So what made this tank so great for pond bass fishing?

There were several factors that made this pond great for bass fishing. First, it wasn’t a very deep pond, and it was located in the south (Texas) where warmer weather prevails. This combination is excellent for the promotion of bass population and size. Water temperatures of about 60 – 80 degrees will begin to draw the bass into shallow water, and they will commence in heavy feeding. As a result, bass ponds in the south have longer seasons where this water temperature is prevalent, and thus the bass will grow much faster than in northern areas.

Second, aside from its location and depth, the vegetation in this pond was just excellent for bass. There were bulrushes and tree limbs both submerged and above the water’s surface. This provided excellent cover for  the bass, but there wasn’t too much vegetation to allow bait fish to escape. So the bass had open areas and vegetation areas, and thus there were lines between the two where bass could easily ambush their prey.

Third, this pond was closed to the public and wasn’t fished very often.  So the bass were allowed to grow year after year, and were not thinned out by many anglers. So you could say that we “had these fish all to ourselves”, and it meant that we generally caught lots of fish.

Fourth, this pond was stocked only with bass and perch. So there weren’t many other predators like catch fish that would disrupt the population growth of the bass. And the perch provided an excellent source of food for the bass. And again, with the vegetation being sparse, bass had good spawning grounds that they could easily protect against the perch hunting down their eggs and fry.

I cannot explain the appeal of having an 15 + inch bass on the other end of your line. If you see them come to the top and shake that head, and it is your first time, you will probably be hooked on it for the rest of your life. I like catfishing too, but just the fast paced nature of hunting down the largemouth bass with lures is enough to keep me occupied and happy for hours at a time.

Make sure to check back tomorrow as I’ll show you Pond Bass Fishing Hot Spots: how to fish your pond(s) for bass during the different times / seasons of the year. See you then…