There are countless opportunities throughout North America for anglers to pursue fish in small ponds. Many of these waters are ponds consisting of one acre or less in size. They are located on farms, golf courses and subdivisions that keep the access private, allowing only select individuals to use them. The ponds may have an abundance of fish lurking beneath the surface because of minimal usage. However, the total population of fish is often not as great as it first appears.
Because the ponds hold such aggressive fish the body of water is sometimes over-harvested. A pond of ½ acre of surface water that contains Large Mouth Bass generally only accommodates a small number of harvest-sized bass. An angler who keeps bass on a regular basis can quickly deplete the population and by doing so will allow species such as bluegill to over populate the pond. Without the bass’ presence to control the population of bluegill the pond becomes home to many small, non-harvest sized bluegill. The small bass left behind have to compete with the bluegill for the limited food supply and a popular food source of bluegill is bass eggs. Once this cycle is put into motion it is hard to reverse.
Another detrimental occurrence in small ponds is for the owner to make them easier to fish by removing weed growth along the shoreline. While doing so makes the access to the water much easier, it also eliminates the major source of cover for the fish. Vegetation along the water’s edge produces oxygen for the fish during sunlight hours and allows cover for small fish to hide until they can reach adult size. If chemicals are used to kill off the vegetation, the dying growth consumes oxygen that the fish population need for survival. Removal of vegetation can be just as harmful as over-harvesting for the fish population.
Pond owner should consider keeping records of catch and harvest data to better understand what is happening below the surface in their ponds. Good record keeping is key to knowing the growth and harvest situation in any given small body of water. Owners should record the specie and length of each catch and note if it was consumed or returned to the water. Because pond owners do not generally have access to electro-shocking equipment like state agencies use, this is the next best way of knowing what is happening in their pond. Good record keeping means the fish must be measured exactly. Guessing at the length is not good enough to be successful in this approach.
Ponds generally cannot be managed to produce great size and numbers of several species of fish. The owners should make a decision about what specie they want to produce. Good bass fishing ponds will not have great numbers of big bluegill available as the bass eat most of them prior to reaching a few inches long. The ones that do survive to grow large can quickly be removed with one outing if an angler keeps them for the table.
On the other hand, if big bluegills are abundant bass generally will not reach large sizes because the bigger bluegill will compete with them for the limited food source. Both of these scenarios become clear with good record keeping of the catch from ponds.
Fish can grow bigger and more abundant if supplemental feeding is done in a pond. The drawback is if and when the feeding is discontinued. The extra feeding will produce more fish than the carrying capacity of the water and when the feeding is stopped all of the fish will suffer from malnourishment. When considering supplemental feeding a pond owner must remember the feeding will have to continue indefinitely for this approach to have a lasting effect.
Harvesting fish is a good way to keep a pond healthy and productive. The Missouri Department of Conservation has a great resource for pond management available on their website called the Missouri Pond Handbook by Ken Perry. This publication covers everything from the design and building of ponds to maintaining them as a fishing resource.
Missouri Pond Handbook
More articles available at Bass Fishing Midwest
Bass Fishing Tackle available at MidwestFishingTackle.net
Copyright 2009, Marc Rogers, All Rights Reserved
Midwest Fishing Tackle, Exclusive retailer of Midwest Custom Tackle
Showing posts with label pond fishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pond fishing. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Small Waters in Winter
SMALL PONDS IN LATE WINTER CAN BE VERY PRODUCTIVE
By late February most avid anglers have had a severe case of cabin fever for several months. With spring just around the corner most of us can hardly wait until the fish begin to move into the shallow water to begin the spawn.
In the Midwest’s larger reservoirs the pre-spawn can begin in early March. However, most years it begins in late March to early April and the spawn can last through the middle of May. However, there is a way to fish waters where the spring transition occurs earlier without having to travel very far from home.
Most anglers that fish the larger reservoirs began their love of fishing on small lakes and farm ponds. These same small waters are the very ones which warm the fastest in the spring and cause the fish's activity level to accelerate accordingly. While the big waters have surface temperatures in the fifty degree range it is possible to find ponds and small lakes with water temperature in the sixty degree range. That ten-degree difference can be the difference between having a very productive day and very few fish landed.
Those anglers fortunate enough to own a big bass boat and high powered outboard will have no advantage over the angler who walks the bank in search of his/her fish. This type of fishing can be the most peaceful angling outing you can have. I suggest you leave your boat at home and walk the bank because very few small lakes and ponds have boat ramps and those that do have very conservative horsepower limits.
