The cast was not perfect, but I decided to fish it in anyway. The surface lure I was using was the perfect bait for this water on this particular evening.
I was fishing a 6-acre lake that is the water reservoir for a small central-Illinois community.
I was in a small, plastic two-man bass boat with an electric trolling motor. Gas motors are not allowed here.
I had almost given up on the retrieve as the water around my lure exploded. The split second I set the hook my drag began singing and giving line.
She bent my rod double and headed under the small boat. I fought her to the top and she rolled trying to get rid of the hook.
She was a huge silver mass writhing in the water. She ran again, and again I wrestled her to the surface.
This time the net was waiting and a 10-pound, 2-ounce Illinois largemouth bass was mine.
This is just one of dozens of huge bass I have taken from smaller bodies of water across the state.
There are also many places that have excellent fishing that have no possible way to get a boat on. Farm ponds come to mind first in this discussion.
Many high-quality ponds and small lakes have no boat access. Some of these ponds are too small for boats and others just do not offer a good place to slide in even a small Jon-boat.
And quite often, anglers just do not have access to a boat. None of these conditions should constrict you from fishing these fantastically fun spots.
Finding such spots is not really that difficult. The old practice of knocking on landowners’ doors to get permission to fish is still a very relevant method of gaining access to prime spots.
Quite often farm ponds have catfish and bluegill in them as well as bass. The other species are usually the targets of the “family fishermen.” This leaves the bass unharrassed and ready to hit.
When you arrive at the pond of your choice, a quick but thorough survey should be made. This is especially true about a pond you have never fished before.
Valuable knowledge can be attained, even before this survey, by talking with the owner of the pond. While getting permission to fish, ask him about the pond.
Find out the age of the pond. Also find out if it has been stocked. If so, when and with what species?
Find out such things as depth, structure and the location of any man-made brush-piles. Knowing these things can save you time… and lures.
Even if this pond is one of your regular fishin’ holes, many things can change since you were there last.
Be aware of current water conditions. Check the water level.
When was the last significant rainfall?
Is the water color constant, or is one end murkier than the other?
Has the aquatic vegetation changed?
Are there more weeds, less weeds, new weeds?
Has the structure changed?
Has wind dropped a tree into the pond?
Have muskrats erected a “home-dome” in your pond?
All of these changes can affect the way you fish a body of water. Be aware of the subtle changes and know how to benefit from them.
Of those mentioned, water color is maybe the most critical. Most ponds are fed by either run-off or a single, small feeder branch.
After rains, these little creeks will flush not only dirt and silt into the pond, but food sources for fish, as well.
Be sure to fish the color break heavily. Find where the normal-colored pond water meets the cloudy, chocolate milk of the incoming run-off.
Also be sure to fish this area from both banks. Fish will stage around this color change to feed.
After you finish your initial survey, start fishing the shady side first, if there is a shady side. Chances are, before you are finished, the sun’s movement will have created new shaded areas.
Unless you are fishing heavy cover, stay in the shade as much as possible.
Most ponds have at least a partial dam. The ends of the dam often form corners. These spots will hold fish and should be fished several times each trip.
Always fish parallel to the bank when possible. I sometimes wear rubber hip boots. This allows me to stay close to the water or even take a step or two out, to improve my casting angle.
The most common mistake made when fishing a pond is not fishing the best areas first. Often, a pond has a finger of land that sticks out into the water.
The first inclination for most fishermen is to go right out to the end of the point to begin casting. The natural assumption is that you can cover more water from out there.
That thought is a good one, but should not take precedence over the fact that the point itself is probably holding fish.
You should begin by fishing both sides of the point, in a parallel fashion. As you fish out, toward the end, be sure to make several casts beyond the point.
This allows you to retrieve right through the prime water. Repeat the process several times from the other side of the point, as well.
After successfully and thoroughly fishing out to the point, then turn around and repeat your casts from the point.
