Small Pond Bass Fishing

Question
There seem to be a wide variety of articles on this topic throughout the Internet, and I have found some of them helpful. But for the most part, I am struggling. One pond in my area (Chicago suburb) is extremely murky, no longer than about 35 yards, and loaded with sticks and muck. However, people often report successes here: I personally saw someone haul in a 2 ft catfish, and I regularly see carp snorking up insects by the water edge (and they're big!) I have caught nothing, however, in this pond. Help, please?? In a different pond in the same area, conditions are different. Clear(ish) water, vegetation and covering, healthy and visible populations of bass and bluegills. How do I catch these guys, though? The bluegills are a niusance because they swarm around anything I chuck in the water, but the bass (most are around 12-15 inches) are extremely lazy. I only ever get action from a rubber crayfish, usually towards midday in the summer. How should I fish in the evening? What live bait might be helpful? Let me know. Thanks for your help!

Answer
Edward; First let me tell you that I lived on the SW side of Chicago many years ago. (1960).  I remember trying to find a place to fish back then and had little luck.  However I understand many places that were terribly polluted back then are now redeemed and fish can actually live in them.  Your first pond, however, doesn't sound so good but obviously it has some fish in it.  To catch those catfish try going out the afternoon before you intend to fish and give your lawn a heavy sprinkling or if there is a golf course that you can get onto that is heavily watered or perhaps if you get a good shower in the afternoon.  Then that evening take a flashlight whose batteries are only about half charged or tie a piece of red plastic over the lens of a bright one and take a coffee can and catch some night crawlers.  Sometimes a park where there are bushes where the dirt under them is kept dug up to keep down weeds is also a good place.  If you cannot find night crawlers try a bait store and buy some.  Keep them cool under some damp pete moss and they will live several days.  An hour in the hot sun will kill them all though.

Next get a small hook about size one.  A short shank hook is probably best.  Use only a tiny split shot about 8 inches above the hook and a small bobber.  Take your pole or rod and reel and can of worms and go out about an hour before sunset.  Find the place with the deepest water and put half a worm balled up on the hook.  Set the bobber so the worm lies on the bottom but the split shot is up off bottom a slight bit.  This should catch you some catfish.  They mostly bite at night although a cloudy day with little wind will often have them bite too.  I have never had much luck in hot sunny weather anywhere.

Now for the carp in the pond.  Use about the same rig  as for the catfish but use an even smaller hook.  Cut off 1/4 inch of a worm and put it on the hook.  Fish it in the areas where you see the carp.  If that doesn't work try a tiny treble hook and make yourself some doughballs.  Just some ordinary flour, a little corn meal and a teaspoon of sugar, Mix this in just enough water to moisten so that you can roll our little balls about 1/3 inch diameter.  Drop these into boiling water and cook for about two to three minutes.  Drain them and put them onto a paper towel to dry.  Do not allow them to dry too hard, they should still be pliable.  Keep them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until you are ready to go fishing.  Push one of the balls onto the treble hook.  (special hooks are made for this purpose, they have a small spring on the shaft to help hold the balls on.  Use the same rig you used for the catfish or for worm fishing for the carp.  I can't promise you will always catch carp but this is the way I used to do it.  CAUTION: I WOULD NOT EAT ANY FISH FROM THIS POND WITHOUT CHECKING WITH THE FISHERIES PEOPLE.  IT SOUNDS TOO POLUTED.22

Now for the bass and bluegills.  It sounds like your pond is over-populated with bluegills.  If the state, city or county do not do anything about this It will probably get worse.  About all you can do is to keep all the bluegills you catch.  Even a two inch bluegill is very good if fixed right.  I will give you more on this later.
Another suggestion for situations like this is to enjoy catching bass but always handle them carefully and return them to the water quickly.  We call this CPR or Catch, Photograph, Release.  If you take the bass out of the pond the 'gills will get even more populous and also stunted in growth.  I would contact the state fish and game people and see if they could get rid of some of the 'gills.  There are not enough bigger bass to eat enough 'gills.

