Farm Ponds - An Untapped Resource
Fishing farm ponds is for the angler who wants to escape the crowds on public waters, but cannot travel to a remote lake or stream. In many areas of the country, farm ponds are virtually unfished. Many are capable of providing faster action and more fish harvested per hour than almost any other fishing waters.
Farm pond anglers should learn to recognize productive ponds before trying to get permission to fish them. There is little value in asking to fish a pond that is too small, too shallow, or otherwise unlikely to produce fish. With a little experience, an observant fisherman can learn to "read" farm ponds.
The Best Farm Pond Features
While size is important, several other features of location and construction also have a lot to do with good fishing. Ordinarily the best fishing ponds have relatively little shallow water (three feet deep or less). In deeper water less sunlight reaches the bottom, which helps cut overproduction of fish and discourages excessive growth of aquatic vegetation. As a general rule, a pond should be at least eight feet deep if the fish are to survive under stress conditions.
Ordinarily trout cannot survive in farm ponds, except in relatively cold climates or in ponds fed by spring water. Trout thrive best in water of 55 to 68 degrees F. If the pond water becomes warmer than 70 degrees F. it probably won't support trout during the summer months. Besides needing cool water, trout have a relatively high oxygen requirement that prevents their survival in most ponds.
Farm Ponds - Species of Fish
Bluegill specialists ordinarily use a lightweight fly rod with small flies, popping bugs or rubber spiders. Hook sizes for blue gills range from 8 to 12. When blue gills are feeding on the surface, tiny popping bugs are an extremely good bet, while the most popular live baits for blue gills are mealworms, small earthworms, crickets, roaches, catalpas and various kinds of caterpillars. Bluegills provide the bulk of pond fishing and a heavy harvest of them should always be encouraged.
Largemouth bass angling in farm ponds is more specialized than bluegill fishing, due at least in part to the smaller number of bass. Artificial lures are generally more productive than live baits for pond bass, probably because there is a great deal of action built into most artificial lures and fishing them demands less skill than the proper presentation of live baits.
Farm Pond Fishing Tips
Too many anglers think that live bait fishing is simply a matter of soaking a worm or soft craw, but a skilled live bait fisherman is the guy who will catch a bass when fishing is the worst. But minnows ordinarily should not be used because of the possibility of introducing unwanted species into the pond.
Bass fishing in farm ponds is at its best in spring and early summer, especially for anglers who fish at the right time of day. Bass seem to have more or less definite feeding periods, evidently related to natural conditions such as food availability and light intensity.
