Hunting for Fishy Waters continued...

Small Waters—Big Fish

Many anglers believe that you need a big lake to produce big fish, but this is simply not true. Some of the Midwest’s largest bluegill, crappie, redear and largemouth bass, including several Missouri state record fish, have been caught in ponds.

As long as a pond has good fish habitat and a balanced fish community it can produce catches that rival any lake. Those who fish private ponds know this to be true, but many anglers don’t realize that ponds on public lands can also provide great fishing.

A Mix of Fishes

The fish community in conservation area ponds usually consists of largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish and, occasionally, redear sunfish. It’s the same combination that is recommended to private pond owners.

This mix of species works well together and reliably produces quality fishing under a variety of conditions. Other species either do not fare well in ponds or they create management problems.

Good Fishing Ponds

Although fishing is the best way to determine whether a pond is a good fishing spot, you can often quicken your search by looking for ponds with the following characteristics:

Good water quality—If the pond is regularly turbid (i.e. you can only see a lure a few inches under the surface) the fishing will probably not be very good.

Sufficient depth—Ponds need to have areas that are at least 8 feet deep or they may be subject to periodic fish kills and may contain only small fish or no fish at all.

Aquatic vegetation—In summer, many ponds seem overrun with aquatic vegetation. Don’t let this discourage you. These ponds often produce big fish. Try to fish the ponds in spring or fall when the vegetation is less abundant, or use tactics that allow you to fish through the weeds.

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About This Article

Author

author JOE BONNEAU has worked for the Department for nearly 10 years, first as a fisheries biologist and now as a fisheries regional supervisor. His hobbies include hunting and fishing, especially with his wife, Lisa, and their three children, Donnie, Grant and Kaylynne. They live in Odessa.

Photographer

author CLIFF WHITE is a life-long Missouri resident. After nearly 10 years as a staff photographer for the Missouri Department of Conservation, Cliff recently took on management duties as Art Director. Now he supervises on an unruly gang of super-creative folks. In his spare time Cliff likes to play old-time folk and bluegrass music, float fish and chase the occasional turkey.

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