In short, catching bass in Florida ponds boils down to three main factors;
- matching the hatch
- approaching the pond strategically
- utilizing techniques that won’t burn up the entire pond in just a couple of casts
Obviously these tips can vary depending on the specifics of your pond but I’ll be sure to discuss lots of examples in the article below to make sure you have the best chance of catching some some big bass in ponds.
1. Matching the Hatch
“Matching the Hatch” is defined by matching your lure and color selection based on the particular forage that the resident bass are consuming in the body of water that you’re fishing. In a pond, this would be equal to sunfish (bluegill), small minnows, frogs, shad, crawfish, insects, and maybe even small rodents.
Choosing baits to mimic this forage in your pond is arguably the most important step to optimizing your pond fishing success. A few suggestions as far as lures go are detailed below.
a. Topwater Frog
A topwater frog is one of the most popular baits for pond fishing in Florida. It’s weedless tendencies as well as its abilities to mimic both a frog and a wounded sunfish help it to be one of the most potent pond fishing baits there is. Frogs come in both the speed frog variety as well as the popping style. Both can be used effectively in ponds but as a general rule, speed frogs should be fished in heavier cover while popping frogs are more efficient in open water.
Orange and chartreuse colored frogs are best when attempting to imitate sunfish while a black or black and red frog fits the bill in most situations since it gives the fish a solid silhouette to stare up at before destroying it.
Be sure to count to around three seconds before setting the hook after you have a bite as fish will have to fully eat the bait before you are able to hook them.
b. Soft Plastic Stickbait
For whatever reason, these do-nothing do-hickeys tend to catch a boatload of fish and can be one of your most dependable ways of getting bites in a pond. Whether rigged wacky, weightless, or Texas style, these little baits just flat out catch fish anywhere in the country.
Colors for this presentation can include black and blue for darker colored water as well as more natural colors such as watermelon hues or green pumpkin clearer water.
You can fish these little baits in any number of ways but some of the most popular include bouncing it off the bottom with a worm weight as well as rigging it weightless or wacky style and letting the worm slowly flutter to the bottom.
c. Swim Jig
A swim jig has proven itself as just about the most versatile bait out there as it can be fished a variety of different ways and also can mimic just about any forage a bass may be chewing on.
The jig can be swam fast through the water column to mimic a fleeing sunfish or even a shad but can also be slow-rolled along the bottom to present a more natural bait fish look. A paddle-tail swimbait is a great trailer to thread onto the hook to help with the realistic look in these situations.
Colors when mimicking sunfish usually include natural colors such as green pumpkin, mixed in with some brighter hues such as orange and chartreuse.
The swim jig can also be hopped slowly along the bottom to imitate a crawfish. This is a much more finesse presentation that may work better on highly pressured bass in tough situations. A soft plastic crawfish trailer is essential to this technique as the flappers on an artificial craw complete the look of a natural crawfish.
d. Prop Bait
A prop bait may be one of the most under-rated pond fishing baits for Florida out there simply because of the fact that it imitates a wounded bait fish so flawlessly. Prop baits are also one of the most reliable big fish catchers in Florida so adding this into your arsenal will ensure you have a better chance at catching a pond lunker.
Working a prop bait slowly across the surface of a pond often induces massive strikes just like the near eight pound bass that was caught in the video below.
2. Approaching the Pond Strategically
Approaching a pond at the correct angle is extremely important to reaching your full potential when preparing to attempt to catch fish in a Florida pond. Going in with the sun at your back can help you go incognito and make it so the fish don’t even know that your there.
It’s also wise to cast along the edges of the pond first. Most pond fish relate to any shoreline cover in ponds due to the lack of offshore structure in many Florida ponds. Focusing on the shady side of ponds first also increases your percentage chances of catching as many fish as possible as well as the biggest fish in the pond.
Though the middle of the pond may look unappealing, it often times produces the biggest fish during the summer months since the deeper water induces cooler temperatures for the fish to hide out in. Casting a big, 10 or 12 inch worm out there will often provoke even the most lethargic fish into eating a big meal.
3. Don’t Burn Up the Pond in Just a Couple Casts
Although this may seem relatively obvious, there have been many times where anglers have tossed around big, noisy baits like big crankbaits, fast-moving topwater baits, and attractive spinnerbaits and chatterbaits first thing upon arriving to the pond. This may be a good, quick way to catch a couple fish but you’ll burn up any further potential the pond may have had for fishing slower baits and maximizing the area by fishing it slow.
As detailed above, slow topwater baits such as frogs and prop baits, as well as baits to fish on bottom like swim jigs and worms are best to utilize the pond for what it is and not completely burn it up in just a couple of casts.
4. Other Important Information
Another important piece of information is that you should probably go to a pond prepared to fish with a nice, long 7 or 8 foot rod. Many ponds in Florida have tall, thick vegetation lining the edges and it can sometimes by impossible to pull fish onto shore through the thick stuff.
Braided line is also a suggestion as braid has no stretch and will help you yank the fish onto shore after you get them to the bank.
Conclusion
Bass fishing in Florida ponds is one of the best ways to catch a new personal best and using the tips detailed above, you can maximize your chances of catching not only the biggest bass in the pond, but also a good number of them.
Choosing the proper baits to match the hatch, approaching the pond in a strategic fashion, and choosing baits that you can use to slow down and fish the pond thoroughly are all essential factors in making sure you wear ’em out next time you visit a pond in Florida.
