Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations What fishing method?

My pond, when finished will have Channel cats, Coppernose/Redear Bluegill and Florida Bass.
What baits (and or) methods do you fellas use to catch these fish?
Anybody and Everybody PLEASE

obviously live bait such as minnows will catch the most fish but many anglers prefer only to use artificial lures - on bass, spinner baits, crank baits, and plastic worms are most popular. For the catfish, use shrimp, chicken livers, or dough bait you can buy at WalMart. Like any other sport - more you do it the better you will get good luck-

Alan, the nature of your question indicates that you have little experience in "catching fish". Perhaps the best thing you could do is find a friend who has some fishing experience. It is very difficult to explain how to catch fish and a lot of fun to demonstrate how to do it. Nothing will replace the time spent experimenting and just spending time building your skill level. I believe most true fishermen would agree that that pursuit is as important as the result. Having said that, we all like to have some positive results from our efforts. I'm sure there are some folks near to your acquaintance that would love to show you how to catch fish in your pond, that's where I would start.
Have Fun
Jim

Alan, I like to use worms and artificial bait. I do not like to fish with minnows from bait stores as bait because you never know what kind of disease they may bring as well as if one of those minnows survives and creates unwanted population. That is what I have been told. I find in my 1 acre pond that worms and artificial work just fine.

Thanks Guys

I was thinking on crickets for the bluegill

Jim, actually, I (long time ago) was an avid saltwater fisherman. I have not fished for freshwater fish so was wanting to get your opinions
Thanks

One thing to remember when fishing your personel pond is to change things up. Your fish will smarten up pretty quick. Pick yourself up an assortment of lures. Half the fun is learning to get the lures to move just right.

Jimmy makes a very good point, I have a bunch of lures that are almost useless because the fish "remember" them. Live bait does not have that drawback, but obviously is not as much fun. In the beginning you may find that almost everything works but they smarten up fast. By the way, don't overlook flyfishing. I am always surprised when 2 and 3 lb Bass take a trout fly, but they do. Your old saltwater tackle might be needed on big catfish.
Have fun

Spinnerbaits work well in fertilized water or stained water. stay away from them in very clear water unless its very windy. Buzz baits early or late.

when fishing in ponds I like to lighen up on my line, usually dont fish anything heavier than 8 pound test. as a general rule I usually do better on smaller lures.

If your pond is very small you may consider throwing your lure on the bank and pulling it into the water with little or no splashing. fish in small ponds can sometimes sense something is amiss when there is a lot of splashing.

I like plastic baits, worms and trick worms (by Zoom bait) as well as Super flukes. their darting action cant be beat. with spinning tackle you can learn to skip these floating baits under docks and overhanging debris. deadly under right conditions.

If you like plastic worms try fishing them with small weight like 1/16 of an ounce or no weight at all. I like swimming plastic lizards. you have got to slow down a great deal.

dont forget about the "old school players" the #1 Mepps spinner can be the hammer, many people dont fish them. they want the newest, greatest lure on the market. I've got one client that fishes nothing but a Pop-R. If it rains he fishes a Pop-R, snow = Pop-R, sunny & hot = Pop-R (you get the idea) He has two 9 pound bass and one 10 1/2 in 2 years. I know a lot of guys who would laugh at his technique but few who would laugh at those results.

Color can play a major factor just like salt water so buy different colors of the same lure.

When in doubt slow down, most guys fish too fast. work good cover well, give it a break and then go back to it. When all else fails use the old Jedi mind trick.

thats my take, hope this helps

Here's something I know something about. If you don't mind cane poles and bobbers we can catch bluegill around our feeders on live worms faster than you can get them off the hook. For a little changup on live bait catch grasshoppers they do well also. I wouldn't do minnows for the same reasons mentioned above. On bass we live for the first and last hours of the day to do topwater like torpedos or something like that. Plastic worms,lizards,crawdads are good during the middle of the day and like mentioned above flyfishing is underestimated for catching both big bluegill and bass. Most days we will catch more fish on flyrod and a wooly burger w/weighted tip than on anything else. It is fun to catch 3-4 lb bass on a flyrod. There is my opinion.

