Small ponds in the summertime are places where most of us, as young anglers, began our fishing careers. Free of academic and adult responsibilities on school vacation, most fishermen and women have fond memories of summer breaks spent on pond shorelines. Just the same, small ponds can be tough places to pattern largemouth bass in the summer heat of June, July and August. Nostalgia aside, the reality of fishing these small bodies of water for lunker-sized largemouth bass is that it is seldom easy, especially when trophy-sized fish are the primary target.
Largemouth are sluggishly unmotivated to chase down prey in the steamy summer heat. As a cold-blooded species, their body temperature matches that of the environment around them. Summer largemouth are also subjected to the most fishing pressure possible. Fair-weather fishermen hit these easily accessible waters hard during the warmest months of the year. For these reasons, it is critical to master the tactics and techniques necessary to tempt lunker largemouth bass away from their warm-water, lillypad-covered lairs.
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Snagged soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and hollow-bodied frogs swing from the overhanging tree branch. Sticking out like a sore thumb from the otherwise featureless shoreline, its shade is the target of accurate and not-so-accurate casts from the bank every single day. However, another sun-sheltered spot is nearby, but not so prominent. This other branch barely reaches beyond the bank’s edge, but still throws shade over the murky bottom beneath the water’s surface.
A cast underneath this secondary, equally shady branch reaches a healthy post-spawn largemouth. She eagerly inhales my well-placed wacky worm. Pulling drag from a light spinning setup, she takes her time coming to the bank to be released. As soon as the hook is out, she swims straight back underneath her chosen branch, just as if she had never been tempted away from it a few moments prior.
The best part about shallow cover is that it is easily identifiable, and easily targetable. Even shore-bound anglers can pick and choose which pieces of structure to focus on, while boat-based anglers have their pick of any appealing-looking cover in the pond. The major downside of shallow cover is obvious: every single angler can see and fish it. This means, unfortunately, that the best branches, boulders, and isolated patches of pads see the most angler pressure.
As enticing as the fallen tree right next to the trailhead on a pond’s shoreline may be, it is not the ideal place for the pond’s largest bass to reside. Look closely for less-obvious pieces of cover off the beaten path. Form patterns based on similar structures that tend to hold fish. Any shady branch or stand of pads over waist-high or deeper water has the potential to hold bass that are passed-over by anglers not attuned to subtle structure.
Soft plastics are the perfect bait to present to a large, lazy largemouth bass that is reluctant to come out of the shade. Wacky worms, such as the YUM Dinger, sink slowly and remain in the strike zone for longer. Weightless fluke baits, especially the Zoom Super Fluke, can be presented just as effectively. Any soft plastic, from a straight-tailed worm to a small paddletail swimbait, can also be utilized in this scenario on a drop-shot rig. Light line is beneficial for pressured fish, but often not-so-abrasion resistant when fishing shallow cover. Proceed with this technique, using a light(er) leader of 10- to 15-pound-test fluorocarbon, with caution.
The warm rains that brought the summer drought to an end also had the effect of turning the 50-acre pond’s shallow water the color of chocolate milk. Underwater visibility was measured in inches, not feet. The aforementioned tactic of target-casting soft plastics to shaded stumps that dotted the pond’s bottom yielded no results. Demoralized by the 90-degree temperatures and 90% humidity, my angling partner and I started fishing fast and aggressively with loud lures.
The thump of my black-and-blue chatterbait’s blade was matched by the rhythm of the soft-plastic paddletail trailer. Soon, a different thump put a big bend in my moderate casting rod. Moments later, the first of five lunker-sized largemouth bass from the same corner of this small pond reached the rubber-mesh landing net boatside. After a quick photo and release, she disappeared just a few inches beneath the muddied water.
Sometimes, murky water makes presenting finesse lures the least-viable tactic possible. In these scenarios, some summer bucketmouths still never stop feeding. Patterning the most aggressive fish in the pond is possible only by covering as much water as an angler can with loud, attention-grabbing lures.
Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits have thumping, flashing blades that move water, sending signals to the finely tuned lateral lines of largemouth bass that prey in distress is near. These hard baits can be tipped with equally loud and aggressive soft trailers: paddletail swimbaits like the Keitech FAT Swing Impact or the soft-plastic segmented Yamamoto Zako among others work extremely well.
Although the sun had disappeared below the treeline a half an hour ago, the daytime heat had yet to subside. The air was warm and muggy. Bugs and baitfish dimpled the surface of the calm cove, connected to a pond that was not too much larger than the cove itself. The loud crash of my jointed wakebait caused a great blue heron, hunting shallow weedy water, to leave for another shoreline where it could (hopefully) hunt undisturbed.
As soon as the ripples from the noisy splash disappeared, I reeled the rat-styled, jointed wake slowly forward. As it neared the bank, the night’s tranquility was broken by the eruption of a massive largemouth bass that engulfed the lure. After a brief struggle, the fish was quickly landed, photographed, and released. This fish was the first of many to clock in for the night shift on this small pond, starting at dusk, and continuing throughout the late-night hours until the sun rose above the treetops on the opposite shoreline.
When the sun goes down, the dinner bell rings for largemouth that are too sluggish to feed in the daytime heat. Even before full darkness, big fish are attempting to down big meals. Bass maximize their caloric intake to energy expenditure ratio in the summer months.
The key to patterning bass at last light is to identify transition areas. Much like I discovered when catching the fish pictured above, shaded coves that transition to deeper water can be very productive. Ledges, cover edges, and lillypad beds that end in deeper-water can all be ideal hideouts for summer bass on the hunt.
Classic childhood lures excel at this form of summertime bass fishing. The Arbogast Jitterbug, with its timeless shape and action, is wallet-friendly and easy to fish. The Heddon Super Spook is a similar classic lure that excels in low-light conditions with its walk-the-dog action and loud-knocking rattle. On the opposite end of the affordability spectrum, rare, coveted wakebaits cannot be had unless an angler is willing to spend a large chunk of change and a little effort browsing online marketplaces to track them down.
Despite the above strategies for small pond success, summer fishing can still be slow at times. The hustle and bustle of the summer months along with the daytime heat are both detriments to angler motivation and fish activity. Staying concentrated on dialing in a particular pond’s pattern can be tough at times.
Motivation to keep on fishing throughout the summer months can be aided with proper hydration, focusing on fishing during the coolest times of day/night, and above all, heading out with the knowledge and faith that each cast could be placed right on the nose of a lunker largemouth in your small, neighborhood pond.
Find Trophy Largemouth Bass in Small Ponds