Fish parallel on both sides and cast to other water off the point, too. When you leave a point to resume fishing around the pond, remember to fish the point again before you leave.
Fish are creatures of habit. They will return to these favorite spots.
A good example of bank fishing a pond happened to me just this past May. I always have a Jon-boat in my truck during turkey season.
We all know that spring not only means gobbling toms and mushrooms, but great fishing as well. You just never know when a good-looking farm pond may appear before you.
I was hunting in Hancock County, Illinois. I planned to hunt til noon, lunch and nap for a couple of hours, then slide my boat into a pond and fish until suppertime.
My plans changed very early that morning.
At 7:15 a.m. I was finished turkey hunting. A 23-pound gobbler had cut my hunt short and extended my fishing all at once.
After a quick call to check in my bird, I was off to the pond.
“I should be fishin’ by 8 o’clock,” I said to myself, but my plans got changed again.
The road leading to the pond crossed a small field. I should say the road that used to lead to the pond. The farmer’s chisel plow had erased the possibility of me driving to the pond.
This meant I had to walk, with no boat. This minor turn of events did not, however, dampen my spirits.
Many big bass have been “lipped” from the bank instead of a boat.
I got to the pond and gave a quick look around. About 90% of the water was still in the morning shade.
Not much had changed since my last visit. The water color was constant, about like iced tea. I sat down and put on my hip boots.
Carrying them across the plowed field was much easier than wearing them. After tying on a white spinnerbait, I headed for the south end of the pond.
This hole is oval-shaped, so I was going to fish the two “small” ends first. There is an old fence through the south end, about 20 feet out in the water.
I guess in the past it had kept cattle out of the rest of the water. This fence and its posts are great structure to fish around.
It would be a bit tricky from the bank, but certainly not impossible.
My first several casts were to the inside, and parallel to the fence. No luck. “Maybe deeper,” I thought.
A large multi-flora rose hampered my casting on the outside of the fence. I waded in several yards from the fence and slowly worked my way back to it.
I wanted to maintain my parallel casting without disturbing too much water underfoot. I connected with a 15-inch largemouth on my third cast outside the fence.
I circled the pond and repeated the process from the other bank, with very similar results. This told me the bass were holding in about 4 feet of water.
Because of that fact, I adjusted my casting method to compensate. Instead of casting parallel and very close to the bank, I opened up the angle a bit to keep my bait in the Strike Zone as long as possible on each cast.
I did not make a trip to the taxidermist that day, but I did manage to catch a dozen nice bass.
I really do not think a boat would have given me any advantage that day. The fish I took from the bank came from being able to read the pond and find the pattern.
Most average anglers view fishing a small impoundment as a piece of cake. The logic is: “There is not much water. How tough can it be?”
These average fishermen usually catch an average number of fish, of average size, from a small lake.
Being able to “read” the habitat and conditions, and having the mobility of a boat, can greatly increase your chances to be better than average.
Let’s examine some points of fishing smaller spots from a boat and see if we can find something to improve your odds.
The main advantage to fishing a little lake from a boat is to be able to cast to places that are too difficult to reach from the shore.
Also, fish tend to rest and feed in the shade from trees on the bank. These spots are sometimes hard to hit when trying a parallel bank-casting method.
A boat also allows you to find the deep spots for vertical jig-type fishing.
With a boat, you are able to approach structure from a much better vantage point. For example, a tree has been blown over and lies in the water.
With a boat you cannot only make parallel casts along both sides, but you can also fish the end of the tree, as well.
Chances are that the end of the tree is closer to deeper water than are the sides. Because of this, the end probably holds bigger fish that anywhere else, including inside the limb structure of the tree.
The summary here is that smaller bodies of water should definitely not be overlooked when hunting for trophy-sized bass.
Quite often totally ignored ponds and lakes under 20 acres hold world-class largemouth.
A great resource for finding these hot little spots across Illinois is a website called lakelubbers.com. Use these tips and get out there find one for yourself.
(Mike Roux can be reached at roux@adams.net.)
