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Fishing
articles by Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson on Walleyes Inc.
Your one stop internet fishing source |
By Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson |
Some anglers waste their early spring
days twiddling their thumbs while waiting for word that
the bite has begun at their favorite lake or “Walleye
Opener”. But there's no time like the present to explore
smaller ponds nearer to home. They are the first spots to
turn on after winter leaves the Midwest, and many will host
easy to catch species like crappies and bluegills.
Farms, apartment buildings, golf courses and office buildings
often have ponds from a tenth of an acre to an acre or two.
Urban areas, like Chicago, Minneapolis, and the suburbs,
have forest preserves and parks that hold hundreds of smaller
public impoundments. Their size makes them terrific early-season
destinations. The sun heats them quickly and the rise in
water temperature ignites the growth of plankton. That,
in turn, fuels the food chain and gamefish are aroused from
their cold-water lethargy. Water temperature in a pond can
be 10 degrees higher or more than at larger lakes nearby.
Another advantage - fish in ponds are often beyond an angler's
reach later in the year when shorelines become ringed with
thick weeds. But, vegetation is just beginning to grow now,
and it acts like a fish magnet. Your odds of good action
are significantly higher in smaller ponds at this time of
year and you always want to put the odds in your favor.
Smaller waters are also great places to introduce kids to
fishing. Many of these ponds have docks which have been
built specifically for shore anglers. In addition, panfish
are often plentiful and aggressive biters.
Ponds will sometimes resemble featureless bowls at first
glance. But, that's not so.
Pond
fishing gets going in spring, before bigger waters
wake up. Here, Kristi Takasaki holds up a nice sunfish
caught on a Lindy Little Nipper jig suspended beneath
a Thill float. Her father, pro angler Ted Takasaki,
was fishing with her on a small body of water in spring. |
They have lots of structure and cover
to draw fish. Flooded drain pipes, rock and brush
piles, and emerging weedlines will always attract
fish.
Notice subtle points and turns. Check every downed
tree. Transition areas between soft bottoms and harder
sand at beaches are good. Remember where the weedbeds
were last year. Green leaves produce oxygen and attract
fish. These weeds are probably at those same spots
now, but well below the surface.
Rocks and rip-rap that touch the water, especially
on the north side, are among the first to warm. Small,
mossy, dark-bottomed shallow bays also are key. Feeder
creeks or drainage ditches may empty warm water into
the pond after a rain. Watch for darting baitfish
as you approach. Where there's forage, there's probably
gamefish. A pond may have a drain in the dam to control
water level. If so, check to see if a smaller pond
has formed below it.
Tackle choices are simple. A longer, light action
rod like St. Croix’s 7 foot Legend Elite ES70MLF
will do for most uses. A shorter 5-1/2 footer if the
bank features lots of trees and overhanging brush.
For panfish, many anglers will use a light weight
16 to 20 foot telescoping rod. You can then stand
10 to 15 feet away from the bank, dab your bait in
and around shoreline cover without spooking shallow
fish. |
Slip float rigs are great for crappies and other panfish.
Start with a Thill Mini Shy Bite, a small hook and minnow
or nightcrawlers, balanced with the right amount of split
shot to make the set-up very sensitive to the light biters.
Set the hook when there's any movement in the float at all,
whether up or down, side-to-side or tipped over. Switch
to a Thill Mini Stealth float around brush.
Crappies and bluegills can be taken on small jigs, like
Lindy’s Little Nippers and Quiver Jigs, tipped with
a spike or a wax worm suspended below a float. Reel it,
then let it stop, reel and stop. The action makes the bait
move in an enticing pendulum fashion. Also try casting light
jigs parallel to the bank, especially over rocks. Let the
line go slack, then lift the jig and reel it slowly just
off the bottom.
A
dandy bluegill comes to hand, from a spring outing
on a small pond. The fish was caught on a Lindy Little
Nipper jig. |
Don't ignore the carp. Though previously
shunned, carp are enjoying resurgence in popularity
as European-styled bank-fishing takes hold in America.
Every puddle in the United States seems to have them,
and they fight hard and grow big. They are a thrill
for young and old alike. Use dough balls, corn or
prepared commercial carp baits.
Whatever the species you want, remember that temperature
is the critical factor. The top layer of water, perhaps
just a foot or two down from the surface, often holds
the fish, even over deep water. Don't bother going
real early in the morning. Give the sun time to do
its job . But, be sure to head to a pond whenever
a two or three day warming trend arrives.
It may be a chilly outdoors, and big lakes may still
be in their winter slumber. But, fishing can already
be sizzling at “the ponds”. |
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