Fishing heats up on area lakes and ponds

Ethan Grotheer, Fair Play, with some of the buffalo he shot with his bow in the high waters of Stockton Lake near Aldrich.

When the three-week turkey season concluded on April 15, hunters like Jack Martin, Springfield, turned into anglers.

"Fishing goes on all year, but the turkey season only last three weeks in the spring. So now, I am ready to do some serious fishing," he said.

Within a few miles of every county, residents can find fishing water of one kind or another. The angling waters of the Ozarks are abundant compared to other places in the state of Missouri and our waters are rich and diverse.

These waters include big lakes like Bull Shoals, Table Rock, Norfork, Stockton, Pomme de Terre and Truman. Float streams are dotted all across the area, along with many farm ponds that furnish some of the best fishing anywhere.

Most of these bodies of water provide good fishing for largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish, along with trout fishing in Taneycomo and the four state trout parks.

"I have plenty of choices of where to fish," Martin said, highlighting the diversity of fishing spots.

After the turkey season ended, Martin and his two sons hit a favorite pond and although the pond was high and dingy, they caught fish.

"We caught crappie, bluegill and a 4-pound channel catfish, all (using) nightcrawlers," he said. "It was a great day. You can't beat farm ponds for catching fish."

Another pond angler is Jim Thompson, who has been fishing farm ponds for more than 50 years and remembers when it wasn't so popular.

"When I first started fishing ponds, they were called stock ponds because that's where the livestock watered," Thompson said. "No one ever thought they would produce such good fishing. Today, most anglers know these small ponds offer great fishing for several species of fish."

Thompson is sold on pond fishing and has started his grandchildren fishing in them, as well.

"Most of my kids and grandkids caught their first fish from a pond," he said. "It's a great place to get them interested in fishing for several reasons.

"First off, the chances of catching a fish is much greater than in a big impoundment and a lot less trouble to do so. Nearly any kind of pole and line will work and baited up with a worm, they can hook a perch without any trouble.

"With kids, any kind of size fish will do. They have a short attention span so action will keep them interested. You don't need all the modern technology available today to catch fish from a pond."

Most ponds are privately owned and the owner's rights should be respected when fishing.

"When I find a good pond and get permission to fish it, I am very careful to treat it like I would want anyone to treat my property. I share my catch with the landowner and don't abuse the privilege to fish a pond by overdoing it," Thompson said.

It's interesting to note that many of the state-record fish were caught in ponds. They are hard to beat for catching fish and we are hitting the time when the action heats up.

Two Springfield anglers, Bob Anderson and David Woods, braved the cool weather recently and hit one of their favorite ponds in Christian County with excellent results.

"We finished the morning with 28 crappie, three nice-sized bass and lots of big bluegill on the same small jig," Woods said. "We might not have a day like that again all year."

The recent snow and rain has brought high water to area lakes and ponds and made an adventure for several area bow fishermen. Ethan Grotheer, Fair Play, heard about how the rough fish like carp and buffalo were along the banks of the high water near Aldrich.

He grabbed his bow fishing gear and headed out. It wasn't long before he had hit 15 big buffalo and assisted other fishermen in getting some of the big fish.

"It was a sight to see all those fish working close to the bank and making good shots with my bow," Grotheer said.