|
Forums36
Topics40,961
Posts557,951
Members18,500
| |
Most Online3,612
Jan 10th, 2023
|
|
|
1 members (Bobbss),
857
guests, and
152
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 59
Member
|
OP
Member
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 59 |
I understand that a certain number of pounds need to be pulled out per acre per year depending on fertilization, but what about basic overfishing?
Is there a general rule of thumb that x number of hours of fishing per month per acre will begin to have long-term negative effects on the fishing quality of the pond/lake?
Assuming you pull out 30-40 pounds of management fish per year per acre, what about the rest of the fish population? Surely some will get lure shy and tougher to catch. Are there any guidelines, or personal experience with this?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,347 Likes: 99
Editor, Pond Boss Magazine Lunker
|
|
Editor, Pond Boss Magazine Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,347 Likes: 99 |
Great question! I am assuming you are talking about largemouth bass. Overfishing and overharvesting are two totally different concepts. Let's take each concept. Overfishing means presenting baits to the same fish over and over. Bass can certainly become conditioned over a fairly short period of time, and stop biting the hand which tries to catch them. Overharvesting, on the other hand, alters the population of fish. The bad news of overharvesting is depletion of older fish. The good news is that largemouth bass recruitment can be high, so those fish can replace themselves over time. Either way, both concepts can seriously disrupt your fishery, if attention isn't paid. This may make good fodder for a Pond Boss article. We'll ponder the details and try to write about it for the May/June issue.
Teach a man to grow fish...
He can teach to catch fish...
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 59
Member
|
|
OP
Member
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 59 |
Yes, I am talking about largemouth bass under a recreational/sport fishing scenario. That would be great. I'm currently a member of a private fishery here in Texas making up about 150 total acres of water while I'm searching for my own land. The bite has been off recently, and I'm trying to get a better understanding on how overfishing might be playing into it. The water has become more stained, with apparent over-fertilization, which has also killed most of the good vegetation. They recently performed a shocking and supposedly turned up the best results they've seen in some time. In addition, my friend has this property where he has the same concerns about a limited amount of water and how fishing affects the fish population. So we've got water quality, time of year/weather, fishing pressure, harvesting, etc. which all play a factor in quality of fishery and I'm trying to figure these things out before I go out and do it on my own. I'd be really interested in an article covering this topic.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,892
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,892 |
Paul, most of us have discovered, to our dismay, that we can only fish our smaller ponds a limited number of times without fish getting hook smart. My catfish see my red and white cork and won't bite nightcrawlers, blood bait, or minnows. I'm experimenting with small sticks for floats. Heck, last weekend my bluegills fed voraciously on pellets but wouldn't touch a piece of nightcrawler. If I do catch a bass or catfish, all action stops in my one acre ponds. On 150 acres I would think it would depend on the number of baits the fish see.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,075
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,075 |
PaulR,
You have hit upon what I call my biggest disappointment of being a pond meister.
The good news is you get to raise your own LMB, the bad news is, you can't catch them. "Catch and release" in the pond turns out to often mean "catch once or twice and never again".
The frustrating thing is you can see them, but can't catch them. Feeding simply adds to the problem. The LMB get not only hook smart, but get all the food they want from the BG hanging out around the feeders. In my large pond with multiple feeders, it is extremely difficult to catch LMB....big BG no problem, but not LMB. In another smaller remote pond without feeders and only twice a year fishing...I can expect to catch 20 to 30 LMB on flys.
Its a big disappopintment. As a result, I've moved to a "put and take" HSB operation supplemented with feed and Tilapia and gizzard shad. The results thus far are very encourging. The HSB are growing very well and after one year I will begin the "take" side of the equation this summer.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 55
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 55 |
does anybody have a idea on what size pond and how often you can fish a pond.example i have 5 1/2 acres of water that will become 7 acres within the next 3-4 days,how often can you fish a 5 acre pond before bass learn?this seems to be a exe. subject for bob to write about in pond boss magazine.my dad will fish 2-3 times a week in my larger lake,i hope this is not too much.last think i need to do is keep digging to get away from this problem.you can only give your wife so many reasons why i keep spending money digging on this pond.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,074
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,074 |
I'm with Meadowlark on this one - big LMB that are not catchable due to being hook-shy because of "catch and release" and feeding on bluegills around feeders.
