How many tries at a new pond before calling it quits 2024

BassB8Caster reply :

Hey Guys.

its finally february here in Maine and its starting to feel like spring is closer and closer (even though the reality is, its quite a ways away). Starting to get the bass fishing itch. I have been thinking about a small 50 acre pond i fished at last fall without success that made me think of this topic. I think it would be interesting as well to hear how people approach these situations. i attached a pic of the pond. From what i see, it should be the perfect body of water for some big bass. It is in a rather tough location where it sees little fishing pressure. Tons of little hiding spots, fingers, beaver dams, grasses etc that should hold bass. Big bass.

I fished it three times. the first time i walked the shore and tried a few spots. On my way to the pond i happened to travel on some private roads (i mistakenly missed the signs). The closest land owner saw me drive by and ended up coming down to the pond. I talked with him a bit about the pond. He said he takes his nephews and nieces out once in a while. but other than that, no one fishes it. He also said "if you catch a bass it will be a big one". He said he caught a 7.5lber out of it. The next 2 times out was in my kayak. I feel i gave it a good effort in fishing all the spots that would hold bass. I also fished several types of baits (spinners, soft plastics, topwater etc) that should have produced. Especially a pond with so little fishing pressure. There were quite a few pickerel in there, but not one sign of any bass. The water is a dark stained water. Best guess is 8 feet +/- deepest spot. There are so many ambush spots there where i do believe bass can grow very big.

So, at what point do you decide that there are not any bass in a pond? I do want to try again, especially spawn. But i dont have much interest in catching just pickerel.

everythingthatswims reply :

My favorite time to try new areas is in the spring because even if you don't catch them, the big girls will often reveal themselves. I fish a lake that is extremely frustrating, about the same size as this one, in the spring if you walk the bank you will see a 30lb limit every time, but my biggest out of there is less than 5lbs. I have hooked 3 big ones but despite many days there, it hasn't come together yet. I'm convinced that some bodies of water just have smart fish, regardless of pressure.

SFL BassHunter reply :

Tough question, I have a lake out there at a public park that I had heard was a good place for big bass. Went 2 times with a buddy and neither of us caught anything. I stopped going. Recently another friend went and caught a very nice bass. I then went with him and caught a 6lber. He has caught a few 5-6lbers now.

Interesting thing is, it seems to be a lake with bigger fish, but not a lot of fish. Now when I go there I go there knowing I am looking for the big bite.

Might be out there for 5 or 6 hours beating the bank and have only a couple of bass to show for it. But I know that one of them could be 5+lbs.

lonnie g reply :

wonder if the lake has turned over in past few years being that shallow try to find more people that live close to get more info. I would work that point on bottom of map if it has any grade to it at all. are there any small blue gill in there or have you seen any hatchlings ? always heard match the hatch. good luck hope you figure it out, and land one those big ladies

CTBassin860 reply :

ill go a bunch of times.I found this smalll pond a few miles from my house that i almost gave up on.Id catch a dink here and there,but nothing over a pound.One day i was pitching a frog into the brush off the bank and caught my PB.Now when i go there i stick to frogs and other topwater.The only lure ive caught a fish on that wasnt a frog or a popper was a spinnerbait.IVe pulled a few 3# out of there now plus the usual dinks.You just have to learn how to fish that pond.

soflabasser reply :

On 2/7/2017 at 4:06 AM, everythingthatswims said:

My favorite time to try new areas is in the spring because even if you don't catch them, the big girls will often reveal themselves. I fish a lake that is extremely frustrating, about the same size as this one, in the spring if you walk the bank you will see a 30lb limit every time, but my biggest out of there is less than 5lbs. I have hooked 3 big ones but despite many days there, it hasn't come together yet. I'm convinced that some bodies of water just have smart fish, regardless of pressure.

