Pony Express Lake

Spring electrofishing surveys on Pony Express Lake (240 acres) showed very strong numbers of largemouth bass for 2023.  There is a large year class of largemouth bass coming through the system, as catch rates nearly doubled from previous years.  Surveys indicate that 45 percent of bass are over 15' and 10 percent are over 18".   Largemouth Bass are typically located in shallow locations during spring spawning but move to deeper submerged structure (tree stumps and brush piles) in the summer.

Our 2022 survey results suggested the crappie population size structure continues to improve.  Catch rates for white crappie show signs of improving, with a greater percentage of fish from 10-12 inches long. Black crappie were also collected in 2022 but they were much less abundant, and the size structure was not quite as good. The best crappie fishing occurs near shore during the spawning period (April-early May) and most anglers are successful using small jigs. During warmer summer months, larger crappie are often concentrated in submerged brush.  We encourage fishermen to keep their limit of small crappie to help the overall population continue to improve.  

Channel catfish are regularly stocked and anglers often enjoy good catch rates for fish 16-22 inches with larger fish caught on occasion. Some of the best catfishing action occurs after rain events when fish concentrate to feed at inlets to the lake. During summer, many catfish are caught along old creek channels in the main body of the lake. The most popular catfish baits include worms, cut baits, and prepared stinkbaits. Common carp are abundant and can be caught on corn or prepared dough baits. Carp are concentrated in the shallow arms of the lake during late spring, where their spawning activity is easy to detect with extensive splashing. This lake offers a great opportunity for bowfishing.