Clark County Farm Pond

July 2010

Having grown up around farms, it is a bit surprising that I’ve only  fished farm ponds a few precious times in my life.  The ponds on my  family farm are silted and largely devoid of life, saving for bullfrogs,  mosquito larvae, and sluggish beef cattle in the summer heat.  The  experiences I have had, though, have been very memorable.  Last weekend,  my friend, on furlough from the war in Afghanistan, took me to his  relative’s private pond, 4-5 acres in the rolling Bluegrass hills of  Clark County.  His older brother joined us, and we fished several hours  at the end of the day.

Between us, we caught close to twenty largemouth bass, ranging from  10 inch scrappers to a few in the 4-5 pound range.  We also landed  several decent sized sunfish, but missed the crappie the owner talked  about. 

I landed a 12 inch and a 10 inch off the bat using a silver/black  Rapala floating 2” minnow.  My buddy’s brother came well-equipped,  throwing a Yo-zuri 3-D suspended minnow in a perch pattern—a lure he  swore by from the time we arrived.  It was obvious why after a few  minutes, as he landed 3, 4, and nearly 5 lb bass, among others. The  lures are hard to find (found them on basspro.com, after digging through  results), and at $10-$15 a piece, they are a bit of a luxury.  The  price tag also inspires being very, very careful about your casting.   Not too surprisingly, when a 10 pound snapping turtle snagged the lure,  the three of us lined up for a showdown to save the bait—which we did  eventually, after some drama with a mad (but okay) turtle.        

Overall, it was an excellent day of fishing.  If you get the chance  to fish a stocked farm pond, go for it, and thank the owner for their  generosity in sharing.  We released all of the bass—take the fish out  only if the owner says it is okay, and offer a portion of any catch you  keep to the owner.  And by all means, leave nothing but (gentle) tracks  behind—pack out all trash, fishing line, etc., and carry out any cans or  trash that you find.  Not trying to preach, but fishing in someone’s  private pond is a real privilege, and one jerk messing the place up  could get the gate locked permanently for anyone else who might have had  the chance. 

(My family stopped letting people hunt on our farm decades ago  because of the trash and disrespectful use of the property.  Landowners  are easily turned off by garbage and bad behavior. Be respectful!)