Fishermen....did I find the holy grail?

[thefed]

So I'm at my MIL's...and we got to talking about fishing....just took my son for the first time and we had a blast. She tells me of the 'pond' across the street....she lives in a national forest....but there's lots of private property on her street. Her family member who has long passed away owns the property across the street...and apparently there's a nice sized pond/lake that they whole family used to fish ...smack dab in the middle of the woods. Nobody's been back there in over 15 years! She showed me pics of huge bluegill and bass they used to catch.

Well, I trekked the 1/4 mile back there to check it out after scoping in on Google earth....it's still there! I need to return with a machete and my fishing gear soon...I'm pumped!

It's a long walk...if it were you...what would you take? Live bait? Lures? Fish the top? bottom?

looking for some guidance and a little good luck!Seems pretty stagnant, but i hope the fish are doing well! wonder if ponds like this can 'die off'

 

[bbbamI]

IMO, it has a lot to do with the type of plants growing in the pond and the amount of oxygen they give off. If enough, there should be fish there.

I'd for sure give it a whirl. If you're going to have to put some effort into it, take some live bait and light, floating top lures. If it hasn't been fished in a long time, whatever is there should strike at practically anything.

 

[LOL!]

Since it's only a quarter-mile walk, you can go back and forth many times in an hour. We live between 2 ponds that have bass, bluegills, and perch in them.

Hot dog bits will work for the bluegills and earthworms will work for the bass. I'd take a hot dog first since you probably have leftovers from yesterday. But maybe anything will work for bait ... who knows?

 

[JOHNNIE36]

Nobody's been back there in fifteen years they ought to bite on just about anything.
Here's to good fishing.

 

[thefed]

im so excited i cant wait....gonna try early morning on friday i think....bringing a machete and a backpack with some bait and tackle... i think if they're alive we'll certainly be catchin em!

never tried hot dogs for bluegill....do they stay on the hook good? i always use wax worms or a 1/2" piece of earthworm

 

[Avalon]

I used to know an old bluegill fisherman that would use small pieces of raw bacon. He said it stayed on the hook better.

 

[bbbamI]

Here's a tip you may want to consider...

I snap the barbs off the hooks when I fish. If I don't plan to keep any or catch fish that are too small, I can release them without a problem. Their mouths tear easily, but with the barb gone they will be just fine and survive.

I've never lost a fish with a 'barbless' hook.

 

[flyfishnevada]

If they're in there, a bare hook under a small bobber might be enough. I'd try some worms under a bobber or a small popper with a casting bubble.

 

[spncity]

Are you in tick country?

Ticks can be way more prevalent when you're going through thick underbrush than when you're hiking on a trail. (However, on a trail hike the other day, I still came home with a tick).

Here are some good tips:

Preventing Tick Bites :: The National Capital Lyme & Tick-Borne Disease Association :: Offering education and support to those suffering from Lyme and tick-borne diseases

Myth: Ticks must be attached for 48 hours in order to transmit Lyme disease.

Answer: Not true. Some ticks can transmit Lyme upon biting if the bacteria is already in the salivary glands and not just in the mid-gut.

Have fun - just take precautions.

 

[fisherman]

I remember finding a pond like this when I was 11. You could catch fish for awhile with a float and a bare hook. They did get smarter over time however. Another pond was also very good and worms were all that was needed.

 

[FinanceDude]

Try to bobber fish first. Does anyone know how deep the pond is? Whenever I got to a new fishing spot I don't know much about, I take my "little arsenal" along:

1)Small Mepps spinner
2)3 different colors of plastic worm (blue, black, and brown)
3)Slip bobber and hooks
4)3 different color ice fishing jigs (fluorescent green, orange, and red)
5)3 different sizes Daredevils
6)some small jigs (1/8 ounce) with Twister tails (bright yellow, bright green, dark brown, black, and bright purple)

All of the stuff I mentioned above will fit in a little Plano tacklebox..........

If you don't catch some fish and try all that stuff, the water is dead........

For bait, I always use a small piece of nightcrawler threaded on so the short hitter don't steal your bait.........

 

[FinanceDude]

Here's a tip you may want to consider...

I snap the barbs off the hooks when I fish. If I don't plan to keep any or catch fish that are too small, I can release them without a problem. Their mouths tear easily, but with the barb gone they will be just fine and survive.

I've never lost a fish with a 'barbless' hook.

Great idea, works well with panfish, and particularly crappies ("paper mouths")

 

[thefed]

Try to bobber fish first. Does anyone know how deep the pond is? Whenever I got to a new fishing spot I don't know much about, I take my "little arsenal" along:

1)Small Mepps spinner
2)3 different colors of plastic worm (blue, black, and brown)
3)Slip bobber and hooks
4)3 different color ice fishing jigs (fluorescent green, orange, and red)
5)3 different sizes Daredevils
6)some small jigs (1/8 ounce) with Twister tails (bright yellow, bright green, dark brown, black, and bright purple)

All of the stuff I mentioned above will fit in a little Plano tacklebox..........