Frustrating to see them cruising around the feeders, but occasionaly land one with a big gill lodged in it's throat.
We are in the process of shifting from LMB operation to a "put and take" Hybrid Striper program with high protein feed and tilapia forage.
The biggest problem to date with this program is high predation of HSB stockers by LMB.
To solve this problem, we are currently raising fingerling HSB in a "grow-out" pond to tansfer to main pond when large enough to avoid predation.
I believe that we will see more large HSB stockers available from growers in the future, to avoid the LMB predation problem.
I am convinced that the populariity of HSB and tilapia will challenge LMB in many Texas ponds.
George Glazener
N.E. Texas 2 acre and 1/4 acre ponds
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,097 Likes: 18
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,097 Likes: 18 |
Man, I think you guys are crazy. I will account for "bad" days due to weather, but in a private stocked pond, it's all in the presentation of baits. If you're using something that isn't working, switch baits. Get familiar with spinners baits, then topwater lures (very intense), rattletraps, artificial worms and live bait. If they still aren't biting, fertilize & practice catch & release  The only exception I've seen are blue cats, they will turn off quickly.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,074
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,074 |
Eastland , it's rather obvious that you have beeen AWOL from this forum the past few months, since this subject has been explored endlessly  There seems to be a consensus among forum members and supported by the literature, that catch and release fishing pressure, with a good forage base and supplemental feeding, results in hard to catch LMB. You are correct in using various lures that you describe, that most are familiar with, LMB get lure shy very quickly.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 764
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 764 |
Does everyone see the huge chage that is taking place in small lake management? We used to think only in terms of balancing a lake with reproducing species. Because of HSB, we are now considering put, grow and take fisheries in our lakes along with reproducing species. This opens up so many opportunities that we never had before.
Norm Kopecky
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,075
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,075 |
Norm,
Yes, everyone except apparently Eastland.
I've fished all over the world, spent my kids inheritance chasing elusive fish, and have never seen fish as hard to catch as the LMB in my "dream" pond....even the elusive Florida bonefish which receives all kinds of pressure is easier to catch than my once caught Florida strain LMB.
George captured my thoughts perfectly when he said "I am convinced that the populariity of HSB and tilapia will challenge LMB in many Texas ponds."
The future is "put and take" in our ponds...if you want to actually experience catching fish. "Catch and release" is for large impoundments, rivers, streams, etc. but does not work for small LMB ponds which are fished regularly.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,074
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,074 |
Norm, I am seriously considering building a third pond which will contain ONLY species that do not reproduce, such as HSB, with tilapia for forage that do not overwinter, with supplemental feeding high protein pellets.
Currently experimenting with HSB in "grow-out" pond for stocking in main pond.
I believe there is shift in popularity from LMB to HSB due to LMB management problems.
George Glazener
N.E. Texas 2 acre and 1/4 ponds
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 20,043 Likes: 1
Hall of Fame  Lunker
|
Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 20,043 Likes: 1 |
Meadowlark and George,
I'm convinced this is happening on larger bodies of water too although maybe not to the extent of our smaller ponds.
I live in a natural lakes area where public lakes run anywhere from 100 to 3000 acres. The largest lake near me at 3000 acres gets pounded every weekend by tournament anglers in the summer. Not knocking them, but as a taxidermist I have seen the the amount of big bruisers (over 6 pounds) go steadily down over the years. I realize there is more of a catch and release mentality these days, but I am convinced these fish are becoming hook shy. An interesting things is once in a while I'll get one of these really big bass in caught by a guy fishing for crappies in really early spring with a crappie minnow. That tells me two things:
1.) The fish was caught on live bait and on something different than he usually gets thrown at him all year.
