Bass fishing small lakes tends to pose problems for your average fishermen. You’re going to have to test your luck to catch that monster bass. That being said fishing small lakes isn’t all about luck, it’s a numbers game. Anytime you fish heavily pressured water you’re going to have to change things up. The key is finding little areas where the Bass don’t get a lot of pressure. Using the right lures and testing different patterns should give you the advantage you need.
How To Bass Fish on Small Ponds and Lakes
Whenever I get a chance to get out of the office I love testing out small surrounding lakes wherever I’m at. Smaller bodies of water seem to be loaded with big bass, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to catch them. So how do you find them? After years of fishing smaller bodies of water I’ve learned some tips to catch more Bass. You’ll have to understand which forage bass are chasing to get the most out of a smaller lake. Try and recognize key foraging periods like the bluegill spawn and crayfish activity.
Understanding The Forage
The key to catch them bass and little lakes is understanding the forage. Most smaller bodies of water aren’t going to have shad in them. Their main forage is going to be bluegill’s and crawfish. Without shad in the water bass are really going to zero in on bluegill’s especially during the summertime. When it starts to get really hot and muggy switch to bluegill style lures. When you can see bluegill running give the bass what they want to eat. Normally I’ll choose shallow crank bait like the Strike King Square Bill Crankbait in one of their bluegill patterns. I do really well fishing shallow water bass with this loud bodied crank bait. It’ll run down about 5 feet and draw a ton of strikes. The fish are already really interested in feeding, but a crank bait is sure to get their attention.
During the summer bass are going to be suspended high in the water column feeding on gills. When they don’t have lots of shad to feed on bluegill is about all that’s left. Seeing a ton of little stunted bluegill is a clear sign that bluegill is the primary forage. So skip your shad lure and choose the proper color selection for your forage. Look for weed lines that are about six or 7 feet deep that are going to be loaded with little stunted bluegill and monster bass.
Learn How to Read The Water Temperature
When the water temperatures start to increase bass are going to get really interested in bluegill. When you get into the peak of the summer bite and water temperatures start to hover around 70° bass start to get really serious about eating bluegill’s. Understanding the positioning of these bluegill’s is key. On warmer days they’ll come real high out of the water column and leave the weeds. That’s when using a shallow body crank bait is going to be really effective.
Bank Fishing a Small Pond
Up until this point I’ve been primarily focusing on fishing from a boat, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have a lot of success Bank fishing. Fishing little farm ponds and private lakes are often only accessible from the bank. The biggest advantage to these lakes is that they are not usually under a lot of pressure. So you should be able to catch a ton of bass if you know what you’re doing.
Check Water Clarity
The first thing that I’m going to do on any small farm pond is check the water color. When the water color is fairly clear with a couple feet of visibility you’re going to want to use natural colored baits. When there’s a lot of weeds I like to use topwater lures like the Rebel Pop-R or classic Arbogast Jitterbug. Just make sure you choose natural colors when the lake is clear.
In dirtier water I like to use baits that are bright loud and flamboyant. When the fish can’t see you have to draw their attention somehow. In muddier water I like to use heavier spinnerbaits like the Strike King Chartreuse Sexy Shad and bright crankbaits like the Strike King Chili Craw. Anything loud and bright will work wonders in stained water.
Look For The Deepest Water
When fishing small farm ponds always look for the deepest water in the lake. In less you build the pond yourself you won’t know for sure where the deepest spot is. The easiest way to find deepwater is to look for natural dams where you would expect the excavator to dig out more dirt to build up the edge.
In The Early Mornings Work The Bank Fast
In the early mornings you’re going to want to work the bank as fast as possible. You’re going to want to work the bank really quick using something fast. When I’m not entirely familiar with the pond I’m going to work the edge using a spinnerbait or frog. I try to start near the deeper water where the fish are going to feel the safest. Look for areas with steep banks that might signify drop offs and underwater cover.