How to catch big bass in small lake?

Question
QUESTION: Our subdivision in Lawrenceville, Georgia share a "glorified" 40+ acre retention pond with seven other subdivision.  My nephew love to fish.  While fishing with him on the bank one day in my backyard I spotted a huge bass trying to eat my nephew's brim as he was reeling it ashore.  Again, the same bass tried to steal my nephew's turtle as he was reeling it ashore.  I worked a crank bait for a several times.  On the seventh time, not more than four feet away from the bank, "BOOM" I got him.  I landed my first bass ever and it was a 5+ pounder (I am an avid trout fisherman on the Chatahoochee river here in Georgia but have never fished for bass).  My wife hates to clean fish and I wanted to catch him again so he was released to be caught again.  Not only was that bass hooked, I've been hooked on catching them as well.  I have bought a Jon boat with a trolling motor and an assortment of bass lures, jigs, plastics, spinners.  From talking a neighbor, there are sterile grass carp, catfish, brim and bass in the lake (good mixture, I hope).  I believed the lake is only about 30 ft. deep in the middle.  On end of it is very shallow where the huge grass carp sun-bathed.  The other end is where the dam/rentention wall is at.  There are two noticeably submerged tree in the lake.  Almost everyone who is adjacent to the water has a dock of some sort.  I have caught about 5 more but much smaller though.  Suprisingly, all were caught by a dark green with light green tail plastic worm on a Texas Rig.  I WOULD APPRECIATE SOME TIP ON CATCHING THAT 5+ POUNDER AGAIN.

ANSWER: Alex; I do not know how long your pond has been in existence but if there is one five pound bass in it there are likely several.  Catching them is another thing though.  If this pond is fished hard it may take some strategising to catch the big ones.

Let me begin by considering the pond itself.  From what you say it has a dam at one end and shallow at the other end and 30' deep in the center.  Probably very little structure unless there was a creek flowing through the area before the dam was put in.  I doubt there is any kind of map of the bottom so you will need to make your own.
To do this get yourself a small depth sounder.  You can buy an Eagle for less than $100.  Whoever built the subdivision probably has a map of some sort.  Using your sounder run slowly from the dam to the upper end of the lake in as straight a line as possible. Mark any depth changes on your map by using the method I will give in a moment. If it is just a gradual slope to the deepest part and the same back up to the shallow end mark depths every 30 feet or so.
Look carefully as you go for any quick changes such as might have been made by a bulldozer picking up its blade.  Of course mark all trees carefully  but if they are close enough to the bank they will be fished very hard. (that does not mean don't fish them though, especially from a different angle than can fishermen from the bank).

Next criss cross the lake at 50 or 100 foot intervals making depth markings every 30 feet or whatever you did the other way.  While this may seem like a lot of work actually it can be fun and you will have a picture of the lake that nobody else has.  I wouldn't show it to even my best buddys.  Tell him to make his own.  

Now here is a way to go back to the same spot on the lake time after time.  From a spot you want to remember look to your left or right and find two things that line up one behind the other such as a lamp post and the peak of a roof.  Write down which post and which house.  Now turn about 90 degrees and repeat the process.  This will give you two lines of position that cross at the point you wish to find.  This should be easy on a lake surrounded by houses and docks.
I have difficulty doing it because much of my lake is wilderness area and there is little to pick out to mark as it all looks the same.  Make sure your lines are as close to 90 degrees as possible.

Another thing you might do is to place some cover of your own if it is not prohibited.  Get several hickory or oak logs with a few limbs on them.  Cut them into six foot lengths and trim off the small branches. Using nylon rope tie these together into small bunches then tie a couple of cinder blocks to sink them.  Make sure you have enough weight to sink them.  I would take them out at night so everyone on the lake doesn't know where they are.  Get your lines of position for each and write them down.  Don't try to rely on memory or you will lose the spots.

