Youth Fisheries Sciences
  • Home
  • Our Work
    • The Buddy Program
    • Aqua-Edu
    • School Chapters
    • Stream Share
    • Educational Derbies
  • Join Our Cause
  • Articles
    • Ian's Column
    • What We Do
  • About Us
  • Contact

Pond Question: Small Swimbaits vs Cranks: Full

4/12/2016

0 Comments

 
 By Ian
​ 
  A lot of people ask me for a nice pond search bait. Of course, really small spinnerbaits (like the old Beetle Spin) are pretty nice as a search lure, but they are a bit hard to throw on baitcasting gear. For someone like me, with only a nice baitcasting setup and combo and a cheap spinning combo, I prefer to use my baitcaster whenever possible, and I think that's the case with many bankbeaters - the less you carry, the better.
Picture
    Above: For the price of this cheap crank, you can get a whole bag of small swimbaits. 

  Pond bass, although usually unpressured, can be wary in their own way. They aren't used to having giant squarebills buzzing past their faces. Ponds are often small, and if you do something stupid, you might spook all the fish in the pond. Pond fish can be very picky eaters, eating only what's in their pond - I had fish turn down my friend's brightly colored chartreuse swimbait but eat my greenish brown swimbait.  There are also no shad in the pond - shad for for reservoirs and lakes. There also aren't too many minnow species in small ponds, or much baby catfish. You do, though, have a lot of bluegill.
Picture
Above: A comparison of the two.

  Bluegill are the dominate forage in small ponds, and they literally take over the ponds in the summer. Small bluegill are extremely common. When it comes down to matching the fish forage in the ponds with a budget in mind, I think that small swimbaits are better. Intricately painting a crankbait, which is already expensive, isn't  cheap, and you won't get a good imitation of a bluegill under $8.

  When you consider how dense pond growth can be, losing a $8 crank every other cast isn't cheap. Many swimbaits can be texas rigged, which makes them weedless. Swimbaits also come in bags vs a single lure, and are much cheaper than a crankbait.

  Swimbaits also can be jigged over cover, and are better finesse wise. However, sometimes the stronger wobble and ratters of the crank bait can get bass to strike in greater numbers. 

  Tight lines, 

Ian
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    About Me

      Hi. I am Ian, an extremely avid bass fisherman living in Howard County, MD. I like to bank fish and fish at local ponds and small creeks. I will explore budget friendly options for people to use in this blog. I hope I can teach you something.

      In addition to fishing ponds, I fish in Lakes Kittamaqundi, Elkhorn, Centennial, Wilde, and a few reservoirs.

    Categories

    All
    Creek Fishing
    Events
    Fishing Rigs
    Fly Fishing
    Gear Talk
    Lake Fishing
    Live Bait
    Locations
    On A Budget
    Other
    Panfish
    Pond Fishing
    Safety
    Technique

    Archives

    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Our Work
    • The Buddy Program
    • Aqua-Edu
    • School Chapters
    • Stream Share
    • Educational Derbies
  • Join Our Cause
  • Articles
    • Ian's Column
    • What We Do
  • About Us
  • Contact