Pond Fishing Setups 2024

Fishing&Tennis reply :

If you could only limit yourself to two setups what would you get?

I'm pond fishing so I'd like to limit myself to just two setups.

Here are my technique is from most used to least:

Roostertail, spinnerbait, wacky Senko, shaky head, lipless & square ill crankbait, jointed swimbait,

the reel ess reply :

Med HvySpin with braid, Med Hvy BC with 12-14# mono. MH is not the best for everything, but it's a good compromise between everything. If I had to alter one of these, it would be a M spin.

Brett Strohl reply :

I've been fishing a couple ponds a lot this year and have gotten a lot of bites of a shallow scatter-lipped rapala, a chartreuse-tailed power worm, and yum stick baits. I haven't been able to catch fish with anything else consistently.

MCS reply :

On 5/18/2015 at 10:00 PM, the reel ess said:
Med HvySpin with braid, Med Hvy BC with 12-14# mono. MH is not the best for everything, but it's a good compromise between everything. If I had to alter one of these, it would be a M spin.

This ^^^ right here.

Fishing&Tennis reply :

Ok I already have a Medium spin.

What would you say all the setups purposes be?

Fishing&Tennis reply :

On 5/18/2015 at 11:56 PM, Brett Strohl said:
I've been fishing a couple ponds a lot this year and have gotten a lot of bites of a shallow scatter-lipped rapala, a chartreuse-tailed power worm, and yum stick baits. I haven't been able to catch fish with anything else consistently.

What rods do you use? I have a lot of luck on the roostertail in line spinner. Which is why I want an UL rod.

Brett Strohl reply :

I've been using an ugly stick my friend gave me, and have been using my dad's old rod for bobber fishing or drop shotting Yums. (I honestly know next to nothing about the technical aspects of rods/reels.) The ugly stick is I believe, medium action but it's sturdy which is what I want, since I absolutely hate losing lures on rocks and branches. If I get hooked on a big stick I just pull it straight out of the water and get my lure back, or if I get caught on a rock sometimes I'll just straighten the hook out until it comes free

Fishing&Tennis reply :

I could choose to do that, but it's no fun fighting the bass with such a powerful rod

Master Bait'r reply :

Depends on the bottom composition and weed cover to be honest. Not all ponds are created equal.

Fishing&Tennis reply :

Ok I will try to sum up all the details:

Pond is about half a football field in width. The bottom is very grassy to fairly grassy. No lilipads or anything like that on top of the water. So far all the spots I have fished are fairly shallow. However I see many LARGE bass jump out in the middle of the pond. ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR WHAT LURES TO USE FOR THIS BOILING BASS? I've tried frogs, spooks, etc. Roostertails seem to work the best but can't cast those far enough Spinnerbaits are my #2 Not matter how hard I try I can't seem to cast a lure to the middle of the pond with my 6'6" M/F spinning rod. It is Rly frustrating. So far I have been resorting to casting spinnerbaits & roostertails along the shoreline catching small bass some from under 1 lb to 3lbs tops. I've been doing this with a M/F spinning rod and the fight is way too easy and short. Thus I'd like to try UL fishing.

Basically what I want is this:

1) a good setup that can cast as far as I want with spinnerbaits and lipless Crankbaits

2) a UL setup that makes catchig those small bass fun. Will be using roostertails(inline spinners

Also wil be using wacky worm Senko shich setup for this?

J Francho reply :

Your're only going to fish one pond? Ever?

Fishing&Tennis reply :

What I currently have:

6'6" Fenwick HMG M/F (will 7' make my casting distance much better?)

7'6" Fenwick HMG ML/F (what do with it?)

What should I get? I like to limit myself to two setups but maybe I need three?

Choporoz reply :

Both are spinning rods? Are you shopping for spinning or baitcasting? Which one of those are you throwing a frog with? If I was going to limit myself to two (perish the thought), I'd have a 7 or 7+ MH/F baitcaster and a 6'6" M/F spinning. I could probably do 90 percent of what I currently do with those two.

Fishing&Tennis reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 2:07 AM, J Francho said:
Your're only going to fish one pond? Ever?