I would add that the most fun I have is an Ultralight rod and reel but with 20lb test spiderwire (but at 4-6 lb diameter) - the ultra light makes it a blast to catch even smaller fish but when a big one hits, you will not lose it due to the strength of the spiderwire line but makes it feel like a monster due to lightweight gear. I have caught 8-10lb bass and 15-18 lb catfish with this rig - the catfish can't get away due to the spiderwire strength but have burned up some ultralight reels!!

alan, i really like to see people get involved with fishing, great. My father, Hasty, David Dearmore, and I own Williams-Dearmore manufacturing that makes plasic baits including the Puddle Jumper, Fliptail Worm/Lizard, and the Reaper (not what you need in the south unless fishing for small mouth.) If you'll send me an email and, give me your shipping address i'll send you a box of some Puddle Jumpers and Fliptail Worms/Lizards. they produce fish, and hey, i'm giving them to you for free, so no reason not to get out there and fish!! In return, get a kid or someone else out there fishing with you, so others can enjoy the wonderful world of fishing!!

Mark Williams
ilovefishingmark@yahoo.com

Boys, you've got fishing advice coming in from a lure manufacturer in Arkansas (Mark Williams), a fisheries biologist in Georgia (Shan O'Gorman) and a student of pondology in Texas (TimK). If you can't learn something here, you ain't paying attention.

My bit: I'm no threat to join the pro bass fishing circuit, but I find I get more strikes and cach fish more consistently —— in many different water conditions —— if I scale down on the size of my lures. . . None larger than 1/4-ounce . . .Switch to 6- or 8-pound test line, with a buggywhip rod, and you'll have a balanced rig that will be excellent for conducting "population surveys." (wink)

Mark McDonald
Editor

alan, one more thing. i have to agree with buzz. live worms will catch about anything. and if you take a kid fishing...they want to catch fish!! so i would do whatever bait catches the fish with kids, or they'll get bored too often!! when you begin to want more of a challenge, you gotta "be the fish", choose the right bait under right conditions, size, blah, blah, blah. now, back to live worms. i like to use them also when i take my little nephews fishing. However, can't always remember to go get worms prior to fishing! so, near your pond, you can get you a large old bucket or old cooler, sink it in the ground and add dirt, or a starter "live worm" kit from the store, and start your own mini "worm farm"; that way you'll have them when you decide to go fishing at the last moment. got your email; will call the factory tomorrow and have them mail you some next week. i'll have them "rig" a few for you so you'll know how to later. I also agree with Shan, i really like the fluke (white works for me most of the time), it's great to see the bass just hammer a bait right next to the surface; you gotta "be the bait...beeeee the bait"!!!! mark

The live bait I like best are Super Worms. They are clean, will live in oatmeal for months, and fish really go for them.
I order mine from www.superwormfarm.com

Alan,
I feel when you are learning to fish for a new kind of fish or in a new sitiuation you can't go wrong with a good book. You can learn from experts about effective angling methods and about the fish themselfs.
My first bass fishing experince was the winter before last when I was coming out to see the property that my parents were thinking about mabie buying (as if there was any doubt). The whole time on the plane I was reviewing all my books to make sure that when I got there I would catch some fish. Thanks to what I had learned from my books about where the fish would be and what they would be eating my very first cast of my very first bass fishing caught me a 1 1/2 pound largemouth. It was really exciting.

My favorite is the freshwater angler series. They have books for catfish, largemouth, and panfish all of which are very very good. I have also learned a great deal from "the bass fishermans bible" from the doubleday outdoor bible series.

good fishin'
-Scott

Alan.I love all types of fishing but the best is fishing top water baits for largemouth.I just love to see those big fighting monsters come up and grab a bait and do their dance.Daylight or dark it is the most exciting fishing you can get from a pond. DOC