Do you fish a pond different than a lake??

[Twinsprtsfan]

This is kind of long winded, sorry about that

Here is the situation:
There is a lake in my neighborhood that a few people fish, and allegedly, there are some big large mouth bass in there. When I started fishing (less than a year ago) I would go there quite a bit and fish but I would never catch anything. I got real frustrated and talked to some folks that were coming in and had a small jon boat. They pretty much told me I need to get a boat and get out to the deeper parts (I fish from the shore). I have seen a friend I met there catch a couple of 2 LBers from the shore before, so I knew fish were in there, I just could not get a bite.

Well, I stopped going there to fish and started going to a local pond that is on a friends property. I know fish are in there and I usually have good success there. Texas rig plastics, DT 4 crankbait, and a jointed shad rap is mostly what I had good success on. Well lately, the bite has been real slow there, which is kind of rare for that pond. But there is a drought going on.

Anyway, I went last week to my neighborhood lake to give it a shot just for fun since the weather is changing. Not expecting to catch anything, I threw out a 7" pink Zoom worm texas rigged near a stump. Second cast I caught my first fish out of that lake, and it was my personal best so far...6 lbs 2 oz. I was going crazy! that was the only one I got that day.

I have gone back 4 other times, and have caught at least 2 fish every time. Some real good sized ones too....3 lb 4 oz, 4 lb 6 oz. Only once has it been a bite you can really feel (tick, tick , tap). Most of the time I just feel real heavy resistance, so I give it a jerk. It is definately a lot different than how I am used to fishing at the pond, where you fell them tap at it. The lake has a lot of growth and weeds (not the slimy ones though) so when you are hopping the worm back, you feel resistance at all times.

So after my 1,000 word essay, my question is this:

Do you guys fish ponds different than lakes, or do you throw the same stuff in both?

I have been catching them at the lake on a large brushog, which I have tried several times at the pond with no luck. Is this normal?

I can't tell if the weather is making them bite or if I am getting a little better at fishing/more patient at the lake.

Thanks for reading.

[MississippiBoy]

Not sure about the difference between fishing a pond and a lake. It really depends more on the structure, vegetation, and what the fish have done before. A worm might kill in one lake/pond, but not get touched in another. Some of the more experienced guys might have a little more insight than me, but I do know one thing...

Originally Posted by Twinsprtsfan

Not expecting to catch anything, I threw out a 7" pink Zoom worm texas rigged near a stump.

It's not pink, it's frickin' BUBBLE GUM!!!

[Raul]

Do you guys fish ponds different than lakes ?,

Depends, yes and nope, depends on the depth of the ponds and what type of cover and/or structure is present in the pond

or do you throw the same stuff in both?[/b]

Depends, yes and nope, depends on the depth of the pond and what type of cover and/or structure is present in the pond.

I have been catching them at the lake on a large brushog, which I have tried several times at the pond with no luck. Is this normal?

Try a Baby Brush hog

What I mean is this, the pond may be let´s say 12 ft deep, but the bottom is covered with weeds that rise to a height of 2 ft, that means I have 10 ft of water free of weeds, would I throw a 15 ft diver crank ? the answer is not, would I throw a 10 ft diver ? the answer is yes, if I were at a lake where there´s an area that looks like the pond I would do exactly the same, I would fish with a 10 ft diving crank.

[skeeter944]

I throw the almost the same stuff in both lakes and ponds, but normally I'll downsize in the lakes because as a tournament fisherman, I need 5 bites quick. Another reason to downsizing is the pressure the lakes get. If everybody on the lake is catching bass on 7'' worms, I'll throw a 4''. You see what I mean? And once i have a limit of keepers, I'll start fishing a jig, or a bigger worm in the same areas i caught my limit on the smaller finesse style bait.

[bassfisher02]

Dont worry about pond or lake, those are irrelevant terms.

Worry about the water [color/temp/etc] and the structure [wood/grass/humps/drop-offs]. Fish dont do anything different just because they are in a smaller body of water, they base their activity and what they do on what is in that water, and how the water is.

Lets say the pond and the lake bassically have the same color water, the same water temp, and the same structure, the pond will pretty much be like a small section of that lake, just somewhere else.

What I'm trying to say is that you should base the way you fish on the characteristics of that body of water, and not the size, for the most part. The only thing you'd need to take into consideration with a smaller body of water, you will have smaller baitfish usually, or smaller amounts.

[zooker]

02 is right -i can't belive it either-a pond fishes like a smaller section of lake.. i own a 2 acre pond which i float my stratos in now and again..the fish hold in the same places as they do in the lake..

zooker

[JB]

I think I powerfish a lot more on the lake than the pond. We were chunkin and windin for hours last night on brookville, and once we decided to settle down for some tiki action, it was hard to just sit there and wait it out, unlike a pond, where it seems more relaxing to plastic fish and relax. I do a ton more pitching/flipping a jig on the lake that I ever do at the ponds JMO

[Rebbasser]

Nope, I throw the same stuff in the same places. The advantage of pond fishing is finding the fish is easier since it is a smaller body of water, and a pond is a great place to try new techniques to gain confidence in them.

[Twinsprtsfan]

Thanks for the replies. I am going to try some of the same stuff in both places and see what happens.

[ROBZILLA]

The thing you have to remember about a lake apposed to a pond is:
Depending on the size of your pond as stated above. But lets say your pond is less than an acre. and your lake is a mile long. Out crops on the lake will hold fish where you wouldn't have in a pond. Another thing allot of people over look is in a lake you have a few more things working for you. Springs that occur in the lake, creaks, and of course elevation.
Ponds on the other hand usually don't tend to fluctuate too much in depth (smaller ponds) there is usually a deep end and a shallow end. So on hot days, cool days you will know where the fish will tend to be. My self I find bass in a pond tend to be a tad bit more aggressive, maybe due o the fact of competing for food.(or my mind playing tricks on me) So I guess i would fish them a little different just due to the fact that a lake is a little more complex due to the fact it has a little more to offer you when the bite turns off. It gives you more places to find fish on those off days.

Robby.

[hokieboy]

Try and find what the bass are feeding on and replicate it. Like people said bass are bass. Look for structure you would fish on a lake on the pond. Sometimes you will down size your bait on a pond b/c the baitfish arent as big in the pond but for the most part its all the same...