90% of the time it will be the same pond. I Do a lot of offshore fishing at least once a month. So I just like to stop by a nearby pond that I know has fish. Quick n easy. May eventually go exploring but not Rly looking to do that in the near future or that much of that.

Fishing&Tennis reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 2:29 AM, Choporoz said:
Both are spinning rods? Are you shopping for spinning or baitcasting? Which one of those are you throwing a frog with? If I was going to limit myself to two (perish the thought), I'd have a 7 or 7+ MH/F baitcaster and a 6'6" M/F spinning. I could probably do 90 percent of what I currently do with those two.

Yes both are spinning because it has always been easier for me to use spinning. I have casted big conventionals on a boat and occasionally surf fishing but never for bass and light lures so will be a learning curve.

Well I've kind of tossed a frog randomly with my 6'6" M/F spinning. Not sure which rod action would be best for it.

I'm in the market for a new setup. Or maybe two.

Choporoz reply :

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/130634-rod-selection-the-basics/

Fishing&Tennis reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 2:41 AM, Choporoz said:
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/130634-rod-selection-the-basics/

Thanks. I've looked over that thread. However they have three setups. I'm Rly looking to limit myself to two. Maybe three is going to make it much better?

J Francho reply :

One pond as a side gig for off days? Run what you got, until that doesn't work. Then tell us the problem and we can make a better recommendation on what will work better.

Fishing&Tennis reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 3:17 AM, J Francho said:
One pond as a side gig for off days? Run what you got, until that doesn't work. Then tell us the problem and we can make a better recommendation on what will work better.

Maybe I wrote too much. I was trying to be detailed.

My main problem is that I can't cast far enough to those bass in the middle of the pond that are boiling. I feel like there is some special structure in the center because a lot of them hang out there. What I'm looking for is a lure that can cast very far and catch boiling bass in a pond. And a rod and reel that can do this. With about a $200 budget.

My secondary problem is that a lot of the BAss I catch are small most less than 1 lb to 2 lbs. Though I did catch a 6lber at this pond the first time I went there. Thus, these bass don't rly put up a good fight and i feel it is difficult to cast a roostertail with a 6'6" M/F Fenwick HMG spinning rod. Should I get an UL?

Am I taking the right approach?

Penguino reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 3:41 AM, Fishing&Tennis said:

Maybe I wrote too much. I was trying to be detailed.

My main problem is that I can't cast far enough to those bass in the middle of the pond that are boiling. I feel like there is some special structure in the center because a lot of them hang out there. What I'm looking for is a lure that can cast very far and catch boiling bass in a pond. And a rod and reel that can do this. With about a $200 budget.

My secondary problem is that a lot of the BAss I catch are small most less than 1 lb to 2 lbs. Though I did catch a 6lber at this pond the first time I went there. Thus, these bass don't rly put up a good fight and i feel it is difficult to cast a roostertail with a 6'6" M/F Fenwick HMG spinning rod. Should I get an UL?

Am I taking the right approach?

I can cast a 1/4 rooster tail fine with a 7' MH Okuma spinning rod. No need to get an ultralight. Honestly, practicing your form rather than buying new equipment will help you get more casting distance.

Fishing&Tennis reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 5:26 AM, Penguino said:
I can cast a 1/4 rooster tail fine with a 7' MH Okuma spinning rod. No need to get an ultralight. Honestly, practicing your form rather than buying new equipment will help you get more casting distance.

Well I've been using 1/16 roostertails. Maybe I should get some 1/4 oz? I've not had a problem casting them persay I just have a problem casting them very far. My casting distance insn't that what I want. I'd like to be able to cast it 20-30 yards with ease.

I do popping and swimbait fishing offshore for pelagics so I know how to cast a spinner. Perhaps its a different technique I'm not aware of for bass?

Brett Strohl reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 1:17 AM, Fishing&Tennis said:
I could choose to do that, but it's no fun fighting the bass with such a powerful rod

That's understandable.

CeeJay reply :

Hello.

Sounds like you'd like to give ultra-light fishing a try...and believe me there's nothing at all wrong with that.

