Whats my problem?

[Guest TankerHC]

I have a 10 acre pond 5 feet from my backyard. It is loaded with 3-9 pound Largemouth and some big Cats and tons of Brim. Since I moved here three years ago I have been able to pull largemouth out one after the other, could usually get 5 3-4 pounders in about an hour. I was primarily using Purple and Black rubber worms. This year I have not been able to pull a single bass out. Caught a few catfish, and of course the Brim are easy but I am after the Bass. This year on top of the standard rubber worms I have been using, I also used some varied colors as well as quite a few different lures. They are not hitting on anything.

Right now the water conditions are about 48 degrees. Murky, with the normal film from this time of year. These Bass bed in holes near the banks, there is no cover, the pond is open with an island in the middle.

I have fished every single foot of this pond with no results so far.

One of the neighbors mentioned we might be getting ready to see the pond flip and they might not be hitting because of oxygen levels.

Any suggestions?

[DaveS]

Your neighbor might be right. Most bass are on the "beds" right now, and many have been pushed of because of these back to back cold fronts. Could also be there are no bass left. If you caught as many as you say, that's a lot for such a small fishery.

[R_Bert]

implement some Catch & Release after you restock ?

[subsonic]

To paraphrase Billy Bob Thornton in Slingblade; "Ain't got no bass in it".

[DaveS]

I and my friends whom bass fish together, normally release any bass over 5 pounds. Those are your spawners and bass under that are your "eaters". Let the weather stabilize and "slow roll" a chartreuse and white 3/8 oz spinnerbait.

I've seen fish in ponds become wary of "shadows" and "hook Shy" of the same od baits over and over.

Try something different and watch your shadow cast across the water.

[Guest TankerHC]

Oh there are plenty of Bass in there, I can see them swimming around at night feeding. Plus when the suns out I can see them sitting in their beds near the bank. I usually throw them back so thats not really an issue.

[personDJ]

one word...............................frog

[Ebow1]

What WD-40 said. Basically, change up your bait.You use the same thing over and over and the fish catch wise. That's all there is to it. This may sounds strange, but I can tell ya my older brother and my dad caught a whole school of bass outta the same pond on the same day usin' balled up bits of bread. Throw that ought there and I'll bet you're bound to get a few before the others catch wise.

[ShaunM]

Try plastic zoom speedcraw texas rigged.

[whiskey]

You ain't holdin' your mouth right.

[Good_Steward]

Big Fat Slow Baits or Little Fast Erratic Baits.

I like a 3/4oz spinner with a tandem blade ( Colorado blades cause more water disturbance) set up in White/Red, "Sexy Shad", or Chartreuse for sunny days, or dark blue's and blacks for overcast days.. Run them s.l.o.w.l.y. (I like a 5.3:1 or slower gear) out of the shallows over drop offs. Let them drop when water changes depth.

Also, for the little fast erratic baits, I like 1/4oz rattle traps in natural colors (crawdad, frog, shad, etc.). Use a high ratio (6:1 or higher) reel and break speed limits with them. toss around structure, if any, let them sink to the bottom for a sec, and yank 'em up and keep a quick but erratic tempo (rod twitches, very fast stops and starts, etc.). Keep your rod tip relatively low with this retrieve.

Saturate an area with casts from both. I usually try to get them stirred up with the little fast erratic baits and then present the big fat slow bait in the same area.

These help me when fishing slow bite, cold water. Good Luck!

Edited April 23, 2012 by Good_Steward

[Good_Steward]

Also, I would add that if you don't have any "structure", then create some. Small downed trees that have a tangle of branches are great for bait fish habitat, which lures in bigger fish for feeding. These are easy enough to anchor with some sturdy nylon rope and cinder blocks, and will create a "go to" area when the bite is slow, especially if these are placed in water depth transition areas.

Edited April 22, 2012 by Good_Steward