponds can yield big bass. Many people stock ponds with largemouth bass and other forage. Managed properly, these diminutive places often produce monster trophies.

Fish seem to find ways to enter other ponds as well. People release small fish they don’t want to clean. Rains overflowing into ponds bring fish from nearby creeks or rivers. Once established, bass and other fish thrive in their new homes. Without larger predators, bass frequently top the food chain and grow to huge proportions in small waters.

Often inaccessible, ponds may receive little pressure. In fact, some ponds grow so populated that fish become stunted as food sources shrink. Anglers may feel a strike on every cast, regardless of the lure. Eventually, though, a little pressure can shut down fishing on a very small pond. That’s when anglers must work for them.

“For the first two hours in the morning, I search for big fish around the dam if the pond has one,” said Mike Echols, a Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League angler from Athens, Ga. “I usually start with top-water baits, such as a Pop-R or Hula Popper. If that does not work, I go to a shallow-running crankbait, something that dives no more than 3 feet deep. By midmorning, the sun pushes bass to deeper cover. Around the deep cover, I usually pitch a jig.”

In man-made ponds or borrow pits that are used to excavate soil for building projects, workers typically dig out the middle to a uniform depth. This leaves little structure for fish except along the shorelines or drop-offs. Fallen trees or weeds might constitute the best cover. Sometimes, though, workers might leave a ridge or sunken road through the middle of a pond where trucks carried away the soil.

“Many ponds are square or rectangular with little structure,” Echols said. “The corners of pits are usually very good. There’s usually a flat around the corners and maybe some weeds or fallen logs. On the flats, I throw top-water baits. The flats usually drop off into deeper water. There I fish a worm or a jig. I usually like a Texas rig instead of a Carolina rig in a pond.”

Most ponds sit on private land, so anglers must ask permission before fishing. That also means that few other people fish there. A little bit of knocking on doors might bring plenty of action from big bass in small places.

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