Finally Caught One!

[Kawabuggy]

I recently just got back into bass fishing after a 20 year hiatus.

I have been to 3 different places trying my luck lately. The 1st place, I caught just 1 on a Bill Dance Fat Free Fingerling (Shad Color) crank bait right at my feet. My buddy caught about 5 in under an hour on a Texas Rigged Culprit Tequila Shad. The 2nd place, I caught 1 on a drop-shot rigged motor oil worm, and 4 on my Bill Dance Fat Free Fingerling. My buddy did not catch a single fish at the second place. The 3rd place, I have been to now 3 times, and just finally caught a baby fish last night!

This last place is a pond that always has people fishing it-but I have never seen a fish pulled out of there. Each time I go, there are other people fishing. Each time I talk to the other fisherpeople (??) to ask if they are having luck. Every person tells me the same thing "Not catching any today". My follow up question-have you ever caught a fish here before? They always say "yes". However, I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYONE CATCH A FISH HERE! This pond has a lot of Gar in it.. Does the presence of gar mean that the bass population is diminished??? There are large gar fish surfacing everywhere. I could probably throw a frog-gig from the shore and spear gar in the 10+lb. range all day if I wanted some excitement.

Last night, I talked to a guy who claimed he had caught 4 that day-I had been watching him for over an hour and never saw him bring in anything. Regardless, I asked what he was using. Watermelon w/red flake Senko-weightless. I had already been trying a lime/white Senko with a Carolina rig, and Wacky hooked. I did get a bite that way, but missed it and then switched to something else. I tried going back to a Texas rigged, weightless Senko but could not cast it very far on my spinning reel. Anyways, 2.5 hours later, and still no bites, no catches, and no one else around the lake (about 5 people fishing total) catching anything, I decide to call it quits. It is after dark-about 8:45P-and as I am walking back to my truck, I am talking to the other people-answers always the same-"I have caught them here before, but nothing biting tonight". I decide to try a Senko again but rigging it with a weight, and Texas style. My first cast I caught an actual fish. I know, I know, I should have taken a picture because it is/was probably the first/last fish to be seen from that pond.

He was beautiful. About 1 lb. light green in color, no bars or dark markings on him anywhere. He was a light green over his entire body. Quite fat for such a little guy. Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't it mean that this is a shallow pond due to his coloring? Anyway, I am moving on to greener pastures. I don't think I will be going back to that pond-except maybe to release fish that I have caught elsewhere! I am glad that I caught that one fish though.. Now I can say-"Yea, I caught one there, but they are probably not biting tonight..."

[bassfisher02]

I wouldnt waste any time in trying to transplant fish. It kills them a lot of the time, and there are laws against it. Anyways I betcha when you werent at the pond a bunch of people came in and caught all the bigguns outta there and kept them. That or all those fishermen werent exactly telling the truth about catching any. Either way sounds like you've got a few good places to fish.

[Rebbasser]

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't it mean that this is a shallow pond due to his coloring?

The depth really doesn't matter, but the water clarity does. In clear water they are the green color with all the markings, but in muddy water they are often pale, almost white. Their way of blending into the environment.