Pond bass in winter 2024
Pro Logcatcher reply :
Where do pond bass go during the winter? Would they go in the shallows or the deep portions in the middle? Kind of a stupid question, but every cast counts!
CroakHunter reply :
In my experience, pond bass are quicker to push off deeper, but if you get a warming trend they are quicker to come shallower and feed. So if on a blustery cold cloudy day I'd start deep, but if you get a warm front, sunshine, and a touch of wind for a couple days I'd say find shallow-ish water with cover where the sun is shining on it and the wind is blowing into it. The sun will warm the small body of water quicker and the wind will help carry the slightly warmer water towards the wind blown side. Last year I had this happen in a small 2 acre pond, I was fishing where they "Should Have" been (deep) but ended up having one of my best numbers days of the year fishing a jerkbait in 5 feet of water right off the dock near a slight drop. I couldn't hardly look at where I was casting because the reflection of the sun off the water was so intense. So my guess was the sun warmed the water slightly and warmed the dock which had the fish staged there and actively feeding on a small bluegill colored jerkbait 
hope this helps
toni63 reply :
In my experience at my local pond, Florida to visit the relatives.....
Fishing_FF reply :
On 11/12/2017 at 4:06 AM, toni63 said:In my experience at my local pond, Florida to visit the relatives.....
It would be nice. Are they called snowfish, or do they count in the broad category of snowbirds that includes birds and people? LOL
bigbill reply :
In the springtime when the bass start to move before the spawn there in the most northern part of the body of water were the sun shines longer so it’s warmer. I’m thinking they do this in the fall too. But as the temps drop I feel they move to where the PH is the best.
when I lost a big bass during the snow flurries she was in the shallow flats. It was cold and I had my insulated hunting gear on.
Paul Roberts reply :
My experiences generally agree with CroakHunter. This is exactly where I am right now -first "winter" fishing of the year. I'm editing a video on this right now. And yes, every cast counts -esp in winter.
JustinJ reply :
how deep of a pond? most places i fish in southeast NY are no more than 6' deep at max depth with an average depth of 3'. the fish can be anywhere at anytime in ponds like this during the winter but ive found that if you can find any grass that hasnt died from the year before chances are you will find fish.
Sifuedition reply :
Finally caught something other than dinks at one of my local ponds. The trick, for today, was a lipless crankbait fan-casting out to deeper water. Multiple bottom lip hooksets. I think they were deeper, but came up vertical to hit the loud bait, causing the lower lip to be nearest me and the bottom lip hooksets.
I think with ponds, it will vary from pond to pond depending on the depth and available cover. If it is available, I think they do go deeper.
Bankbeater reply :
I think that once the cold weather sets in the bass move deeper but after a while they will move into area with vegetation. At least that is the way the bass behave in the pond I fish.
MossyBackDaddy reply :
Hey guys brand new to BR and this is my very first post. I'm glad you asked this question Pro Logcatcher because I'm sure bound until spring when my fishing partner hit the lakes again. There is a small pond near me where I caught my PB LM that I will be fishing over the winter. According to the owner the pond is 15 deep at the deepest so I got my work cut out for me.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Pond bass in the ponds I fish love to sulk around cover close to deeper water during the winter months. Others will hang out in the deepest portion and move up shallower during warming trends. A couple warm days during winter months makes them pretty active in my experience.
Koz reply :
Where I live in SC things are just starting to cool off a bit. Daytime temps are in the mid 60's and it gets down to the mid 40's at night. And right now what matters most in my area is not where the fish might be hiding, but time of day. I've caught fish between noon and 2:30 or so, but after that not even a single bite. When they do bite it's in both the shallows (2 ft) and deeper water (10-12 ft).
So perhaps they are more active when the sun is high. One caveat is that I have not fished in the mornings this fall. I may have to try that time period when my son finishes his fall baseball tournaments. In the meantime, when I fish I'll stick to midday until the bite stops.
the reel ess reply :
I fish several ponds in the winter. One of them is huge and has depths better than 20'. Fish get deep and really hard to find there and sometimes you fish for hours for one bite. But it might be a big ol' bass. Few dinks caught there in the winter. Then I have some shallower bowl-shaped ponds I fish. In a warming trend, if you see smaller fish and minnows swimming around the edge bass will usually shallow-up in the afternoon. But they won't get far from deeper water because they're going right back when the sun gets low or it cools off.