Come down to South Florida and you will find plenty of lakes with +10 pounders in them that rarely bite, no matter how good you are as a bass fisherman. These lakes will test your skill and patience to the highest level, with many days of only 1-2 pounders. One of these lakes is in a public park where thousands of people fish it every year, yet less than 1% of those people have caught a bass over 8 pounds in it...some say the lake is not worth fishing because its such a difficult lake to get a big bass out of(but I disagree with them based on my experience fishing that lake).

soflabasser reply :

On 2/7/2017 at 1:34 AM, BassB8Caster said:

So, at what point do you decide that there are not any bass in a pond? I do want to try again, especially spawn. But i dont have much interest in catching just pickerel.

Nice looking pond. You know there's big bass in there so its only a matter of time before they present themselves to you. You need to be 100% prepared when one of these big bass bite, there is no room for error. Its better to have a story about the big bass you caught than the one that got away.Don't be discouraged and try to find someone who knows the lake very well and fish with them if possible. This will make your learning curve much shorter and possibly save you years of figuring out that pond.

BassB8Caster reply :

Thanks everyone for your replies and opinions. I agree it looks like prime big bass real estate. I have been skunked a few times in the past in other bodies of water. But usually I will at least see some sort of sign of bass. Like I said, I only caught pickerel. Tells me that it is a suitable habitat for fish to survive. Only issue I see with spotting bass during spawn is this water is very dark. Where I live there are tons of these small ponds. I love taking good the kayak in them. There is a mystique about them. Potential of 5lb plus in many of them. Quite the challenge that can leave me frustrated and scratching my head (like this pond), but I enjoy the test.

Bluebasser86 reply :

If I'm confident there's big bass in a pond, I'll fish it several times before I'd give up on it. It's possible there's not a strong population of bass, but the ones in there are primarily large ones, and I'm okay with that.

TheGreatOne reply :

BassB8caster, sometimes this early in the year things can be slow everywhere, don't let that discourage you... Once it warms up good tie a #2 circle hook on the end of your line the put a 1/16 oz splitshot squeezed on the line butted up against the knot and put a June bug Yum dinger wacky style on your hook and sling that sucker around everywhere you think a bass should be... If there's bass in that pond and it doesn't get a lot of pressure, this spring they should hammer the dinger... Then write a post thanking me for your best day ever.... TGO

Mosster47 reply :

On 2/7/2017 at 4:06 AM, everythingthatswims said:

My favorite time to try new areas is in the spring because even if you don't catch them, the big girls will often reveal themselves. I fish a lake that is extremely frustrating, about the same size as this one, in the spring if you walk the bank you will see a 30lb limit every time, but my biggest out of there is less than 5lbs. I have hooked 3 big ones but despite many days there, it hasn't come together yet. I'm convinced that some bodies of water just have smart fish, regardless of pressure.

I've already seen a couple fish here that would push double digits in ponds no more than an acre. We will see how Spring goes, but I haven't caught anything over two pounds in any of them.

Ponds can be amazing fishing or some of the worst there is. I can't ever remember much of a grey area.

BassB8Caster reply :

On 2/7/2017 at 3:51 PM, TheGreatOne said:

BassB8caster, sometimes this early in the year things can be slow everywhere, don't let that discourage you... Once it warms up good tie a #2 circle hook on the end of your line the put a 1/16 oz splitshot squeezed on the line butted up against the knot and put a June bug Yum dinger wacky style on your hook and sling that sucker around everywhere you think a bass should be... If there's bass in that pond and it doesn't get a lot of pressure, this spring they should hammer the dinger... Then write a post thanking me for your best day ever.... TGO

I haven't fished this year. We are frozen up here. I fished it last fall. I will definitely give that a try. Just want to know if there are bass in it. Time will tell.

Any particular strategy fishing (if they are in there) older larger bass in dark stained water? Shouldn't there be some smaller aggressive fish too?

Sam reply :

BassBaitCaster,

Now let me get this straight. You are in Maine. Main is next to Canada. It is ice hockey season in Maine. It is skiing season in Maine. It is ice skating time in Maine. The lakes and ponds are frozen in Maine, or very close to be frozen. And you are not getting any bites at a local pond with dirty water.

Local man says there are big ladies in the pond.

OK. I got it. And you ask, "So, at what point do you decide that there are not any bass in a pond?"

Answer: Next Fall if you don't catch anything in the spring and summer.