I was in your situation, fishing small ponds and lakes from the bank. I used UL tackle "almost" exclusively when targeting the small bass that tended to inhabit those waters.

With a budget of $200 you can get some outstanding UL rods and reels.

No question about it, 2-6lb test line with a 6' to 7' UL rod will cast those 1/16oz spinners a good ways. And the lighter line makes even small bass extremely fun to catch

Fishing&Tennis reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 8:18 AM, CeeJay said:

Hello.

Sounds like you'd like to give ultra-light fishing a try...and believe me there's nothing at all wrong with that.

I was in your situation, fishing small ponds and lakes from the bank. I used UL tackle "almost" exclusively when targeting the small bass that tended to inhabit those waters.

With a budget of $200 you can get some outstanding UL rods and reels.

No question about it, 2-6lb test line with a 6' to 7' UL rod will cast those 1/16oz spinners a good ways. And the lighter line makes even small bass extremely fun to catch

Would a shaky head, drop shot, etc. Also wrk with an UL?

CeeJay reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 8:34 AM, Fishing&Tennis said:
Would a shaky head, drop shot, etc. Also wrk with an UL?

Definitely.

It's just that in UL angling everything from line to lure to weights is scaled down. But that's not a problem as there are small and micro versions of just about any and all bass tackle for any rig you want.

Also, UL gives you the advantage of casting just about any small-pretty darn large soft plastic weightless. You can just let it slowly and freely drift through the water column. Weightless wacky-rigged senkos are killer on bass. As are weightless 4" plastic worms rigged weedless and twitched through the grass.

It's an exciting way to fish. And when you do catch the inevitable panfish, you'll feel their true fighting ability on UL tackle.

CeeJay reply :

Oh and if you do go ultra-light, try to get a reel with an extra spool. Ideally one would have three, one spooled with 2lb test, the others 4 and then 6.

My personal best largemouth was just over 5 pounds and was caught on 4 lb line. My personal best fish of any species was a 20 pound carp caught on an inline spinner with 6lb line.

Fun stuff

Edit- sorry the PB carp was caught on corn, it was a grass carp that hit my inline

Fishing&Tennis reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 8:48 AM, CeeJay said:

Oh and if you do go ultra-light, try to get a reel with an extra spool. Ideally one would have three, one spooled with 2lb test, the others 4 and then 6.

My personal best largemouth was just over 5 pounds and was caught on 4 lb line. My personal best fish of any species was a 20 pound carp caught on an inline spinner with 6lb line.

Fun stuff

Thanks a bunch ceejay.

I've always been a light line fisherman myself for offshore fishing. It is just so much more fun. Of course within reason.

My sHimano Saros 1000 is currently spooled with 10lb braid. Can I just add a 6lb leader or fish straight braid?

greentrout reply :

When I pond fish, I use a medium/fast 6'6'' medium rod. I want a rod I can easily throw 1/4 oz. spinnerbaits and ultra shallow cranks. I like it for weightless trick worms, too using 10 lb. line on my baitcaster. Sometimes down to 3/16 & 1/8 oz. spinnerbaits. I can throw those kind of lures on the medium rod -- difficult on med/heavy. I use mono.

Old school basser...

CeeJay reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 8:58 AM, Fishing&Tennis said:

Thanks a bunch ceejay.

I've always been a light line fisherman myself for offshore fishing. It is just so much more fun. Of course within reason.

My sHimano Saros 1000 is currently spooled with 10lb braid. Can I just add a 6lb leader or fish straight braid?

No problem. Yeah light tackle angling is tons of fun and very exciting.

Unfortunately I'm not experienced with using braid. I've always been a mono angler

I'm sure someone else will chime in on that though.

Ben Eipert reply :

ML Spinning rod and a MH Baitcaster. 6lb Fluoro on spin and 14 fluoro on bc

Fishing&Tennis reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 9:07 AM, Ben Eipert said:
ML Spinning rod and a MH Baitcaster. 6lb Fluoro on spin and 14 fluoro on bc

Hi I have a 6'6" Fenwick HMG m/F and a 7'6" Fenwixk ML/F. What I'd Rly like is a 7 footer. Unfortunately don't have one

Which one of these two rods would you use to wacky worm, shakyhead, with 6Lb Flurocarbon?