Mr. Aquarium reply :
each pond is different up here when the ice is on the ponds i usually fish near trees and structure for bass, on pond i ice fish is 10 feet deep but i catch all the bass along the shore near the downed trees. but another pond also 10 feet, ive caught bass scattered throughout. middle of the pond near the shore, near shoreline trees!
id fish jerkbaits and jigs!! i caught my first 7lbser on a finesse jig in march, pond was half covered with ice. it was a cold day, cloudy, snow on the ground, the fish was in 3-4 feet of water under a big tree.
best bet would be to find a dam, not a big hydropowered dams but the dams you see on old mill ponds. the deepest water is usually there. ive had luck in february fishing jerkbaits in these spots.
my favorite winter time places are small pond with deep clear water. up here in MA we have kettle hole ponds, made by the glaciers, only spring fed no inlets or outlets. these places are deep 20 feet plus, small and clear water. awesome winter spots! you can find the fish pretty easily and dont have to waste time in dead water. great for a yak angler with no fishfinder like my self. give me a depth map and im allset.
these places are hair jigs, blade baits and small plastics on light jig heads!
scaleface reply :
I was ice fishing in a small shallow pond about 8 foot deep and bored holes in the deepest section and caught none . I went to some shallow shoreline brush and caught a few .
BassWhole! reply :
Jerkbait, lipless, blade bait, finnesse or hair jig, roll the credits...
fishballer06 reply :
In the winter, sometimes it's more about the temperature of the water rather than the depth of the water.
Prime example - Got a creek that runs into the pond that's bringing in water that's warmer than what the pond is? I bet you the fish are congregated in that area. Have an area of the pond that has wood/stumps/docks in it? Items like this hold in heat from the sun, and are usually a degree or two warmer than the rest of the pond/lake and will hold fish.
Mr. Aquarium reply :
spring holes also help! they are a constant degree, up here the ground water is around 50.
Caliyak reply :
This past weekend, small pond fishing in the early morning, 7am-9am. It was about 60 degrees for most of the morning, no clouds. I was using the 2 inch pogy swimbait by powerbait. I was pitching and flipping into grass, rods and cover in shallow areas. They destroyed the swimbait. try going small or finesse
dropped shot reply :
#1 winter tip- Stop wasting your time fishing
Just kidding, youll get less bites but youll get the biggins. 7 of my 10 biggest bass ever were caught in february.
I probably sound like a broken record, but fish slow, like painfully slow. Jerkbaits are the least boring way to fish in the winter, and they work even though most people would consider them a "fall bait".
JermridVA reply :
I fish a lot of ponds where I live at. I came across a new pond beginning of fall and the bite was awesome! Now that its gotten cold, there all in deeper water in the middle of the pond where i cant get to because I fish off the bank. I have caught some fish here and there using a dropshot rig and jig. Tried throwing some deep diving crankbaits but no luck with those. Where im at its staying in the 50s/60s during the day, and getting down to low 30s/40s at night. Gonna give the crankbait some more goes, but gonna stick to the drop shot and jig seems like thats what they like at this pond! Any other tips or suggestions yall have let me know! tight lines!
WRB reply :
On 11/11/2017 at 10:16 AM, Pro Logcatcher said:Where do pond bass go during the winter? Would they go in the shallows or the deep portions in the middle? Kind of a stupid question, but every cast counts!
The bass are the same temperature as the water they are in. Eating doesn't generate body heat because bass are cold blooded animals. The need for food slows way down as the water gets colder and increases as the water warms.
You need to locate the warmest water in that pond during the cold water period, that is where the bass will be located.
If the pond has a dam, start there and use smaller size lures that move slowly with good life like action.
Tom
Black Bill Dance reply :
On 11/28/2017 at 3:50 AM, JermridVA said:I fish a lot of ponds where I live at. I came across a new pond beginning of fall and the bite was awesome! Now that its gotten cold, there all in deeper water in the middle of the pond where i cant get to because I fish off the bank. I have caught some fish here and there using a dropshot rig and jig. Tried throwing some deep diving crankbaits but no luck with those. Where im at its staying in the 50s/60s during the day, and getting down to low 30s/40s at night. Gonna give the crankbait some more goes, but gonna stick to the drop shot and jig seems like thats what they like at this pond! Any other tips or suggestions yall have let me know! tight lines!
I live in Central Virginia by way of Richmond. I do nothing but fish ponds and I'm a true Power Fisherman, trying to work on my finesse game but I stick to what I know.
So I wait for a spike in weather and pressure to head to the ponds. I purchased the JackHammer Chatterbait 2 months ago and that's all I've been tossing. I start of in the little cove on a wind-blown bank and they have straight crushed this bait.
Multiple 4lb and 5lb bass.
Eric Rybak reply :
from my experience, bass usually associate with hard-bottom or hard-structure in deep water during winter. In ponds, you may not have hard bottom areas in deep water but you may still have some deeper holes in the middle with a small hump or a boulder where bass will draw to. As the water really gets cold, these deeper spots will remain a more steady temperature and be warmer than water much shallower. Generally speaking, when fishing ponds in winter, go for the deepest water you can find right on the bottom. Creep small to medium boot-tailed swimbaits along the bottom very slowly or try go with a ned rig or small drop shot. As the water temperature gets colder, the baits you use and the approach you take really should slow down.