Next, on a lake this small, especially if the water is clear, you will have to be stealthy.  Be careful of your shadow and the shadow
of your boat.  Also stop your trolling motor a few feet further away than usual and coast to casting position.  Of course do not scrape your feet, tackle boxes etc on the bottom of the boat. Talking does not bother but any noise in the water may keep the fish from biting.

If it is allowed I would suggest trying fishing from sunset until you get tired.  I have caught many of my bigger fish at night on a quiet night using either a zara spook, a devil's horse or a magnum jitterbug.  I like the first two just at twilight and the big black jitterbug.  One night I cast near a dead tree and something grabbed it.  I live at a lake that has many "gators" so before sticking my thumb into anything's mouth I get the light.  When I shined the light on this one it was the biggest bass I had ever brought to the boat. I landed her and cast back to the same tree and a second one hit. One was just over   9  pounds and the other just under nine pounds.  Those were the biggest twosome I have ever caught. It was about 11pm when I caught them.

I would not let myself get stuck on any one kind of lure or color.  One time bass will hit one lure and another time they will not touch it but eat up another kind or color.  For the most part use bigger lures for big bass unless you find you are not getting any fish on the big lures then you need to try smaller ones.  Try to find out what kind of forage there is in your pond.  It is likely bluegill or possibly shiners.  Crawfish are often also good forage in some ponds. If you have lots of them use either a plastic craw or a tube lure.  I almost always keep five rods ready in my boat.  One is a spinning outfit with a plain worm, one is a spinning outfit with a tiny plug.  A casting rod with a crank bait, one with a spinnerbait and one with a topwater lure.  I keep trying different things until I find something the fish  will hit.  If after an hour using various of these lures I change colors on them and perhaps pick a crank bait that runs deeper or shallower and change the type blade and color skirt on my spnnerbait.  Sometimes I tie on a lipless crankbait and work it over the grass or weeds or in deep water work it slow down near the bottom.

Don't ignore that shallow end of the pond.  Just because the white amour carp bask there so  do some of the big bass.  I have caught big bass in less than six inches of water.  A plastic frog often works here or a Johnsons Silver minnow with a pork frog (not plastic) pulled through and around the weeds. A plastic worm will also work at times.  On these and any surface lure don't strike at the sound or sight of a fish hitting your lure.  You will almost invariably yank it away from him.  Wait until you feel him then set the hook.  If you keep your hooks very sharp it isn't necessary to try to turn him inside out.  A good wrist snap will hook almost all of them.

There have been thousands and thousands of pages written on the subject of getting big bass to bite.  I have only scratched the surface here.  I still read anything I can get my hands on about bass fishing even after fishing for them for over 60 years.  You can never know everything about bass.  That is what makes it so interesting.  I have been saltwater fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and got on fish and caught them until I was bored.  With some fish it is only a matter of being there at the right time of year and you will catch them.  Bass are different.  In a lake or pond they are always there someplace and the sport is finding them and then finding something that will get them to bite.  Sometimes you can see them but not get them to bite anything.  It is frustrating but if you could always catch as many as you wanted it would soon get boring.

I hope this has been of some help.  If you have some more specific questions give me a follow up.  The more information you can give me about your pond the more likely I can answer specific questions.  

Thanks for calling on me to answer your question.

I am
Jack L. Gaither  (JackfromSeminole)
Lake Seminole, Georgia

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My brother-in-law caught another 5+ pounder yesterday trolling a Texas rigged red Zoom plastic worm at speed 1 on the trolling motor (up to date, I know there are at least three 5+, three 4+ and about twenty 2- in this lake).  At speed 1 on my trolling motor, it takes approximately one hour to cover the rims of the lake.  Can you give me some suggestion on trolling in such a small lake (bait, speed, depth, time of the day and ecetera)?  