Where are the bass now? They are deep. Holding deep and not wanting to move to catch a meal or snack. They will save energy as best they can. But they have to eat. So where do they go to eat and find some warm water? They go to the northern and western shore where the sun beats down and warms the water. Your first places to start are the northern and western banks as the sun warms the water.

Do you have any idea of what forage is in the pond? Large bluegill and bream? Minnows? Crawfish? Small catfish? Frogs? Turtles? Throw some white bread on the water and note if any minnows, bream and bluegills come up to feed. If not, you may have to go with other forage they may be eating. Would the pond support crawfish?

Do you have a swimming pool thermometer? If not, get one. Attached to a long cord, throw it in the pond. What is the water temperature? 40's? 30's? The colder the water the slower the bass' metabolism and the less likely they will be interested in your presentation if they have already eaten a minnow. Could take up to two weeks before they will feed again.

What to throw? Smaller baits retrieved slow. Ever heard of "dead sticking"? If not, look it up and give it a try. Boring, but it can produce results in cold water.

You have a lot of homework to do both at the pond and at your computer before you write off the pond. Check out articles on winter fishing; winter presentations; effect water temperatures have on the bass; how deep will the bass go in the pond? What forage is in the pond?

Can you meet with the individual you spoke with about the history of the pond? If he does not know maybe he will give you the name of the individuals who know about the pond and who stocked it with what.

Read, read and read. Experiment, experiment, experiment. And let us know what happens.

You may have to wait for the water temperature to warm up into the 60's before the bass will become active. In Maine that will be in June. But don't give up on the pond just yet. Give it one season and keep trying.

Let us know what successes you have or if you give up and move on to another pond.

N Florida Mike reply :

A lot if it is how you think.The lake I live on is full of bass but you would never think it was.There is rarely any surface action or other sign of bass activity.Most people fish it once,dont catch anything,and dont fish it anymore.( Which is good for me )

I have another pond I KNOW that has DD fish.I usually catch nothing there.It is a very strange place to fish, and it is stocked and managed by Florida FWC.They wont even bite live shiners very good there.But I know theyre there....

In your case Id try senkos or flukes.Also fish very slow .When I dont catch fish with these baits Im usually fishing too fast.

BassB8Caster reply :

I have been bass fishing for only 2 years, so i know i have a lot to learn. I try to learn as much as possible (on this forum, articles etc) and then try it out in the field. I have fished ponds that were hot one day and ice cold the next. So im aware of how things can vary just one day to the next. The chance at a big bass (over 5lbs for me) has pushed me out to places i never would have thought i would venture to. I love catching fish, but i really enjoy the chance at a big girl. And many times that results in not catching anything. In all honesty, looking back, fishing a place twice and thinking that is enough time to judge the quality of the pond is unfair. I intended to go back there again regardless. I thought it would make a great topic, as im sure other small pond fishermen run into this predicament as well. I have a lot of little ponds around me, and i try to limit my time to those that have best chances of producing good bass. I guess i was a little surprised that in those two trips in the kayak in a low pressure body of water, i didnt hook up with any bass.

I will admit that slowing down is a challenge for me. I can mentally prepare a game plan of slowing down, and dragging a worm or jig or even dropshot. Then when i get out there i tend to go with faster baits (after trying slow techniques for a bit). So this is something i will work on. I have heard of dead sticking, have not tried it yet though. As far as forage, honestly i dont know. I did not see signs of anything. the bottom is very soft and muddy.

roadwarrior reply :

Four hours, but not necessarily right now. Fishing can be tough in the winter, As Spring approaches

the fishing will improve and the four hour limit comes into play.

Bucky205 reply :

Live worms are the universal bait. I would float night crawlers under a bobber for a couple of afternoons. If I didn't get a bite I would move on.

joeblowwwww reply :

Maybe with no fishing pressure they can hear and sense you from a mile away?

slow dragging a Texas rigged senko will always work

frogflogger reply :

Why would you quit trying? Nothing better than a challenging piece of water.

