Big bass, little pond.

[N80]

I have a shallow muddy pond that is actually pretty good sized at 8 acres or so. It has had no care, gets full of pond weed and kind of stagnates in the the summer.

But, I have a jon boat and have been doing some fishing lately. I used to pond fish a lot as a kid but haven't done any in years. All my tackle is cheap, small and some of the rod/reels are 'micro'. Of course that's all I need for catching bream and 1 1/2 pound bass which is mostly what we have. A 1 1/2 pound largemouth is a lot of fun to catch on a micro rod and reel with 2 or 4 pound test line.

Anyway, Friday I was geeting hits from some bigger stuff and the line on these little rigs was breaking instantly. So I called my Dad to come fishing and I went off to Walmart and got a bigger, but still cheap and small bait casting reel and some spinner bait bigger than the tiny beetle spins we use.

We'd been fishing an hour when I hook a big fish. As soon as he took off I told Dad we were not going to get him in the boat. Sure enough he jumped and spit the lure back at me. We were both stunned. Biggest largemouth I've ever hooked. I've seen bigger ones that other people have caught but never when or where I was fishing.

So, after the excitement died down we went back to fishing and about 30 minutes later I hooked another big one. I reared back to set the hook good and it came loose. As soon as it did, he hit it again! I reeled in a bit, drag flying and he surfaced and came off again. So I'm just reeling in the lure and he hits it again! This time he's hooked and I'm trying to keep the line from breaking but also trying to keep him out of the weeds and stuff. After quite a fit Dad pins him against the side of the boat with the net and we both haul him in.

I have no idea how much he (she) weighed. But it was big and fat like a female and was 24 inches long. We had a tape but no scales....and no camera. We marvelled over the fish a few minutes and put it back. (We already had some small bass and bream in the cooler and we prefer the smaller ones to eat.)

So there's a fish story for you. Probably no big deal for you serious bass fishermen but for me it was tons of fun, extremely exciting and the biggest bass I ever caught. And I had NO idea there were fish that big in that muddy shallow pond. For me, that was as good as an 8 point buck or a 20 pound gobbler.

Went back Sunday and caught a few small bass, a few nice bream and one 3 pound bass. But no lunkers. Put them all back.

In any case, even the small bass are fun to catch and just knowing there is a chance to catch a big one makes this low rent fishing a lot of fun. Inspires me to take some steps toward some better pond management as well.

[SkyPup]

LOL, very nice story!

One time we were camping at a State Park, Gold Head Branch in Keystone Heights, Florida, adjacent to the US Military Camp Blanding. There are a series of small ponds and lakes there with lots of bass. The clear lakes have bright green and silver colored largemouth bass, just like you'd see in a taxonomy textbook.

Anyhow, one morning I go over to the neighbors camp (retired Greyhound bus driver with a Bus RV) and am talking to him about the bass fishing and notice a huge Coleman ice chest making a "humming" noise. Come to discover he caught a 12 pound largemouth bass and put it in the cooler with an aerator to keep it healthy. He has caught this same bass four times over a series of two years now as he keeps releasing it back into the same small lake and then catches it again! It sure is a beautiful way to have fun!

[texasjohn]

Good story! Keep fishing there... and putting the big ones back!!

You'll find that bass bite better in small ponds better than lakes/rivers...

My wife calls our pond the H*** hole" because I catch and release there... she thinks it must be H*** for the bass since they can't get away and keep being caught.

[HickoryNut]

A 24" bass is going to weight 8-10 lbs depending on girth. Having a couple of them kinda sows in your pond is the best management strategy you can achieve.

Buy a grass carp or two if the vegetation is getting out of hand.

[N80]

A 24" bass is going to weight 8-10 lbs depending on girth. Having a couple of them kinda sows in your pond is the best management strategy you can achieve.

Buy a grass carp or two if the vegetation is getting out of hand.

Dad and I guessed that it weighed 7-8 pounds so we may have been close, and it was pretty fat so maybe even closer to ten!

I'd wondered about the grass carp. I might give that a try. Is there a downside? Is there any chance they'll overproduce or anything like that?

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Please, next time you go fishing take a digital camera and a scale with you. I want to see a picture and know the weight. And yes, continue to release the big ones. I think they have earned the right to fight again and when the time comes, die a dignified death.

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Please, next time you go fishing take a digital camera and a scale with you. I want to see a picture and know the weight. And yes, continue to release the big ones. I think they have earned the right to fight again and when the time comes, die a dignified death.

I reread my previous post after I submitted it, and it almost sounded PETA like. Believe me, I'm not one of those nut cases. I love to hunt and fish. Over the years I have just developed a soft spot in my heart for the big buck or largemouth that bucks the odds and reaches maturity.

You might want to go Pond Boss Magazine Home Page!. That is a forum that is devoted entirely to ponds. There are some very knowledgable folks there that can give good advice on maintaining a pond.

[dooleysm]

I can't think of a more dignified way for a fish to go than to be fried up and eaten alongside an ice cold beer.

Certainly better than being speared by a heron.

Also, I think 8 acres is stretching out of the pond category, smack dab into lake territory.

[N80]

Over the years I have just developed a soft spot in my heart for the big buck or largemouth that bucks the odds and reaches maturity.

Yep, me too. I think it has a lot to do with the maturity of the hunter and the fisherman too. Sometimes the trophy isn't the most important thing. I just got a little fish scale to go in the tackle box and will keep the camera on hand.

You guys may be get to see a lot of pictures of 1.5 pound bass!

You might want to go Pond Boss Magazine Home Page!. That is a forum that is devoted entirely to ponds. There are some very knowledgable folks there that can give good advice on maintaining a pond.

I've been doing some lurking there lately.

[MarkV]

Dad and I guessed that it weighed 7-8 pounds so we may have been close, and it was pretty fat so maybe even closer to ten!

I'd wondered about the grass carp. I might give that a try. Is there a downside? Is there any chance they'll overproduce or anything like that?

George,

The Grass Carp that dealers are allowed to sell are sterile so they will not take over a pond. They well get big though. About the only down side is they will clear all vegetation is some ponds and there are certain undesirable pond weed they will not eat. They are a good way to control vegetation without using chemicals though.

Good fishing story.

MarkV