WHEN I FIRST MOVED INTO NEBRASKA  AFTER I GOT OUT OF THE MILITARY, I DISCOVERED MOST OF THE ANGLERS DID THE MAJORITY OF THEIR FISHING  ON THE MISSOURI RIVER AND SINCE I DIDN’T HAVE A BOAT, I NEEDED TO FIGURE SOMETHING OUT.

 THE FISHING I DID AT THAT TIME WAS FROM THE SHORELINE AND ON SMALLER BODIES OF WATER, AND IT DIDN’T TAKE ME LONG TO FIND OUT THAT THESE SMALL WATERS WERE THE HOME OF SOME GOOD FISH.

  THESE INCLUDED STOCK DAMS AND FARM PONDS WHERE I NEEDED TO ADAPT MY PRESENTATIONS, AS MOST OF THESE BODIES OF WATER HELD SEVERAL DIFFERENT SPECIES OF FISH, WHICH INCLUDED BASS, BLUEGILL, CRAPPIES AND CATFISH.

  I WANTED TO EDUCATE MYSELF BEFORE DOING ANY FISHING, READING AND STUDYING UP ON THE FISH I WAS GOING AFTER, WHERE I LEARNED WHAT WATER TEMPERATURES THEY PREFERRED, WHAT STRUCTURE THESE SMALLER BODIES OF WATER OFFERED, WATER TEMPERATURES, SPAWNING TEMPERATURES AND THE BAIT PRESENTATIONS THAT WORKED IN THESE SMALLER BODIES OF WATER.

  OF COURSE, SINCE BASS WERE THE DOMINANT PREDATOR, I SPENT MUCH OF MY TIME ON THESE SMALLER BODIES CATCHING THEM. DIDN’T CATCH ANY WALL HANGERS, BUT I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE THINGS THAT MADE POND AND STOCK DAMS BETTER FISHING.

  SEVERAL OF THE SMALLER WATERS I WOULD BE FISHING, HELD A LOT OF FISH, MOST OF WHICH WERE SMALL AND IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG TO UNDERSTAND WHY!

  THE BALANCE BETWEEN PREDATOR AND PREY WAS WAY OFF, WITH NOT ENOUGH PREDATORS, BASS TO KEEP THE PANFISH NUMBERS DOWN AND WHEN THE BALANCE IS OFF, NOT ONLY ARE THE BASS A PREDATOR FISH, BUT SO ARE THE PANFISH LEARNING QUICKLY THAT A BASS NEST OFFERS A QUICK MEAL AS THEY ROB THE BASS NEST OF EGGS.

   IN THESE SMALLER BODIES OF WATER, TAKING TOO MANY BASS FROM THEM, QUICKLY THROWS THE BALANCE, SO CATCH AND RELEASE BECOMES IMPORTANT WHEN FISHING THEM.

  DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE WATER, THE FISH CAN BE LOCATED AT ABOUT ANY DEPTH, WITH DIFFERENCE IN THE BOTTOM CONFIGURATION HAVING A LOT TO DO WITH WHERE THE FISH ARE LOCATED.

  ALL SPECIES OF FISH NEED SOME SORT OF SECURITY, WHERE THEY CAN QUICKLY GO TO AVOID DANGER, THESE INCLUDE, DEEPER WATER, INTO WEEDS, BRUSH AND IN AMONGST OTHER STRUCTURE IN THE POND.

  AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WATER TEMPERATURE HAS A LOT TO DO WITH WHERE THE FISH WILL BE LOCATED, BECAUSE FISH ARE COLD BLOODED, THEIR BODY TEMPERATURE IS IN DIRECT CORRELATION TO THE WATER TEMPERATURE.

  WHEN WATER TEMPS DROP, SO DOES THE METABOLISM OF THE FISH, SO IN THE SPRING, THE FISH ARE WAITING FOR THE WATER TO WARM IN ORDER TO SPAWN WITH THESE AREAS, OFTEN HAVE EASY ACCESS TO DEEPER WATER.

   EACH SPECIES OF FISH HAS A PREFERRED WATER TEMP TO SPAWN, BASS NEED 55 TO 80 DEGREES TO SPAWN, WITH THE FRY APPEARING IN FORTY TO SEVENTY HOURS.