Brett Strohl reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 9:04 AM, CeeJay said:

No problem. Yeah light tackle angling is tons of fun and very exciting.

Unfortunately I'm not experienced with using braid. I've always been a mono angler

I'm sure someone else will chime in on that though.

I imagine, unless you are in to the more technical aspects of the spot, mono vs. braid just depends on what you want. I've been fishing 30 lb braid for the last year and it's hard to imagine ever going back. The main difference for me is I don't have to fight backlash anymore (which makes me angry enough to not even want to fish to begin with), but when you do get tangled up the line is more difficult to untangle b/c it is so small. Plus I can cast quite a long distance on very strong line.

On one hand I am losing out on the excitement of really fighting a fish, but on the other hand I don't ever have to worry about leaving a hook or lure in a fish's mouth b/c the line snapped (which is personally more important to me). Plus I absolutely hate losing lures and hooks, not only b/c of the cost of the lures, but b/c I don't like the idea of polluting fishing spots with that stuff.

(I can't really cast light lures with my setup so I actually wouldn't mind having an ultra lite setup for panfish, but that is probably a project for when I'm done with school.)

I haven't been posting here long, but I can tell there is a real concern between balancing the "sporting" aspect of fishing between catching as many fish as efficiently as possible. Everything that makes fishing easier also seems to make it less sporting and more mechanical or machine-like, so I imagine striking that balance between the artistry of sport vs efficiency is just going to come down to personal preference.

CeeJay reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 9:27 AM, Brett Strohl said:

I imagine, unless you are in to the more technical aspects of the spot, mono vs. braid just depends on what you want. I've been fishing 30 lb braid for the last year and it's hard to imagine ever going back. The main difference for me is I don't have to fight backlash anymore (which makes me angry enough to not even want to fish to begin with), but when you do get tangled up the line is more difficult to untangle b/c it is so small. Plus I can cast quite a long distance on very strong line.

On one hand I am losing out on the excitement of really fighting a fish, but on the other hand I don't ever have to worry about leaving a hook or lure in a fish's mouth b/c the line snapped (which is personally more important to me). Plus I absolutely hate losing lures and hooks, not only b/c of the cost of the lures, but b/c I don't like the idea of polluting fishing spots with that stuff.

(I can't really cast light lures with my setup so I actually wouldn't mind having an ultra lite setup for panfish, but that is probably a project for when I'm done with school.)

I haven't been posting here long, but I can tell there is a real concern between balancing the "sporting" aspect of fishing between catching as many fish as efficiently as possible. Everything that makes fishing easier also seems to make it less sporting and more mechanical or machine-like, so I imagine striking that balance between the artistry of sport vs efficiency is just going to come down to personal preference.

When it comes to the sporting aspect of angling vs everything else...I always get confused There has been a history of antagonism between various "groups" of anglers for quite some time.

-I consider catching a fish on an imitation of it's natural forage to be the ultimate challenge. Yet that goes directly against bait fisherman.

-I consider catch and release to fit best with my personal philosophy of life. But that goes against anglers who perfectly legally catch their own dinner.

-I believe that fishing with overpowering heavy tackle and the fish having little chance to escape to be "unfair" to the fish. But that's how the tournament pros make their living, and that's fine.

In the end, it's all down to personal preference as you said. And it's a shame that there are so many divisions...we are all anglers who love catching fish.

Whatever brings enjoyment to the angler (and is legal, of course) is all good by me

Fishing&Tennis reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 10:07 AM, CeeJay said:

When it comes to the sporting aspect of angling vs everything else...I always get confused There has been a history of antagonism between various "groups" of anglers for quite some time.

-I consider catching a fish on an imitation of it's natural forage to be the ultimate challenge. Yet that goes directly against bait fisherman.

-I consider catch and release to fit best with my personal philosophy of life. But that goes against anglers who perfectly legally catch their own dinner.

-I believe that fishing with overpowering heavy tackle and the fish having little chance to escape to be "unfair" to the fish. But that's how the tournament pros make their living, and that's fine.

