Lake Fishing vs. Pond Fishing

Feb 12th, 2009 by Regional BASStard

Lakes vs. Ponds.

Lake and pond fishing carry their own advantages as well as disadvantages. Depending on your region, or how much fishing goes on in your area one may be better than the other. Lakes are known to carry bigger fish, but ponds, are known to be less fished, therefore more strikes.

Lakes

When fishing a lake remember that the fish can be almost anywhere depending on conditions including season and weather. They can be in the shallows, on the flats, out deep, in the vegetation, under a dock. You get the point. There is so much more water where they can lurk. As i first started fishing lakes, I noticed my fish count drop from what I was used to fishing smaller ponds. I found it difficult to find a pattern. I could go out for a day and bring in 5 fish on a "good day". At first I was okay with that. But as i kept fishing lakes, and had numerous days of being "skunked" I began to think that theres got to be another way.

Fish Slow!

When lake fishing, slow down. Find a spot that looks good. Search for fallen timber, vegetation, or points (bass love points). When you come to a spot that looks good, stay there for a while, and throw a variety of lures. Try horizontal and vertical presentations. When you catch something on one of those lures, stick to it for a while. If you dont catch anything after that, dont just switch and throw out that lure. Try changing up the presentation, or rig another lure on a spare rod, and try that. Eventually you will begin to figure out what kind of lures, and presentation the fish like on that particular lake (after all, Mr.Bass is picky). Understand that a lake is much larger, thus you must be able to zero in on locating where bass will hold more effectively to have a successful day on the water.

Stay Calm!

When it's your first time on a lake, its easy to get flustered and feel overwhelmed. Don't lose your head just because your having a hard time locating the bass. Instead go over everything you know about fishing, get back to the basics and just stick to your comfort zone. Eventually you'll get comfortable with the lake, and you'll be telling other people not to give up. (They're in there)

Ponds

Pond fishing is a great way to begin fishing, and a great way to build confidence. The fish are easy to locate, and if the pond isn't fished heavily the fish will chase just about anything. The great thing about pond fishing is that they are much smaller, and easier to fish just about every spot.

What kind of pond is best?

If you can find a golf course with ponds on it, they tend to be very good fishing. They might not have alot of lunkers, but what they lack in size, they make up in numbers. Golf Ponds are usually loaded with bass, especially when fishermen dont know they could fish there.
But if you dont have accsess to a golf course, just about any pond should have fish in it. Try to find "hidden" ponds (ones that arent fished" Or, if your feeling risky, you can always find a pond thats private, and hope you dont get busted (we didnt tell you to).

While Both have their pros, and cons, there is no better of the two. you might love the struggle of finding the bass in the lake, or you might love the excitement of pulling in fish after fish in a pond. If you are a beginner I would suggest pond fishing to develop your angling skills before tackling lake fishing.

-Keep Fishin! (Discuss This Article and Much More On The BASStard Forum!)

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