I lost a huge one (like they say the one that got away is always the biggest one) in the submerged trees using the largest floating lure I have (at least 5 inches long) when the fish were foraging on top of the water on blue gills at dawn because as soon as I set the hook the fish would run and cut my line in the submerged trees (I was contributorily at-fault for still using my 4-lb line from fishing trout).  Can you provide any tips on fishing top water among the submerged trees still potruding out of the water when the fish are foraging at dawn?  I am changing my lines out today on my four rods.  Any suggestions for bass fishing?  I heard that Bass Pro Shop can put the lines on for you better than one can do for himself (something about line conditioner spray).  Is that true?

Another fishing buddy landed a monster, this is the third 5+, during a time when I thought fish were not responding, 2pm, with a lipless shad-like lure in the deep end.  I usually fished at dawn or dust but have never gone to 11pm (for which I will try shortly).  Is there different strategies for dawn and dust or night?  Is there a strategy to fishing during the hot hours of the day?

There's a neighbor that everyone who fished on the lake knows that this neighbor is "KEEPING" the fish to eat rather than sport fishing.  Unfortunately or fortunately I lived right next to this neighbor.  They have a peddler boat but just fished out of their backyard's dock.  How do I keep them from catching all the fish in the lake (i.e., can I fished all the fish in their backyard using whatever they used to spook all the fish in the nearby area from biting on bait that "really kill")?

Thank so much for your expertise.

Alex

Answer
Alex; this is my third try at answering your follow up question.
Sorry for the delay.

Actually you have at least five questions here.  I will take them one by one.

First, if your friend is catching big bass trolling a worm do what he is doing.  I am not much of a troller for bass but occasionally when moving around with my trolling motor I put out a lure.

As to speed when trolling the key is making the lure work as it was designed to work.  If it isn't working like it should you are likely going too fast.  It is difficult to troll too slow unless the lure is not doing anything.   As to where to troll my guess would be to troll around the lake perimeter just at the edge of any vegetation or at the first real drop off.  If that does not work try criss crossing the lake from side to side hitting shallow to deep then back to shallow.  Keep note of where you catch fish then concentrate on that area.  As for lures there are several that work well.  Minnow baits like the original Rapala floating minnow with or without weight a foot ahead of the lure.   Crank baits often work.  Use one that will go down and tick the bottom or the top of the weeds now and then.  In line spinners like Mepps or Snagless Sally are good trolling lures but you must follow the following or you will find your line twisted and ruined in short order.  Tie a snap swivel to the end of your line after cutting off a foot or so to use as a leader.  Attach the leader to the lure and tie the other end to the snap.  Then ATTACH A BELL SHAPED  SINKER TO THE SNAP so that it hangs free.   This bell sinker will keep your line from twisting.  Use as small a sinker as necessary to get the lure down deep.  Time of day to go fishing is when you are free to go fishing.  While there are times when fishing is better than at other times it has more to do with the moon than the clock. I have caught fish at high noon and at midnight and in between.

No question four pound line is much too light for five pound bass. I would suggest at least 8-10 around the logs and 6-8 in open water.  As to whether it is better to have line put on at Bass Pro or do it yourself is largely a matter of cost.  If it costs much more for them to do it then I would probably do it myself.  If it is only a buck or so more I would let them do it.  I am sure they can do a better job and that spray may help although you can buy the spray at Bass Pro for your own use.  In the case of spinning outfits putting line on is tricky.  If it isn't done correctly it can soon become a twisted mess.  Of course any time you are  reeling in line make sure you keep some tension on it with your thumb and finger or it will go on loosely and be a mess waiting to happen.  Buy good line but not necessarily the most expensive.  I have used Trilene for years it is costlier than some of the cheap brands but only half as much as many of the premium brands.  I have never had problems with it.   I am sure Stren is similar.