BassB8Caster reply :

On 2/8/2017 at 7:59 PM, frogflogger said:

Why would you quit trying? Nothing better than a challenging piece of water.

I hear ya. I dont want to quit if there are bass in there. But i dont want to spend tons of time if the bass are not there. I will def give it a fair try. With all these small ponds around me, and fairly limited time to fish with a new baby, i try to eliminate ponds that are not worth my time. I do want to give them a proper effort, but have to draw the line somewhere. Which lead to this thread.

the reel ess reply :

If there are pickerel and at least one time there were bass, there are probably still bass there. If I hadn't caught one in three hard tries, I'd probably hang it up. At this point, I don't even want to go back to places where I fished hard and only caught one dink. Life is short.

IndianaFinesse reply :

How many times should you try that pond? Enough times to figure it out.

guest reply :

Sorry bro your question reminded me of this commercial . https://youtu.be/2IA5Cv_5-g8

BassB8Caster reply :

On 2/9/2017 at 2:20 AM, the reel ess said:

If there are pickerel and at least one time there were bass, there are probably still bass there. If I hadn't caught one in three hard tries, I'd probably hang it up. At this point, I don't even want to go back to places where I fished hard and only caught one dink. Life is short.

I caught several pickerel but no bass. The only info about bass was from a land owner who says he caught a 7.5lb out of it. Other than that I have no proof there are bass in it.

I think this spring during the spawn will give me a better idea.

the reel ess reply :

On 2/9/2017 at 7:43 AM, BassB8Caster said:

I caught several pickerel but no bass. The only info about bass was from a land owner who says he caught a 7.5lb out of it. Other than that I have no proof there are bass in it.

I think this spring during the spawn will give me a better idea.

Yeah, that ought to make them obvious.

lmbfisherman reply :

Bring out your live bait setup with a worm, see what species of fish you can catch. Learn the forage, look around your settings. Do they have crawfish? insects? frogs? I wouldn't give up.

Since you are in Maine, when you say pickerel do you mean pickerel or some people up north mean "walleye". Which drives me nuts because they are two different fish! Anyway, if it is pickerel it maybe just like my local pond. Well sort of, the pike population has exponentially grown the past 2 years and the bass seem to be driven off and being dominated. I have days where I catch 10 pike and catch only 1 bass. It is possible that the pickerel is the dominant predator in that pond. There probably is bass, but you probably weed through the dominant predator.

BassB8Caster reply :

On 2/10/2017 at 2:07 AM, lmbfisherman said:

Bring out your live bait setup with a worm, see what species of fish you can catch. Learn the forage, look around your settings. Do they have crawfish? insects? frogs? I wouldn't give up.

Since you are in Maine, when you say pickerel do you mean pickerel or some people up north mean "walleye". Which drives me nuts because they are two different fish! Anyway, if it is pickerel it maybe just like my local pond. Well sort of, the pike population has exponentially grown the past 2 years and the bass seem to be driven off and being dominated. I have days where I catch 10 pike and catch only 1 bass. It is possible that the pickerel is the dominant predator in that pond. There probably is bass, but you probably weed through the dominant predator.

These are chain pickerel. We do have pike in places. Not in this pond though. Never seen or heard of walleye caught here in Maine. Atleast not around me

blckshirt98 reply :

After the spawn go back and keep your eye out for bass fry, that'll let you know if there's a viable population of bass in there.

soflabasser reply :

On 2/10/2017 at 5:07 AM, BassB8Caster said:

These are chain pickerel. We do have pike in places. Not in this pond though. Never seen or heard of walleye caught here in Maine. Atleast not around me

Is the lake still frozen?Many people catch some quality sized bass right after all the ice melts away.

BassB8Caster reply :

On 2/10/2017 at 12:59 PM, soflabasser said:

Is the lake still frozen?Many people catch some quality sized bass right after all the ice melts away.

Oh yeah. Very frozen. We don't have ice out until April or so.

soflabasser reply :

On 2/12/2017 at 12:57 AM, BassB8Caster said:

Oh yeah. Very frozen. We don't have ice out until April or so.

Have you tried ice fishing in that pond?