Most anyone can afford the equipment needed to effectively fish small waters. One medium action rod and reel and a small tackle box filled with a variety of basic lures is all that is necessary. Lures called favorites on the big lakes are usually just as effective on the small ponds. However, smaller versions of these are sometimes necessary depending on the size of the fish in the pond you choose. If a list of favorite pond lures existed it would have to include the four and six inch plastic worms, one quarter ounce spinner bait and buzz bait and small top-water baits like the Pop R and Zara Pooch.
The ideal ponds for productive fishing are private farm ponds. These usually receive very little fishing pressure and have the potential of holding a few large fish. If you have permission to fish private ponds make sure to treat the land and water better than if it were your own. Leave behind no sign of your presence and release all fish unless the owner gives you explicit permission as to the kind and number of fish you are allowed to keep. Also you should never return to the pond without the owner's knowledge and never take anyone with you without first discussing it with the owner. Always remember that because a pond holds good fish doesn't justify your trespassing to fish in it. To show your appreciation you should offer to share the fish you keep with the owner.
For those anglers not fortunate enough to have access to the private ponds do not overlook the community lakes and ponds in local parks. Few seasoned anglers fish these public waters and while not as common, many large fish have come from such waters in the past. To locate these public fishing areas contact your local conservation office or parks department. These offices are always willing to help with information on the species of fish available and area regulations if they differ from statewide laws.
Late this winter when all of your tackle boxes are organized and your hooks all sharpened you too should try pond fishing. In the Midwest region late February is not too early to get started refining your angling skills for the up-coming fishing season. You just might have one of your best fishing days ever and even if it proves to be not very productive, it still beats watching someone else catch fish on television.
Copyright 2008, Marc Rogers
www.midwestfishingtackle.net
By late February most avid anglers have had a severe case of cabin fever for several months. With spring just around the corner most of us can hardly wait until the fish begin to move into the shallow water to begin the spawn.
In the Midwest’s larger reservoirs the pre-spawn can begin in early March. However, most years it begins in late March to early April and the spawn can last through the middle of May. However, there is a way to fish waters where the spring transition occurs earlier without having to travel very far from home.
Most anglers that fish the larger reservoirs began their love of fishing on small lakes and farm ponds. These same small waters are the very ones which warm the fastest in the spring and cause the fish's activity level to accelerate accordingly. While the big waters have surface temperatures in the fifty degree range it is possible to find ponds and small lakes with water temperature in the sixty degree range. That ten-degree difference can be the difference between having a very productive day and very few fish landed.
Those anglers fortunate enough to own a big bass boat and high powered outboard will have no advantage over the angler who walks the bank in search of his/her fish. This type of fishing can be the most peaceful angling outing you can have. I suggest you leave your boat at home and walk the bank because very few small lakes and ponds have boat ramps and those that do have very conservative horsepower limits.
Most anyone can afford the equipment needed to effectively fish small waters. One medium action rod and reel and a small tackle box filled with a variety of basic lures is all that is necessary. Lures called favorites on the big lakes are usually just as effective on the small ponds. However, smaller versions of these are sometimes necessary depending on the size of the fish in the pond you choose. If a list of favorite pond lures existed it would have to include the four and six inch plastic worms, one quarter ounce spinner bait and buzz bait and small top-water baits like the Pop R and Zara Pooch.
The ideal ponds for productive fishing are private farm ponds. These usually receive very little fishing pressure and have the potential of holding a few large fish. If you have permission to fish private ponds make sure to treat the land and water better than if it were your own. Leave behind no sign of your presence and release all fish unless the owner gives you explicit permission as to the kind and number of fish you are allowed to keep. Also you should never return to the pond without the owner's knowledge and never take anyone with you without first discussing it with the owner. Always remember that because a pond holds good fish doesn't justify your trespassing to fish in it. To show your appreciation you should offer to share the fish you keep with the owner.
For those anglers not fortunate enough to have access to the private ponds do not overlook the community lakes and ponds in local parks. Few seasoned anglers fish these public waters and while not as common, many large fish have come from such waters in the past. To locate these public fishing areas contact your local conservation office or parks department. These offices are always willing to help with information on the species of fish available and area regulations if they differ from statewide laws.
Late this winter when all of your tackle boxes are organized and your hooks all sharpened you too should try pond fishing. In the Midwest region late February is not too early to get started refining your angling skills for the up-coming fishing season. You just might have one of your best fishing days ever and even if it proves to be not very productive, it still beats watching someone else catch fish on television.
Copyright 2008, Marc Rogers
www.midwestfishingtackle.net
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