Farm ponds attract attention from local anglers

As we were discussing the recent spring turkey season and all the storms that have hit the area recently, we looked over the far side of my pond where, in the late afternoon sunlight, we saw dimpling rises next to the weeds.

Bluegill, I thought. Brad said, "Those little rises usually signal some great fishing, so let's get after them."

In less than an hour, we had all the big bluegill we could handle, plus several nice bass and crappie. Now is a good time to hit farm ponds for some great fishing with a flyrod or ultra-light gear.

With many of the big impoundments very high and some very dingy, farm ponds furnish some good fishing this Memorial Day Weekend. Bob Davis, Sedalia, said, "I usually get into serious pond fishing around Memorial Day and have caught some of the largest fish of the year from one of my favorite ponds."

Last year, over the holiday weekend, Davis hooked into a big fish that took him more than 15 minutes to land. While fishing for bluegill, he watched his bobber disappear, so he set the hook and the battle was on.

Using an ultra-light rod and 4-pound test line, he had to be very careful and play the fish. Finally, to his surprise, he landed an 18-pound channel catfish.

"These fish grow fast in this pond, but this is the largest fish I have taken from this one-acre pond. I have heard many times that often small waters hold big fish," he said.

Many area ponds hold channel cats that grow big. Two years ago, on Memorial Day, Tom Landers, Harrisonville, was fishing in a Cass County pond and had the best fishing and catching day that he could remember after more than 20 years of fishing.

"Using nightcrawlers for bait, I caught seven big channels that weighed nearly 100 pounds. Not only did catch catfish, I also caught a 5-pound bass and dozens of big bluegill. It was a day to remember," he said.

It's amazing just how many ponds there are within a few miles of any residence in the state. Jack Franklin, Lexington, said he flew over the area near his home in a small airplane and was surprised to see one of his fishing holes from the air.

"It looked like a big bunch of silver dollars shining in the sunlight. I counted more than 30 ponds that looked like they would be good fishing, many of them I didn't know existed. There are a lot of good ponds that you can't see from the road," he said.

One of our favorite ponds is located just a few miles east of Highway 13. It is just two acres, but has produced a lot of big bass and bluegill, as well as some monster catfish. many youngsters have caught their first fish from this pond including my friends daughter Jane, who was just 6 years old at the time.

Jane was using an ultra-light rod when a big fish hit and she asked her dad for help. "You can bring it in," her dad said.

Finally, after 10 minutes of fighting, Jane landed the 6-pound bass and said, "I caught it all by myself." She won't soon forget the experience of catching a bass that large especially when her father had never caught a bass that big after more than 15 years of fishing.

Another area angler, Doug Jones, fishes Truman, Stockton, Pomme de Terre and Table Rock a lot, but he also hits farm ponds regularly starting this month.

"I usually wait until the fish are hitting topwater to start fishing some ponds. I like to use a popper and watch a big fish suck it in and the fight is on. There's nothing like the thrill in fishing like that when a big fish explodes after your topwater lure.

"With many of the big lakes high and dingy, I have been hitting ponds. Most of the ponds are full but clear and the fishing gas been good. When the temperature heats up, I put on a popper like the Hula Popper and go after those pond bass." he said.

It was nearly 40 years ago when Franklin, as an 8-year-old grade schooler fished his first farm pond. It was a catfishing trip near his Ozark home.

He caught several 2- to 3-pound channel cats and was hooked on pond fishing. Since then, he has fished many big impoundments and trips to Canada, but the pond fishing hasn't changed for him over the years. "Its still very good," he said.

This time of year, a fisherman would be hard-pressed to find any better fishing than in one of the many ponds that dot our landscape.