Bass Fishing Tips for Ponds in Mississippi

Behavior

Mississippi bass, during the day, will hide under foliage and in deep holes near weeds. They also stay near the bottoms and around submerged trees where water is cool and oxygen is abundant. During evening hours, Mississippi pond bass abandon their midday hiding places and cruise the shallows for small baitfish. This feeding activity lasts until the next morning and is highly dependent on the water temperatures within the pond.

Spring Fishing

Weeks before bass move to their spawn beds, they will attack an assortment of live bait. Anglers can catch big bass from spots along the shore with leeches, night crawlers, crank baits and minnows. This highly dynamic time quickly subsides when spawning begins and as the water temperature reaches 60 to 70 degrees. Fishing throughout early spring for Mississippi pond bass specifically during the spawn phase requires a lot of patience. Largemouth and smallmouth bass will stay put on spawning beds and will not chase after baits or lures. Anglers may have to cast countless times, in order to irritate a bass to where it lashes out at the bait.

Summer Fishing

Often in summer, vegetation grows thick. This is a common occurrence in many Mississippi ponds. The overgrowth of vegetation allows aquatic plants to cover the surface of a pond. In most cases, it appears as a green slick. Nevertheless, the vegetation creates shade and protects many species of fish from large predators. For instances, bluegill and minnows use the vegetation as a food source as well as cover from bass. Bass use the vegetation as cover from the sun's heat and cruise these heavy areas chasing after bluegill and minnows. Anglers should use jerk baits, spinners and other surface baits when fishing these overgrown pond conditions. The best time to fish is midday as the suns heat shines down on the pond, as bass normally are within the thick summer vegetation.

Tackle

As far as tackle goes, anglers need a light yet strong rod when fishing for Mississippi pond bass. A fishing rod in the range of 5 to 7 feet and extremely flexible in its bending capability is more than adequate. Beginners to intermediate level anglers should realize largemouth bass could pull, twist and jump from the water as it struggles. Additionally, Mississippi pond bass can grow extremely large and weigh in some case five pounds or more. Having a bass on a fishing rod of this size can place a great deal of strain not only on the rod but also on fishing line and hook. This is why anglers need to have at least 8-pound test line woven around their bait-casting reel. In addition, anglers need to ensure that hooks are of good quality and large enough not to bend in a basss mouth.

Live Baits

Aggressive Mississippi bass will bite on any bait thrown their way, depending on the amount of feeder fish, within the pond. Normally, live bait such as night crawlers, minnows, leeches and crayfish are effective in the mornings as well as during nighttime conditions. Fishing jigs, spinners in clear sections of a pond or utilizing a plastic worm is suitable baits during daytime hours.