If you don't catch some fish and try all that stuff, the water is dead........

For bait, I always use a small piece of nightcrawler threaded on so the short hitter don't steal your bait.........

what do you mean "threaded on"

 

[martyb]

Hey thefed...what part of the country are you in? Also, since the pond's been unused, is it overgrown with vegetation that will make it difficult to fish? Been fishing for a long time, it will help to get a little more info on where (generally) and what condition the pond's in. This time of year, very early, meaning just about the crack of dawn, you'd probably be well served to fish top-water baits like a buzzbait and a Rebel Pop-R. If you're not using baitcasting tackle though, you'd probably have a tough time with a buzz bait since they need to be cranked in pretty fast. LOL...wish I could go with you!

 

[martyb]

p.s. If this is a pond up north someplace then go ahead & do some of the stuff Finance Dude mentioned. If it's a down-south body of water with some redneck fish in it, then you'd be better served with the techniques I mentioned, plus I can reccommend a few more. By the way, I'm not much for "barbless" hooks, and yes, you will lose fish that way. If you're gonna release them all anyhow, so what. Me...I usta fish in lots of bass tournaments, and lost fish would have cost me money! I don't remember tearing up too many fish's mouths with barbs though. Just have to be careful when removing them. If you decide to try the top-water fishing I mentioned, you'll need to develop nerves of steel. When a big bass blows up on your bait, you have to resist the nearly irresistable urge & instinct to rear back & set the hook...you have to force yourself to wait 2-3 second, or else you'll most likely snatch it away before it gets hook good. Dude.....please tell me you're close to Louisiana or Texas! lol DON"T FORGET THE SUNSCREEN!

 

[martyb]

Try to bobber fish first. Does anyone know how deep the pond is? Whenever I got to a new fishing spot I don't know much about, I take my "little arsenal" along:

1)Small Mepps spinner
2)3 different colors of plastic worm (blue, black, and brown)
3)Slip bobber and hooks
4)3 different color ice fishing jigs (fluorescent green, orange, and red)
5)3 different sizes Daredevils
6)some small jigs (1/8 ounce) with Twister tails (bright yellow, bright green, dark brown, black, and bright purple)

All of the stuff I mentioned above will fit in a little Plano tacklebox..........


If you don't catch some fish and try all that stuff, the water is dead........

For bait, I always use a small piece of nightcrawler threaded on so the short hitter don't steal your bait.........

lol FD....I regret that we didn't meet up while I was living in Wisconsin. Now that I've moved to Texas, I guess we'll have to wait till I can retire. Then....you can come on down & let me take you bass fishing on some of these trophy bass lakes, or if you wanna come in the winter, I can put you on crappie that will go 2+ to occasionally 3 lbs. Plenty of 1.5-2.5 lbers, not too often to get a 3 pounder, but I know when I told some of the folks I worked with in Janesville about 'em, and showed a few pictures, draws dropped! lol We'll do it sometime, if you wanna.

By the way, I finally got to eat some walleye when I was in WI, and it's really a great eating fish! I used to watch guys catching them on TV and thought they fought like a wet dish rag, but they make up for it on the table!

 

[FinanceDude]

what do you mean "threaded on"

Take about 1/5th of a crawler, and thread it on the hook, so the only thing visible is the barb end. The scent attracts the fish, and fish like perch and other are good are stealing the bait but not getting the hook. If you thread it on, they will also get the hook...........

 

[thefed]

Hey thefed...what part of the country are you in? Also, since the pond's been unused, is it overgrown with vegetation that will make it difficult to fish? Been fishing for a long time, it will help to get a little more info on where (generally) and what condition the pond's in. This time of year, very early, meaning just about the crack of dawn, you'd probably be well served to fish top-water baits like a buzzbait and a Rebel Pop-R. If you're not using baitcasting tackle though, you'd probably have a tough time with a buzz bait since they need to be cranked in pretty fast. LOL...wish I could go with you!

its in ne ohio...and yes, very overgrown....i foudn a few spots that i think i can hack my way to shore...but didnt get close enough to really look at the water as it was dusk

 

[martyb]

its in ne ohio...and yes, very overgrown....i foudn a few spots that i think i can hack my way to shore...but didnt get close enough to really look at the water as it was dusk

Better keep an eye out for snakes! I betcha there's lots of 'em around that old pond...

 

[jimnjana]

How about an update? I thought I missed how the fishing was...