Mr. Aquarium reply :
I’ve been fishing a new pond. Been killing it. Only fished it twice. Both times this past week. I’ve only shore fished. The pond is only 9 acres.
The bass have been in one spot. It’s the northern side of the pond near the dam. The have been chewing swimbaits. 4-8 inch swimbaits.
But I know that if I fished a different pond I wouldn’t be doing so well.
Just keep fishing. Try new spots. Maybe you’ll stumble on a killer cold water pond.
Paul Roberts reply :
On 1/18/2020 at 10:08 PM, Mr. Aquarium said:I’ve been fishing a new pond. Been killing it. Only fished it twice. Both times this past week. I’ve only shore fished. The pond is only 9 acres.
The bass have been in one spot. It’s the northern side of the pond near the dam. The have been chewing swimbaits. 4-8 inch swimbaits.
But I know that if I fished a different pond I wouldn’t be doing so well.
Just keep fishing. Try new spots. Maybe you’ll stumble on a killer cold water pond.
It's not -or shouldn't be- just that pond! It's location in each pond. Sure some fish better than others in winter. But, there should be fish to be caught in any pond. Trick is finding them. Even 8acres can be a lot of real estate to cover during a short winter day at winter speeds.
Edited by Paul Robertstypo and clarification
Mr. Aquarium reply :
On 1/20/2020 at 2:10 AM, Paul Roberts said:It's just that pond! It's location in each pond. Sure some fish better than others in winter. But, there should be fish to be caught in any pond. Trick is finding them. Even 8acres can be a lot of real estate to cover during a short winter day at winter speeds.
Agreed. It’s probably the pond but also just about finding active fish in the pond. I’ve spent a lot of time fishing a lot of different ponds in the winter. Some ponds simply better then others. Some ponds I love in the warmer months but can’t buy a bite in the cold
kayaking_kev reply :
I don't have much experience, but it gets rather cold here in Ohio and a Ned Rig on a clean bottom or a Jerkbait over a vegetated bottom have had the best results for me so far this year.
Paul Roberts reply :
On 1/20/2020 at 4:02 AM, Mr. Aquarium said:Agreed. It’s probably the pond but also just about finding active fish in the pond. I’ve spent a lot of time fishing a lot of different ponds in the winter. Some ponds simply better then others. Some ponds I love in the warmer months but can’t buy a bite in the cold
Yeah, I suspect the biggest culprit is available/vulnerable prey. If there is little to eat, or possibly even too much, the bass can get mighty quiet. I'd guess the former is more common than the latter. But, like you found, most of the real estate in my ponds have few bass. They collected in prime locations.
K.Mac reply :
2 tips that I've found look for the older ponds that have been around for several years and look for areas of the pond for any source of oxygen. spring fed, drainage, etc.
Paul Roberts reply :
On 1/20/2020 at 8:45 PM, K.Mac said:2 tips that I've found look for the older ponds that have been around for several years and look for areas of the pond for any source of oxygen. spring fed, drainage, etc.
Yeah, I've found fish around inlets too, but it seems to be more about the structure of the spot that attracts. Then again, we rarely have ice here long enough for 02 issues to develop.
On 1/20/2020 at 5:52 AM, kayaking_kev said:I don't have much experience, but it gets rather cold here in Ohio and a Ned Rig on a clean bottom or a Jerkbait over a vegetated bottom have had the best results for me so far this year.
The Ned Rig is a bass magnet. That along with hair jigs are my winter GoTo's, esp when searching for fish. Usually those two will reveal fish, if they are present. I do best with jerks early winter and very early spring. Maybe I'm just not patient enough! @Team9nine has done really well with small bladebaits. So far, they've only been sporadic producers for me. He's a darn good angler so I may simply be missing something. Although he appears to have been a relying on Ned's lately.
On 1/20/2020 at 4:02 AM, Mr. Aquarium said:Agreed. It’s probably the pond but also just about finding active fish in the pond. I’ve spent a lot of time fishing a lot of different ponds in the winter. Some ponds simply better then others. Some ponds I love in the warmer months but can’t buy a bite in the cold
Here's one of the videos I've made on winter fishing small waters. It doesn't advertise my channel so it should be ok to post:
https://youtu.be/TH8AMqSTdFw
kayaking_kev reply :
On 1/21/2020 at 3:50 AM, Paul Roberts said:Here's one of the videos I've made on winter fishing small waters. It doesn't advertise my channel so it should be ok to post:
https://youtu.be/TH8AMqSTdFw
I just subscribed to your channel about a week ago, nice info.
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