2.) That fish may have had all fall and winter to forget about hooks and was really hungry coming out of winter where little if any feeding took place.
Thoughts?
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 38
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 38 |
In Eastland's defense, my neighbor has the same experience on his 10 acre pond as I do on my water. He and I can catch a few LMB, and people who fish both ponds all the time can catch a few, but let a decent fisherman who hasn't been here in a year or more have a shot, and he will clean up. Birds gotta' fly and fish gotta' eat, and–let's face it–fish are not champions in the smarts category, but they can remember. (My wife loves to tell people when they call and I am out in the boat, "Lou is trying to outsmart a fish, and sometimes he can!") Even though we try to vary our approaches, we tend to go back to what worked before and we quickly fall into habitual routines as far as how fast and with what action we do our retrieves. A "strange" fisherman comes along and gives ‘em something fresh, a different lure, a different presentation, a different depth, a different retrieval action, and he can't stop catching them. Maybe we need to start time-sharing our ponds, and we will all be expert fishermen again. ‘Tis a poor workman who blames his tools. Lou, 13.5 acres
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,074
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,074 |
Lou, I believe you are correct in varying lure selection, but Meadowlark and myelf included have fished sucessfully for saltwater and warm and cold water species over many parts of the world.
Personally in my case for over 70 (that's seventy) years, including some of the most famous LMB lakes such as Lake Fork.
Your 13 acre pond and your neighbor's 10 acre pond may be quite diffent that the smaller ponds.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,075
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,075 |
George,
You may have read my post on this year's experiment. I'm trying, one last time, to have a "reliable" LMB fishery. In a new pond (2acres), stocking F1's with Tilapia, and no fishing, and no artificial feeders until next fall.
If this does not work (and I'm very doubtful that it will), in another year I will rotonone the whole thing and completely go with HSB and Tilapia.
It is very humorous to me to be told that my fishing technique is the problem, not the hook shy fish.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,075
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,075 |
Cecil,
I believe you are right on both points.
However, I have given up fishing large public impoundments in favor of finding fish that haven't been overexposed to every lure imaginable, so don't have recent knowledge of public fishing places.
I do know for absolute certain, that on any day of the week I can place a small BG on a hook, around a feeder, and catch beautiful LMB from my pond....lures and flies, no way, no how.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 67
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 67 |
Meadowlark,
Come fish my lake, your not that far. Went the other day caught 18 bass, not big ones but a couple went over 3 pounds. I want all the 14 inch and under out of my pond. When are you putting in your forage?
Bob
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,097 Likes: 18
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,097 Likes: 18 |
I'm a big boy and can take the criticism, but if you have a private stock pond and can't catch one of the most aggressive predators in fresh water, I question what you are doing, not the fish. Bass will bite upon instinct, if you have feeders throwing to perch all day, and the bass eat the perch during feeding time, why attack your artificial lure ? First, are you sure the bass are in there, and is the visibility too clear ? Second, what kind of condition are your bass in ? Third, why pattern them by feeding if they are healthy and you're in an environment where Tilapia & Threadfin shad thrive ? Grow the bloom and start at the bottom of the food chain, make the bass still attack at random. I wasn't implying you can't fish, I'm only saying that in a private pond, catching bass should be somewhat easy. Fishing for bass in a Texas stock pond should be like shooting fish in a barrel...that is, "if" they are there.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,146 Likes: 488
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent Lunker
|
|
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,146 Likes: 488 |
Why don't we give Eastland an opportunity to show your "hook shy LMB" his "stuff".. He doesn't live too far away. Then let's write up the fishing trip adventures for an article in PBoss mag! We should be able to learn at least something from this controversy.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine -
America's Journal of Pond Management
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,097 Likes: 18
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,097 Likes: 18 |
Hey Bill, too funny. Meadowlark has been very helpful to me in the past, I would enjoy meeting him and discussing our ponds, especially feeders and Tilapia. I also welcome the challenge, geez, who would turn down a free fishing adventure ? All I ask is that I get to hit the water at daybreak, we'll be done in 2 hours and I'll take him out to Breakfast, my treat...George is welcome as well. With all the knowledge they have, even if I get "skunked", it would be well worth it. But, I'm betting I catch fish...just what size fish are we talking about anyway ?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 705
