Pond Bass Fishing

To fish, or not to fish, that is the question...

We’ve all driven past that one pond or small retention lake near the road and thought, “I bet there are
bass in there…”. Heck, I passed at least five on my morning commute just today! One of them I have
stopped and fished. The rest, I’ll get to one day soon.

Fishing small bodies of water can be a joy no matter how experienced you are or what type of fishing
you usually do. And many, if not most, of those little ponds hold catchable fish, including bass. But there
is a trick to fishing them, and you’ll have more fun if you do just a little bit of preparation.

If you already have a pond in mind, first things first: find out if there is public access. If not – meaning it
is private land – you’ll need permission to get to it or things can go sideways fast. Trespassing on
someone’s property rarely ends well. Many of the dredge ponds at highway intersections are off limits
too, which is too bad because some of them look very inviting.

The good news is, there are fishable ponds by the hundreds that have easy access. Here’s an example: A
friend I worked with once told me about a pond behind a Target near his house. This one was out west
near Okeechobee Blvd and SR 7. I had been in that plaza dozens of times and never knew there was
water next to the back lot, but sure enough, there is ample parking and you can walk around the entire
pond. It’s a big sucker too, and fishy. I had forgotten about it for years, but ‘found’ it again last month
when I was looking for a quiet place to pull over to take a phone call. After the call and three bass later, I
was on my way back to the office.

The only other thing to consider before you venture out is that you do in fact need a freshwater fishing
license, even on these little ponds. If it is any consolation, much the money you spend goes back into the
fishery in some way.

Bass in these ponds are super spooky. They need to be, because a lot of predators can get to them
easily, both from shore and sky. You need to approach the water slowly and quietly. If the bass feel the
vibrations of you tromping towards the shore, they’ll likely duck and cover. Try not to cast a shadow on
the water or create a striking visual profile against the sky. Best case scenario would be to approach the
water quietly at an area where there are trees or bushes at the shoreline.

Once within castable range, there is a few ways you can entice a strike. Casting smaller top-water lures
parallel to the shore, just a few feet out, is a great way to start. If you are a fly angler, a small popper or
wooly booger works great too.

Smaller rubber baits work great as well. Again, I would start with a cast very close to shore, especially if
you are working the pond near the edges of daylight. Fan cast from your spot – I usually think of straight
out as 12 o’clock and make my first two casts at the 3 o’clock line (shoreline to my right). Then two casts
at 2, then 1, and so on until 9. If there is access along the bank, I’ll take about ten steps to my right and
make the same pattern, minus the 9 o’clock since I was just standing there. After about 3 stops if there
isn’t much action, I’ll change sizes or color and keep at it.

You should fish these baits low and slow, at least initially. It takes patience, but if you can let your lure
settle for a good 20-30 seconds before you even move it, you’ll do better. Your retrieve should be a slow, sweeping 6-12” reel, then pause for 5-10 seconds again. I don’t know if it just feels exaggerated
because of the small water, but bites in a pond can be extremely aggressive with an extra hard thump.
If I am fishing in the early morning or at around sunset but not having any luck, I’ll go a completely
different direction and tie on a large, noisy top-water hard plastic lure and walk the dog. In this case, I
might start with a 12 o’clock cast and try to get all the way across the pond. I am often surprised by a
strike in the middle, at the deepest spot, and usually by a one of the larger bass in the pond.

The secret weapon in a pond can be a beetle-spin type lure. The beauty here is that you’ll also catch
bluegills, gars, catfish, and any number of exotic fish that might have taken up residence.

Finally, remember this: you can’t catch a thing without your fishing pole. Keep one in your trunk – it
doesn’t have to be your best rig, just something that you don’t mind using. Once you have success at
one pond, you’ll be hooked and searching maps looking for ponds and small lakes behind shopping
malls, gas stations, or anywhere else along your daily commute.

Good luck!