Old Pond Bass...Hey LilMoose

[Bmuskin]

I posted this in another area but wanted to show it off. There is a nasty old pond off 435 up north. You can barely see it from the interstate even in winter. Got permission for me only as I had to sell this idea to him. He told me that he had no idea if there were fish in it and he had never stocked it. Nasty Weedy Brushy downed trees and craziness. Caught 10 small stunted looking dark bass all less than 10 inches.
Worked this one log with a bright yellow yorm as I saw some sunfish and Hello.

[Tryinhard]

nice fish, ya never know where the lunkers are hiding.

[Lilmoosecountry]

Bmuskin cool i'm not going to raid your pond besides there are 100's of ponds off 435 heading north. Nice fish. What you catch that hawg on. Texas rigged lizzards are my go to bait on small ponds. try'em around logs.

[bamabassman]

great golly molly!!! fantastic hawg right thar patdner!!!

[Bmuskin]

I didn't think you would raid it. Yeah there are hundreds of small ponds in the Kansas City area. I love fishing these while everyoen else goes to Smithville Lake.
My wife went to bible study on Monday and since it had cooled down some. I decided to try this pond again. It is probably 3 acres or so. I was there 2 weeks earlier and caught a 2 pounder and a 3 pounder and lost one in some brush. I turned him he charged and snapped 14 pound mono like it was nothing. They have not been hitting real aggressively it is almost like the bait just stops like a snag.
I caught the other fish on a wacky rigged 5 inch senko. I was fishing it unweighted with a Wide gap octopus circle hook. I got there at 6:30 and fished and area on heavy deadfall trees. 2 small tugs but nothing agressive. I could see some boils on top of the water so I tried a chatterbait. They did not want to chase anything and seemed rather lethargic. So I then tried a floating roboworm with a worm hook. I rigged it again with no weight and kept tossing it out and letting the hook weight take it down slowly and hopping it back to me. I starting catching several this way. All dinks though, I mean super small less than 8 inches. I went back to the Senko wacky rigged. I have been using the yellow senko lites and have been doing great all year. After reading about color match I tried a watermelon, brown, silver, and even white....nothing not even a hit. I went back to the yellow and casted it near a dead log. I let it sink and started slowly twitching in back towards me. I hooked the big guy in the picture and caught another 2 pounder. It was starting to get dark so I left.

[Lilmoosecountry]

Well it's probably pretty shallow. That may be why there so lethargic. Water is hot the fish are hot.

[Bmuskin]

I am sure it is not over 10-12 feet deep. I have one of those handheld fish finders but It is such a pain to carry and use that I really don't mess with it. I should take it over and throw the transducer in it.

[Lilmoosecountry]

My only struggle is you did not put the horse back in his stall. I always release the hawgs. That way she could be caught again. Since its private property keep a couple of dinks in the 9 to 12 inch range. They make better table fair. Plus the horse has good genetics that can be passed on.

[Snake2715]

I was thinking the same thing. He dropped her in his pond I do believe...

[Bmuskin]

Apartment pond where kids fish behind my house is where she is living now. I thought it would give the genetics a jump start in that pond. It was stocked a couple of years ago has some bass but no size. The pond where she came from is has some other hawgs. Brought her home and she swam away after the photo op.
I hope one of the kids that fish that pond get hold of her I would love to see their face on that one.

[Bmuskin]

Oh and as far as eating fish I loaded up the freezer with hybrid gills and crappie earlier this year. There is a conservation area known for huge gills and I sneak up there and get a few sometimes. I do keep some bass but usually up to 2 pounds if they are plentiful.

[Snake2715]

It almost looks like she is mounted in that picture. so perfectly still. Before I read I thought wow its already hit the taxidermist! The wet is almost plasticy looking!

[Bmuskin]

Trust me that is the best of 5 pictures. She was biting my finger in 1 pic. I always have a old styrofoam cooler with me and fill it with pond water if I move a fish. I relocated a 20 pound flathead to the same little pond earlier this year. I saw him swimming around a couple of days ago.

[Snake2715]

Thats awesome I would love to have a pond at or right near my house.

The outtake pictures sound great!

[Lilmoosecountry]

I'm hit'n Fish'n River Saturday morning. I'm leaving about 630 or 700. That's out 210 just past Missouri city. But before Orrick. This little river has allot of hawgs but is very challeging for a new comer to bass fishing. It is very shaded & it has moving water so the water will be colder than any pond or lake this time a year. I'm going to float down stream. It is full of Dead tree's & other Debri. Hawgs use it as cover. Have'nt fished for awhile need somthing different. So have no idea!!! What me & the canoe will bring back. Want to chip in some gas your welcome to tag along Saturday.

[Snake2715]

You guys I am threadjacking!

Lilmoose what do you prefer to fish in those holdups? I took a trip this early spring down a small river and there were lots of downed trees forming damns. The water would get dark and deeper in those areas. We didnt have enough time to actaully get much fishing in as we had to get out about 14 times to get to our destination.

Anyway the morning I did try to fish it the current was pulling whatever I had right into the timber and snagging me up... Should I have weighted it more?

[Lilmoosecountry]

Brightest colors your tackle box contains. I'm a big fan of white!!!. Don't know about weight because i don't know what you your using.

[Bmuskin]

I used to wade those kind of places back in good old west virginia. It was a great place to cool off and you could catch smallies and mostly spotted or black bass as they call them here. 2 pounds was a monster. I used to use a AC Shiner crank like a #280 or #300 on a ultralight setup. I also had good loak with a Rapala Jointed minnow and a Mepps Black Fury spinner. The key was depth. You don't want anything to dive too deep. Also I always had good luck looking for current breaks like submerged rocks. The bass would hang out on the back side and ambush anything that went by.

[Snake2715]

Thanks guys, sorry I hijacked you!

It will probably be a while till I get back out there but I do want to fish a few holes.

[Bmuskin]

No we all be friends here!!!

[Lilmoosecountry]

Sorry Bmuskin i did not get an answer so i invited someone else. If i don't plan early my wife plans things for me. Maybe we can fish it together at a later date. Will be at fish'n river. Going down stream. Hope i get into the white bass. Give yeahh a hint fishing is no good at Boat ramp. You need to either go up stream or down. To much boat traffic to many shore fishermen at or around ramp when the fish are biting. At the boat ramp if go over the rail road tracks down on other side it ain't that bad from shore. Catfish love shrimp & worms. But i tell yeahh this weekend the shoreline will be amees after all that rain we had.

[Bmuskin]

That is fine Moose. We will trade some areas I promise. I know of some good ponds and some super strip pits south of here. I do not have a real boat to speak of so,(float tube).
So I can show some good backwoods small pond areas I have located.
I PM'd you my info. Save it for future reference.