Topwaters are my favorite method of fishing for bass although I am not a purest.  My favorite topwater lures are mostly old ones.  I like the Chug-Bug, although the Pop R is also good as is the Hula Popper.  Then I also like the Devils' Horse and Dalton Special (this is no longer made) then there is the Zara Spook and the Jitterbug.
There are many many more topwater lures but these have been my favorites for many years and they still catch Bass.  The key is using them as they were intended.  The Chug Bug, Hula popper and Pop R are designed to spit water when jerked.  Cast close to weeds, stumps or dock pilings, let the lure set for five seconds then just barely jiggle it like a bug or bird that hit the water hard and was dazed and then wakes up and just barely moves.  Often this is when the fish will hit.  The lure may not be moving at the time.  I may as well keep you from losing many fish by giving this warning right now.  WARNING WARNING WARNING! WHEN YOU SEE OR HEAR A FISH HIT A TOP WATER LURE DO NOT JERK AS THIS WILL ALMOST INVARIABLY JERK THE LURE AWAY FROM THE FISH.  WAIT UNTIL YOU CAN FEEL THE FISH THEN SET THE HOOKS.
After a couple of jiggles and pauses give the lure a good jerk and make it pop or spit then wait another couple of seconds.  If no strike start the  lure coming back towards the boat in some sort of cadence.  For example pop,pop,pause, pop,pop,pause.  The pause here should be only about a second.  Try different cadences with successive casts such as three pops and a pause or three pops pause two pops pause etc. until you find what the fish wants.

The Devils' Horse and Dalton Special  and such lures have propeller like spinners on one or both ends.  The idea here is to make the spinners cause a disturbance in the water.  Start just like the poppers with the wait and jiggles then give jerks to make the propellers work and pause.  Use a longer pause than in the cadence of the poppers at first but if that don't work speed it up.  It is usually better to start slow and speed up on successive casts.

The Zara Spook or others like the Sammy (twice the cost) are designed to "walk the dog".  Start just like the  previous ones then with your rod tip pointed down and at a 90 degree angle from the lure give the lure a sharp jerk and immediately throw slack in your line by moving your rod toward the lure.  The lure will jump to one side.  Take up slack and give another jerk throwing slack in your line. The lure will jump the opposite way.  By using a cadence of jerk, slack, take up slack jerk slack etc. you will make the lure walk back and forth across the water.  Change speeds with successive casts and hang on as this is a big bass lure but don't forget the WARNING ABOVE!  

Of all the topwater lures the easiest to use is the Jitterbug or its similar lure the Crazy Crawler among others.  Simply  cast it near cover or along the edge of a weed bed and start reeling it just fast enough that it walks along with a plop,plop,plop...  Bass really slam this lure at times.  One night I was casting near some weeds and some sunken tree stumps when Ker Slam it sounded like someone had dropped a bowling ball from six feet high into the water.  I had only heard this kind of splash from gators and at first thought that was what it was it being pitch dark.  I finally brought it alongside and shined my spotlight on it before sticking my thumb in its mouth.
It was a bass.  I landed her and cast back to the same spot.  Ker Splash came another strike.  Finally bringing her to the boat she was almost a twin to the first.  The first weighted just over nine pounds and the second just under.  I had 18 pounds of bass on two casts.  Incidentally I ate both of these bass.  Today I usually turn big ones loose but now and then I keep one to bake.


As I said before go fishing when you can get away to go.  Keep in mind that fishing is for fun not life or death to you.  Maybe hundreds or thousands of years ago it might have been but not now.  Unless you are a professional fisherman.

Unless your neighbor is using illegal methods or taking more than the legal limits of fish there is nothing you can or should do to stop him.  If, however he is fishing illegally or taking more than the legal limit you should report him to the Fish and Game people and let them take care of him.  He has the right to keep and eat as many fish as the law allows.  Don't worry about him catching all the fish in the lake.  A lake that size will produce many many more fish than he can catch legally unless there is something wrong with the lake.  It sounds like a healthy lake to me.  If you like fish keep a few for your dinner.  I keep a six or seven pounder to bake now and then and keep the 13-14 inch ones to fry or bake in cheese sauce.  Nothing wrong with that.

I hope this has helped answer your  questions.  If you have further questions don't hesitate to call on me.

Jack