Location —For most folks, you know from one source or another that there are populations of sport fish in the ponds and small reservoirs near you.    If you’re not sure, you’ll definitely want to do some checking at a tackle shop or with today’s technology, you can stop into an Internet based message board specific to your area.    For many ponds it would also be a good idea to check and see if the land is legally fishable before you wet a line.

Baits —Keep it simple!!    When fishing small ponds it’s usually not necessary to carry along a selection of everything under the sun in every color known to man.    Most folks take along just a couple colors in one or two sizes.    For most applications, this will work just fine.

Cover/Features —When you get to the water, whether fishing from a boat or from shore, the first thing you have to do is to scope out the best cover/features possible.    When looking for productive water it’s no secret that it’s best to find water with something unique close by.    For instance, an area of shoreline with some stumps will out-produce a sand bank (depending on time of year) and an area where there is a creek channel will be better than a barren flat.    You’ll have to scope out your pond and find these features or if all else fails, ask around.

Water —This is something that outdoor authors have written chapters on so I’ll not spend a lot of time on it.    It’s best to fish for bass in water that is in the correct temperature range (approx. 65-85 degrees, depending on your geographical location), has an acceptable supply of dissolved oxygen and has an expectable level of clarity.    For instance, water that is 93 degrees, muddy with visibility of 12” on a grass flat will typically be less productive than water three feet deep, 78 degrees, on a rocky shoreline with a light wind blowing into it.

Fish the Fish —There are some folks who believe they have to catch the big ones in order to have a good day and for some that may be the case but, not for all.    If you’re out enjoying a day of pond fishing then don’t forget why you’re there.    Catch the little ones, have fun with them and fish through them to get to the bigger ones if you think they’re present.    There will be many times in a pond where you’ll catch two or three smaller fish near a piece of structure and when they’re removed you can come back later and pull a bigger fish out of the same area.

Keep it Clean —The laws of proportionality make it obvious that a smaller body of water will become polluted faster and with less pollution as compared to a large lake.   We must always be mindful of where we place our waste throughout the day.   Please help preserve our resources and carry a trash bag or dedicate a small compartment in your boat to waste.   If you see trash while fishing from the shore or while launching your boat, pick it up.   We’re all guilty from time to time of adding to the problem as a piece of line flies out of the boat or when we accidentally drop a piece of plastic on the ground but, with a little effort we can make I difference.