Many anglers get their start on panfish. No other species provides action and excitement quite like bluegill, crappie or perch. These fish are perfect for both kids and new anglers looking to feel a tug on the line. As anglers get more experience though, panfish begin to get shunned. They’re viewed as “bait”, “childish”, and “undesirable”. Whatever happened to the joy we got reeling in these buggers until our arms got tired?
I’m not sure where you are right now, but I’m willing to bet there is a small pond filled with fish waiting to be caught not far away. Small ponds and stock dams are dotted all across the region, yet so few anglers fish them. That’s what this next series is all about!
If you’re an experienced angler who owns a boat big enough to handle Oahe on her meanest days with ease, this series is all about getting back to your roots. If you’re a new angler looking to just feel a tug on the line, this series is all about helping you catch more fish! Wherever you are on your angling journey, I hope this series gives you a new perspective and some new ideas the next time you plan to hit the water. Let’s get to it!
Know the Water
Let’s start by breaking down what exactly we’re talking about. When I say small ponds, I’m talking a couple acres big. Some may get down much deeper than you’d expect, but the main characteristics are the same. Small in surface area, abundant vegetation both emerged (out of water) and submerged (under the water) and fish species are often a mix of bluegill, largemouth bass, channel catfish, bullhead, crappie and yellow perch.
Now you may be envisioning a couple acre stock dam right now and that’s exactly what I’m referring to. However, the information from this series applies to large waterbodies too. Growing up in eastern Nebraska, many of the lakes I fished were 100-300 acres. While these waterbodies may be on the larger scale, everything applies to these as well!
These waterbodies are all over the landscape, so how can anglers know which ones are best to fish? There’s a few characteristics I look for when filtering through which ones I should fish and which ones I should not. Let’s break them down:
Angling Access
This is of course the most important part, being able to actually fish the pond! If it’s a small pond on private property, trespassing is not something I recommend. Luckily, with apps and maps at everyone’s fingertips these days it’s easy to know if you’re looking at public or private water access.
Once we’ve determined we’re good to fish the pond, I look at first off where I would fish. If there is cattails taller than me, (I’m only 5’8 so that’s not super hard) it’s not a pond I can fish. If the grasses and weeds are too abundant and thick I won’t be able to cast, I’ll put it on my list of ponds to try early in the spring before the vegetation can become too established.
Many urban fisheries and ponds designed for angling will feature docks, fishing platforms or rocky shorelines that allow anglers access. These are absolutely perfect and can pretty much be fished all summer long.
Water Clarity
Once we’re able to physically get a line in the water, the next biggest factor in success is water clarity. Bluegill are creatures of clear water. They need clear water to effectively forage, but there is another factor regarding habitat.
When lakes are dirty, especially for prolonged periods of time, the sunlight is unable to penetrate through the water column and there is going to be minimal submerged vegetation. This would be vegetation that is under the water. Often, the vegetation is emergent. This means it is climbing out of the water as it has to get out of the dirty water to find the sunlight it needs.
If the lake has frequently dirty water and I see an abundance of emerged vegetation, I generally don’t expect fantastic fishing. That being said, if a normally clear lake becomes dirtied by strong winds or a heavy rain, the fishing is probably going to be poor until the water can clear back up.
Vegetation
This ties directly into water clarity. My best ponds have clear water with a healthy mix of both submerged and emerged vegetation. Why does vegetation matter so much in angling success? Panfish Specialist, Chris Seylar, explains. “Vegetation, such as weeds and grasses, provide cover for fry and yearlings and allows them to escape from predators”, he says.
On a larger scale, lakes such as the Iowa Great Lakes are so clear that established weedlines can be found in depths of over 20ft. These lakes are known for producing outstanding panfishing, bass fishing and also walleye fishing as well. Chris also turns what many consider a bad thing into a positive. “On the IGL’s, curly leaf pondweed is a favorite for small fish to hide in”, he says.
Fish Community
I actually can learn a great deal about the fish community by analyzing the fish I both observe and catch out of these ponds. Bluegill and largemouth bass tell the easiest story.
In the fisheries world, bluegill and largemouth have the perfect relationship. In lakes that have an abundance of small bluegill, the largemouth bass you find are often going to be quite large. The reason for this is the bass have a buffet table of forage and gorge on these small panfish anytime they wish.
By contrast, in lakes that have an abundance of small bass the bluegill are often going to be trophy caliber. These smaller bass keep the bluegill population in check and once an individual fish is able to survive to reach a size the bass are no longer able to prey on it, it enjoys gorging on food and living a carefree life as it attains trophy sizes.
If you find a pond that produces both trophy largemouth and bluegill, you’ve hit the small pond homerun! It can happen, but it’s very rare!
The other factor to keep in mind with bluegill populations is how bluegill reproduce. If you follow my buddy Chris Seylar, you know he’s a huge advocate for releasing the larger bluegill. The reason being is male bluegill will grow until they reach the size of the largest male in the system. This gives them breeding dominance.
If the largest male is 11 inches, they are forced to delay developing their reproductive organs until they hit that 10-11 inch mark. If the largest male is 5 inches, they can begin focusing on reproducing at 5 inches. If you’re fortunate enough to land a fish that is 9, 10, or 11 inches or plus these are the fish we need in the system because it forces the other males to reach those large sizes. You can still harvest those 7-8 inchers, but it’s those large fish that push the issue we need in those lakes.
This article was really about the laying the foundation in understanding the make up of how these small lakes and ponds function. In Small Pond Strategies: Panfish, we take a deep dive into targeting bluegill, crappie and perch out of these small ponds. Good fishing!
Related Videos
Chris Seylar showcases how he puts panfish in the boat from the Iowa Great Lakes.
Nick Harrington discusses his slipbobber set up and the type of rods and line he favors when slipbobbering.
Nick Harrington discusses how he targets bass when water conditions get dirty.
Related Readings
Many of these small ponds are filled with excellent populations of bluegill, crappie and even perch. Once you’ve identified the pond to fish, it is time to focus on the trophy caliber panfish that may be present. Learn more in Small Pond Strategies: Panfish.
The most popular game fish in America, largemouth bass are the true kings of many small ponds and lakes across the country. Find out how to target the most popular fish in the country in Small Pond Strategies: Bass.
