Fishing for Beaver-Pond Bass
Belly Boating
Editor’s
Note: When beaver-pond bassing is right, it can be some
of the most-explosive, exciting fishing that an angler
can experience. There is more than one way to catch
a beaver-pond-bass because there’s more than one
type of beaver pond to fish.
“Some of the most-productive beaver ponds I’ve
found are off of main river systems, but they maybe
1/4- to 1/2-mile back, through the woods,” Dr.
Bob Sheppard, a dedicated belly boater from Carrollton,
Alabama, says. “To get to these beaver ponds,
I may run up and down the river, park my boat and hike
through the woods. Once at the pond, I may not be sure
about the depth of the pond,and the places I want to
fish often are over my head. So, I use a Browning belly
boat,which is lightweight, easy to carry and provides
the buoyancy I must have when I’m in deep water
and the portability I need when I’m wading in
and around stumps. The bass are in the beaver ponds
and in these remote areas, and have seen few artificial
lures, if any. Since the fish haven’t been picked
over by hundreds of other anglers, my chances are good
for catching them. I enjoy fishing the Rapala, the Rebel,
the plastic worm, and when I can find open water, crankbaits
like Bagley’s DB-2, Norman’s Little N and
Rebel’s Maxi-R. I like being away from crowds
and the noise of major reservoirs as much as I enjoy
catching thebass.
I can take my tube, a pair of flyweight waders, my rod
and reel and a few lures andbe quietly alone for several
hours while I catch bass. I really enjoy the solitude.
Of course, catching a limit of bass that can weigh from
2- to 6-pounds each isn’t a bad reason for fishing
beaver ponds either.”
Two More Tactics for Successful Beaver-Pond Bassing:
Two other methods that work well to make big bass bite
in beaver ponds include the swimming worm. I’ve
found this bait the most productive in the 6- or 8-inch
size and when it’s riggedTexas style without any
lead. By holding the rod tip high, the worm can be swum
across the surface of the water much like a small snake.
And when the bait swims by a lunker largemouth, the
bass naturally will blow-up on the worm. Another bait
that is extremely deadly on beaver-pond bass and can
be worked through very heavy cover in shallow water
is the Snagless Sally/Uncle Josh pork-chunk combination.
When the bait swims 1-inch under the surface and leaves
a wake in its passing, it will call fish from cover
and cause a bass attack.
Tomorrow: How to Find Beaver Ponds
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