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 705 |
I would love to see an article on the results of this. If I were a gambler I'd bet on Eastland.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,146 Likes: 488
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent Lunker
|
|
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,146 Likes: 488 |
Well Meadowlark and George, can we arrange a showdown between your intellegent bass and Eastland's ego on the end of a fishing pole? The worst that could happen is your bass would be swimming away from Eastland's presentations doing this :rolleyes:
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine -
America's Journal of Pond Management
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,097 Likes: 18
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,097 Likes: 18 |
Bill/Meadowlark, It looks like I'm going to retract my statements and simply agree that Meadowlarks fish may be hook shy. Just looked up Polk County and it's about a 4 hour drive from Dallas...sounds like a painful trip to hit the water at sunrise. It did sound like fun though.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,074
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,074 |
Eastland, My, we’re getting cocky…… Sorry, but no-one fishes our ponds but close friends and family  Since you’re not up for adoption, perhaps we can become friends…..
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,902
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,902 |
How do you know he's not up for adoption?
After all, family comes before friends right? Well except maybe inlaws.
Pond Boss Subscriber & Books Owner
If you can read this ... thank a teacher. Since it's in english ... thank our military!
Ric
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,075
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,075 |
What a clever way to get an invitation to fish someone's ponds.
Seriously, Eastland you are welcome to give it a try. However, it will have to be after early April. I am having a shocking/survey done to find out exactly what I have. If interested, let me know. Its a long way to drive to catch one or two bass, but as I said you are welcome.
I will allow for the possibility that I may not have large numbers of LMB. Local poachers have worked their magic on my place. However, I can catch 10 to 15 LMB in my smaller ponds most any time (why haven't the poachers caught them also)...they don't have feeders and are not fished regularly.
The survey will answer that question. No way will I be convinced that my technique is at fault. There's a lot of things in life I can't do but catching fish is not one of them.
bmccreight,
I accept your generous offer....I mostly fly fish and my preferred technique on LMB is floaters early and late.
My Tilapia will go in the ponds this year on April 3...right after the survey/shocking.
Wish we had an annual Pond Boss convention. I sure would like to meet the folks on the board and trade fish stories and pond theories.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,097 Likes: 18
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,097 Likes: 18 |
Thanks Meadowlark, I too wish we had a "Convention", that I would drive 4 hours for ! I will be stocking Tilapia as well this Spring, I'll probably be a couple of weeks behind you due to cooler temps. As for fishing...the results of your shocking survey will be the true measurement. That is, "IF" those hook"smart" fish don't see the boat coming, and swim to the other side of your pond Just messin with you, you are a great friend, and have been very helpful to me, I'm sure we'll be swapping stories in the months ahead.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 67
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 67 |
Any time, I would be happy for some one to fish. I can't find any time to get out of Houston. I am betting fish are close to spawn, with weather being so warm. Told you I am on on the south east end of Leon county.
Thank's,
Bob
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,892
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,892 |
Eastland, where will you get the tilapia? I've about decided to try it in one of my ponds.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,097 Likes: 18
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,097 Likes: 18 |
Dave, this is really going to make you chuckle. I have a friend who raises them and sent 60 small ones to me thru the mail about a month ago. They are eating like MONSTERS and will go into my pond April 15th, they should start breeding around then. I only have 20 adult bass in my 2.5 acre (still filling) pond, so they should survive and breed well. From what I've read, Adults reproduce every six weeks, babies reproduce in 8-12 weeks, growout is 5.5 months...barring a bad start, I should have hundreds of thousands before weter temps dip back below 55 degrees. My first Bass spawn will have babies feasting on a forage base that was set in motion Sept. 2003 when I had 1/2 surface acre of water. In 30 days I will also be adding 200 cats and 200 of the dreaded and feared black crappie.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 887 Likes: 3
|
|
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 887 Likes: 3 |
Funny how many things I google to read/learn about, an old PB thread shows up. Thought I would bring this one back to the top. I'm wondering the same thing about over fishing. I understand the harvest part, but on my 2 acre pond, how many hours can I fish before it is "over fished" creating hook shy fish? Couple hours a day, week, month..... Was there ever a PB article written on the subject?