  BLUEGILL SPAWN WHEN TEMPERATURES REACH 68 TO 75 DEGREES WITH THEY’RE EGGS HATCHING IN IN FOUR TO FIVE DAYS, THE MALE OF THESE SPECIES CREATES A SHALLOW DEPRESSION, A NEST IN THE SHALLOWER WATER BY FANNING WITH HIS TALE AND AS WATER TEMPERATURES, REACH THE NEEDED TEMPERATURES, THEN FEMALE MOVES INTO THE NEST AND THE EGGS ARE DEPOSITED AND FERTILIZED, WITH THE MALE STAYS BEHIND TO PROTECT THE EGGS.

  CRAPPIE NEED 50 TO 60 DEGREES TO SPAWN, WITH THE EGGS HATCHING IN FOUR TO FIVE DAYS. WALLEYES TYPICALLY SPAWN WHEN WATER TEMPERATURES ARE BETWEEN 42 AND 50 DEGRESSE, WITH THE SPECIFIC TEMPERATURE VARYING BY LOCATION AND TIME OF YEAR.

  CATFISH SPAWN IN HOLES ALONG THE BANK . WHICH INCLUDE

CATFISH NEST IN SECLUDED CAVITIES,  INCLUDING HOLLOW LOGS, CREVICES BETWEEN ROCKS, BEABVER RUNS, UNDERCUT BANKS, ROOT BALLS, AND EVEN MAN-MADE STRUCTURES LIKE TIRES OR METAL DRUMS, WHEN WATER TEMPERATURE REACHES BETWEEN 75 AND 85 DEGREES.

   ONCE THE FEMALE CHANNEL CATFISH HAS COMPLETED LAYING HER EGGS, THE MALE FERTILIZES THEM, WITH THE FEMALE MOVEINTO INTO BEAVER RUNS OR HOLES, TO REST, WHERE THE EGGS HATCH IN FOUR TO TEN DAYS.

  AS THE WATER WARMS, THE FISH WILL BE MOVING AROUND MORE AND NEEDING MORE FOOD, WHERE THEY’LL BECOME MORE AGGRESSIVE.

  THERE ARE NUMEROUS BAITS THAT APPEAL TO THE FISH INCLUDING LIVE BAIT, WORMS, INSECTS, SMALL SPINNERS, CRANKBAITS, PLASTICS AND WORMS.

  BECAUSE THESE SMALLER BODIES OF WATER IN THE SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER ARE QUITE CLEAR, DON’T GET TOO CLOSE, AS YOUR SHADOW MAY SPOOK THE FISH.

  OTHER THING THAT YOU’LL NEED TO REMEMBER WHEN FISHING SMALLER BODIES OF WATER IS TO MOVE SLOWLY, AS THE FISH’S LATERAL LINE EASILY PICKS UP THE VIBRATION FROM AND ANGLER PLODDING TOWARDS THE WATER.

  YOU’LL NEED TO FISH SLOWER, USING SMALLER BAITS, LIGHTER LINE AND SINCE ANGLERS WILL BE FISHING BEDS. DON’T TAKE EVERY BIG FISH HOME, AS BY REMOVING THE BIGGER PREDATORS, YOU COULD END UP MESSING UP THE ENTIRE BALANCE OF THAT BODY OF WATER AND END UP WITH NO FISH THAT AMOUNTS TO ANYTHING WITH THE WHOLE POND BEING TAKEN OVER BY RUNT FISH.

  SOME POND OWNERS, CREATE PERFECT HABITAT AND STOCK THE FISH THEY WANT TNE POND TO HOLD.

  SOME FISH STOCKED IN THESE SMALLER BODIES OF WATER INCLUDE; PREDATORS SUCH AS WALLLEYES, BASS AND NORTHERNS TO CONTROL THE PANFISH POPULATION, OTHERS STOCK PERCH AND CRAPPIE TO ADD TO THE PANFISH.

  STRUCTURE IS VERY IMPORTANT ON SMALLER PONDS, WITH SOME OWNERS CREATING BRUSH, ROCK PILES OR DOWN TIMBER.

  ANGLERS NEED TO REMEMBER TO ASK PERMISSION BEFORE GOING ONTO SOMEONES LAND TO FISH.

GARY HOWEY NOW RESIDES IN WATERTOWN, S.D. AND HAS BEEN AN OUTDOORSMEN HIS ENTIRE LIFE, HAS BEEN A TOURNAMENT ANGLER, GUIDE FOR BOTH FISHING AND HUNTING AND INDUCTED INTO THE FRESH WATER FISHING HALL OF FAME IN 2017.