Now for catching bass in the clear water pond.  If you can see the bass they can see you.  If they see you they will likely not bite anything you throw at them.  If you want to catch the bass you need to sneak up on them.  I used to fish a farm pond that was often very clear and you could see bottom as well as fish.  There were some bushes around the pond and I used to sneak up behind the bushes and cast over them being carefull that even my rod did not cast a shadow  on the water.  When I moved from one place to another around the pond I would back off from the pond fifty feet or more and walk carefully and quietly to the next bush.  If there are no bushes then try to find something else to hide behind.  Perhaps the lip of the pond will suffice.  I have crawled on my belly from place to place when there was no cover for me and cast lying down.  This takes some practice in your back yard.  

As to lures for these fish most people would probably suggest a lure that looks like a bluegill and I would not write this off.  These bass are used to eating bluegills.  But sometimes something different will help you catch more.  You mentioned tiny crawfish.  These are certainly good baits.  I would try a plastic worm on about 4 pound test line and a size 1 hook without any sinker at all.  If the worm doesn't sink try a tiny split shot six inches in front of the worm or tie the hook on a 25 inch leader of the four pound test line and then tie a tiny snap swivel to the main line (still four pound test).  Tie the leader onto the snap and slip a tiny bell shaped sinker (the ones with a  wire loop through them).  Cast this out as far as you can without being seen by the fish and  very slowly bring the bell sinker toward you with stops and starts.  Make a cast last at least three or four minutes.  This is slow fishing and I do not do much of it any more but if the fish do not bite on faster lures I resort  to it and it catches fish.  I have caught bass up to 8 pounds with this rig. (I use 8 pound test down here in Georgia).

Another thing you can try is fishing after sunset if it is legal.  It used to be that those lakes closed about sunset but that was almost 50 years ago.  If you can fish at night try the plastic worm but also try using a topwater plug.  I like the little Storm Chug Bug or Rebel PopR.  The Tiny Torpedo and the baby Jitterbug should work.  I use the big ones down here but  we have much bigger bass here.  I have found dark nights the best and a full moon the worst both for bass and catfish.  Some people have luck on a full moon so don't not try it just because I haven't had luck on it.

Even though the water looks clear and clean I would check the fisheries people about this pond before eating any fish out of it.  

I said I would tell you about eating tiny bluegill.  My wife wants me to keep even two inch bluegill (we call them brim down here).
She scales and guts them and cuts off the heads.  She then dips them in and egg wash. (one egg mixed with half to two thirds cup milk) then dips them in a mixture of two parts corn meal and one part flour.  Drop them into hot oil, corn oil, or peanut oil will do.  I buy whichever is cheapest oil for this because it does not keep long after being used.  If you want to fry fish a couple times a week the oil can be strained and used about three times.  Keep it cool but not cold and keep it covered or bugs will drown in it.  The oil should be around 165-170.  Use tongs to drop the fish in the oil and be careful.  Never have the pot more than half full of oil as when you put the fish in it will  boil up.  Fry the fish about a minute then using a wooden spoon stir them or if in a deep fryer lift the basket and shake them carefully.  Fry until they are golden brown and drain them on a mesh drainer over a shallow flat pan saving the oil to be poured back into the pot.  As soon as they are done salt them to taste and eat them bones and all. Be careful not to get a bone in your throat. If the bones are not crunchy cook the next batch a little browner.  This is some very good eats.  I like Cole slaw with mine. Hush puppies are also good.  I make them by mixing the left over egg wash with the corn meal and flour adding some of each if more is needed probably not more than half cup of each for about 20-25 puppies. A couple of drops of Tabasco or other hot sauce.  Stir it all together adding enough milk or even better yet buttermilk to make a thick mix. Stir in a half teaspoon of baking powder. The mix should drop off the spoon.  When the fish are done  drop the mixture a teaspoon at a time into the oil CAREFULLY.  The hush puppies should float and when they are brown on the bottom they should turn themselves over to brown on the other side.  If they are not turning over you are probably putting too many in the pot at once  and they do not have room.  Sometimes even then they will be stubborn and you will have to stir them to turn them.
 
Believe me this makes a scrumptious meal.  I  remember doing this in Minnesota years ago before we moved to Florida.  

Thanks for calling on me to answer your question.  I know I have given you more than you asked for but I am sure if you try this you will thank me.  I hope those fish cooperate.  Let me know how it works out.  You can do this with a follow up on this site.

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