Last edited by BrianL; 08/19/16 12:37 PM.
1.8 acre pond with CNBG, RES, HSB, and LMB
Trophy Hunter feeder.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,497 Likes: 266
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
|
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,497 Likes: 266 |
BrianL good question. Thread is over 10 years old. Stll has merit though. There is a lot here on the subject and yes several articles in PB mag.
There is a lot to the question's answer. Part is genetic with both LMB and BG (other fish also). Where do you want to start? You can search catchability for threads.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 887 Likes: 3
|
|
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 887 Likes: 3 |
For my situation. I have CNBG stocked in February, and just stocked Tiger Bass fingerlings in July. They won't be ready to catch for a year+. Since the pond is in my yard, I always want to go fish, and for now that is catching the CNBG. I'll fish at least 3 times a week, catch 2 or 3 and stop, even though I don't want to:). When bass start to get big enough, how much fishing will cause an issue?
I'll search the "catchability" as well
1.8 acre pond with CNBG, RES, HSB, and LMB
Trophy Hunter feeder.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 4,318 Likes: 6
Ambassador Lunker
|
|
Ambassador Lunker
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 4,318 Likes: 6 |
I have a 1 acre pond and I basically fish on the weekends only but not every weekend and I still have catch problems. The bigger your fish get the harder they are to catch.... Once you caught them a few times it gets even harder. You got to remember to switch things up. Keep em guessing.
For example even my CNBG the big ones get smart. I will fish near the feeder sometimes with a bug on a fly rod. Maybe catch one or 2 then I will throw some fish food in there and they will blow up on it! All kinds of fish there they just don't want what I am tossing... Same with LMB. I know I have bass from 13 inches to 20 or 21 inches but I have so much good baby BG for them it's hard to get them to bite. It can be a challenge at time specially at certain time of the year. Now in spring cause I don't have as many BG yet from spawn I can catch LMB much easier. A lot of things factor in. So really you can fish ALL you want that's not the problem.... it's the catching of the fish that's the problem. And it changes all the time. I would not fish a 2 acre pond more than 1 to 2 times a week and be careful as to how many fish I catch. Like you said it is hard to stop once they are biting!!! But if you fish it real hard and have a great time then I would give it an entire week or so before I fished it again that's just me tho.
RC
The only difference between a rut and a Grave is the depth. So get up get out of that rut and get moving!! Time to work!!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,798 Likes: 68
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
|
|
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,798 Likes: 68 |
I only ice fish my ponds aside from some fly fishing 2-3x during Spring-Fall. Not necessarily by choice, but acreage and fishery/pond management for absentee land owner takes 99% of my time - the other 1% I like to catch my breath and soak it all in. Even with the ridiculously low fishing pressure, my larger fish are really tough to catch unless I match the "hatch". Live line nose hooked BG or GSH, pellet fly, fathead and slip bobber, no weight BG fillet under the dock, etc. It's especially tough in smaller bows like mine which are 2 ac, 1 ac, 1/3 ac and 1/20 ac - fewer fish from which to try and illicit a strike and keep fooling. Lucky for me I have grown to enjoy fishery management over angling - trying to grow those YOY to trophy status has been super challenging and rewarding.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau ![[Linked Image from i1261.photobucket.com]](http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii582/teehjaeh57/I_subscribe_zps69249d43.gif)
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,146 Likes: 488
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent Lunker
|
|
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,146 Likes: 488 |
There is a fair amount of hook shy, hook smart, catchability info in the Common Pond Q&A Archives of the LMB Topic: http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=255372#Post255372
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine -
America's Journal of Pond Management
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,534 Likes: 841
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
|
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,534 Likes: 841 |
I only ice fish my ponds aside from some fly fishing 2-3x during Spring-Fall. Not necessarily by choice, but acreage and fishery/pond management for absentee land owner takes 99% of my time - the other 1% I like to catch my breath and soak it all in. Even with the ridiculously low fishing pressure, my larger fish are really tough to catch unless I match the "hatch". Live line nose hooked BG or GSH, pellet fly, fathead and slip bobber, no weight BG fillet under the dock, etc. It's especially tough in smaller bows like mine which are 2 ac, 1 ac, 1/3 ac and 1/20 ac - fewer fish from which to try and illicit a strike and keep fooling. Lucky for me I have grown to enjoy fishery management over angling - trying to grow those YOY to trophy status has been super challenging and rewarding. TJ, try a crankbait!  