In the end, it's all down to personal preference as you said. And it's a shame that there are so many divisions...we are all anglers who love catching fish.

Whatever brings enjoyment to the angler (and is legal, of course) is all good by me

I feel the same way.

I guess I'm just used to fighting fish that give hell like an AJ, grouper, yellowfin tuna hell even red snapper on a light setup. I know I can't possibly get that out of a bass. But I feel using even 7lb Fluro and a M/F spinning rod I'm already whopping them. Out of the 30 (+/-)some bass I've landed over the past few weekends, I've fished I've landed 99% of them in less than ten seconds. Still fun but I'd like a little bit more of a challenge. The first time I went bass fishing I caught a 6 lb bass on 5lb test that was awesome. My drag was singing.

Regarding catch and release. I believe in a small pond you should definitely catch and release to sustain the ecosystem. In a larger lake or saltwater keeping a reasonable amount of fish occasionally makes perfect sense.

Fishing&Tennis reply :

Also I understand why UL would not work for many situations i.e. Ponds with lots of wood rock etc.

But there Rly is nothing abrasive in the pond(s) I fish. At least not that I know of.

KayakBasser reply :

7 foot medhvy baitcaster 7:1,14 pound mono, square billed Crank bait (kvd2.5)

7 foot medhvy 7.2:1 (curado I) 15pound invisx, Texas rigged rage craw.

CeeJay reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 10:15 AM, Fishing&Tennis said:

Also I understand why UL would not work for many situations i.e. Ponds with lots of wood rock etc.

But there Rly is nothing abrasive in the pond(s) I fish. At least not that I know of.

Yep, definitely important to check the thin line for abrasions now and then. Of all the fish I've lost on UL back in the day, I'm very sure most were do to me not checking my line for rough spots above the lure before casting. But even 2 lb test is surprisingly tough considering how thin it is.

Wood snags are rarely a problem when you rig weedless on UL. The lighter soft plastics will slide right over and under (usually).

By the way soft plastics are fantastic UL lures. As are small spinnerbaits which will deflect off of most types of structure. Inlines are great for more open water but I have lost a few to heavy snags. Topwater plugs and fly-poppers are as fun as it gets.

Good quality drag on the reel, and lots of weedless hooks/lures are also key

J Francho reply :

Can't get to the middle of the pond? Fish for the ones you can get to. I watched everyone catch nothing the other evening at the pond, bombing their baits toward the middle. Meanwhile, I caught a couple dozen nice fish on a popper, casting parallel to shore, between everyone. They all wanted know what magic bait I was using. Wasn't the bait.

Ben Eipert reply :

On 5/19/2015 at 9:25 AM, Fishing&Tennis said:
Hi I have a 6'6" Fenwick HMG m/F and a 7'6" Fenwixk ML/F. What I'd Rly like is a 7 footer. Unfortunately don't have one Which one of these two rods would you use to wacky worm, shakyhead, with 6Lb Flurocarbon?

I would put 6 or 8 on the 7'6 and use it for shakey and wacky worms, the 6'6 would be good with a little heavier line like 8 or 10 for a wackyy worm or even a texas rig. I have a 7'6 rod and I use it for all my finesse baits.

via reply :

When I go to a pond, I always bring my finesse rods due to the crazy pressure here in southern California. I have a 6'6 ml spinning rod for drop shot and a 6'8 medium baitcast for small crankbaitbait or spybait.

Abuss55 reply :

I do a lot of trout fishing here in MO and i like to use 7' UL rods, there are plenty of manufacturers out there, FW actually makes some good rods along with White River and St. Croix. I use a 7' UL guide series rod from Gander Mountain with 6lb blue mono on a Pfluger president reel I couldn't agree with you more, using UL gear just makes everything that much more of a challenge! Also If you are willing to try it, using fly fishing gear can be an absolute blast for bass on a small to medium sized pond, that has allowed me to have some of the most fun fishing I have ever had. I also am a big fan of throwing spinners, some of my favorite to throw are Joes Flys, they make larger sizes that are great for trout and I have caught some 3 lbs bass on them in a multitude of colors. Happy fishing and good luck!

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