RoLo reply :

Not catching a bass in a new pond is a whole lot better than catching a bunch of runts.

'Population density' and 'trophy production' are inverse attributes, you can't have it both ways.

Roger

BassB8Caster reply :

On 2/13/2017 at 11:04 AM, soflabasser said:

Have you tried ice fishing in that pond?

No. I don't ice fish. Will be back there this spring once ice is out

soflabasser reply :

On 2/13/2017 at 11:41 PM, BassB8Caster said:

No. I don't ice fish. Will be back there this spring once ice is out

It might be worth trying ice fishing in that pond since you might be able to get to areas you usually would not be able to get to when fishing from the shore. Fishing tends to be good after the ice melts from my understanding, so it should be a good time to target the big bass in that pond.

BigSkyBasser reply :

Seeing the fish as many people have mentioned will be key to determine how they react to your presence and baits in the water. However having an understanding of how these fish move around the pond during different seasons and conditions is invaluable. So when the water warms up enough (or you have a great wet suit) I'd be in the water snorkeling and trying to spot fish. This is one of my favorite things to do when I'm breaking down a new fishery because being able to picture what structure and bait is there and how fish relate to them will tell you more than anyone who's fished it ever could.

fishwizzard reply :

On 2/9/2017 at 2:54 AM, IndianaFinesse said:

How many times should you try that pond? Enough times to figure it out.

More or less. There is a small pond maybe 10 min from my house. I have caught maybe 5-8 bass there out of maybe a hundred trips. I will swear it off and avoid it for months, often walking right by it to get to the river I can access from the same property. But then eventually I will throw a lure in the pond, get a bite, and go back to fishing it.

This summer I am gonna make myself go there every week until I figure it out. The bass are in there, including at least a handful of good ones, and despite the large amount of fishing pressure, I am determined to make it work.

Bankbeater reply :

I wouldn't hit the pond several times in a row. I would spread out my visits. Sometimes you'll hit the water when they are on a feeding spree.

CroakHunter reply :

So...is there bass in the pond? Maybe try a light carolina rig or mojo rig.

BassWhole! reply :

365

roadwarrior reply :

BassB8Caster reply :

On 5/13/2017 at 1:32 PM, CroakHunter said:

So...is there bass in the pond? Maybe try a light carolina rig or mojo rig.

I cannot say 100% there is. I fished there twice last fall and caught only a handful of pickerel. I talked to a guy who lives close by and told me if I caught one it would be a 7lber (his words). He said he caught a 7lber out of it. To me it looks like it would be bass heaven. Lots of cover, freshwater coming in, bugs,insects, etc. I haven't been able to fish it yet this year. Hoping to soon.

CroakHunter reply :

On 5/14/2017 at 1:45 AM, BassB8Caster said:

I cannot say 100% there is. I fished there twice last fall and caught only a handful of pickerel. I talked to a guy who lives close by and told me if I caught one it would be a 7lber (his words). He said he caught a 7lber out of it. To me it looks like it would be bass heaven. Lots of cover, freshwater coming in, bugs,insects, etc. I haven't been able to fish it yet this year. Hoping to soon.

Keep us updated. Got me curious lol

BassB8Caster reply :

On 5/14/2017 at 8:51 AM, CroakHunter said:

Keep us updated. Got me curious lol

Will do. I really want to get there prespawn. Should be the best time to find them (if they are in there).

iiTzChunky reply :

I'll fish somewhere at least 7 or 8 times and by then I've usually got ahold of somthing. Throw everything but the kitchen sink in there you'll eventually get a fish out of there. It's just finding what they want.

BassB8Caster reply :

I was able to get out onto this pond for a few hours on saturday. Again, no bass. Caught 3 pickerel. Had a constant 15 mph wind out of the north, just enough to be a nuissance. In my opinion, this pond is not worth my time any more. i cannot chase ones claim of catching a 7lber. There are way too many ponds around me with great fish. Ive never had this much trouble catching bass anywhere else. These small ponds have very very little pressure, and can eventually be found. So on to the next location. I appreciate the tips along the way.

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How many tries at a new pond before calling it quits 2024

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