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,798 Likes: 68
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
|
|
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,798 Likes: 68 |
I don't allow treble hooks in my ponds, Scott.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 6,088 Likes: 96
|
|
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 6,088 Likes: 96 |
You could just put straight hooks on the lure in place of treble and even drop it down to a single hook if desired. Might change the action a little though.
John
I subscribe to Pond Boss Magazine
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,596 Likes: 28
|
|
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,596 Likes: 28 |
I use small crankbaits and just cut 2 of the bends of each hook off. Probably will start using just one hook. When prefishing for a tournament you would be surprised how long a lmb will swim around with a rattle trap in its mouth with NO HOOKS on the bait at all. Have done this many,many times!
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,534 Likes: 841
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
|
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,534 Likes: 841 |
I found that out! You can get yourself a set of split ring pliers and swap the treble hooks for single hooks. It's relatively easy to do, and won't affect the action of the crankbait. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Texas_Tackle_Split_Ring_Pliers/descpage-TTSRP.html
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 6,088 Likes: 96
|
|
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 6,088 Likes: 96 |
Flame I had forgotten about clipping two of the barbs off but did that on the rear hook on one small crankbait lure. I was catching lots of BG with it nearly always on the bottom hook and the rear trebble often got hooked near the eye or gill area and by clipping it to a single barb mostly eliminated the problem.
Last edited by snrub; 08/23/16 11:03 PM.
John
I subscribe to Pond Boss Magazine
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 84
|
|
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 84 |
I have a 1 acre pond and I basically fish on the weekends only but not every weekend and I still have catch problems. The bigger your fish get the harder they are to catch.... Once you caught them a few times it gets even harder. You got to remember to switch things up. Keep em guessing.
For example even my CNBG the big ones get smart. I will fish near the feeder sometimes with a bug on a fly rod. Maybe catch one or 2 then I will throw some fish food in there and they will blow up on it! All kinds of fish there they just don't want what I am tossing... Same with LMB. I know I have bass from 13 inches to 20 or 21 inches but I have so much good baby BG for them it's hard to get them to bite. It can be a challenge at time specially at certain time of the year. Now in spring cause I don't have as many BG yet from spawn I can catch LMB much easier. A lot of things factor in. So really you can fish ALL you want that's not the problem.... it's the catching of the fish that's the problem. And it changes all the time. I would not fish a 2 acre pond more than 1 to 2 times a week and be careful as to how many fish I catch. Like you said it is hard to stop once they are biting!!! But if you fish it real hard and have a great time then I would give it an entire week or so before I fished it again that's just me tho.
RC Sorry for digging up an older thread but i have similar issues with a 3/4 acre pond. I throw different lures in key areas and usually no bites. Throw some pellets in and almost instantly bass are gorging on them. Hard to keep track of how many big bass you have until it's pellet feeding time.
|
|
|
Moderated by Bill Cody, Bruce Condello, catmandoo, Chris Steelman, Dave Davidson1, esshup, ewest, FireIsHot, Omaha, Sunil, teehjaeh57 |
|
.gif)
