Farm Ponds Disappearing

[kentuckykingfisher]

So i got the pleasure to fish a old farm pond the other day and I think im ruined now. Every bass that was caught was a beauty. I had a blast. It was alot of fun throwing a 7 inch plastic worm and just watching and feeling for the bite and getting to set the hook on a nice 4 pound bass was great. Unfortunately for me this may be a one time deal fishing here because my brother in law said it was one of those i might be able to get you in if im lucky deals. Back when i was in high school i used to have alot of farm ponds to fish because id work in the hay fields or something of the sort. but over time the property owners have passed away or sold the land and some of them just don't allow people to fish anymore due to people trashing their places. Its hard to find these secret honey holes anymore simply because alot of folks just don't trust people anymore. I cant say i blame em though. I've tried asking landowners around the house to fish a couple of their ponds but they always politely say no and talk with me for a bit telling me why they don't allow fishing anymore. One of the story's was a good one where some teenagers that had been fishing this 74 year old woman's pond decided to throw a field party on her land. You could imagine how she felt when the sheriffs came knocking on her door at 3 in the morning. It only takes one dumb person to ruin a place like that for everyone Has anyone else on here gone through this?

[dac244]

Before I sold my land in KY I had a 4 acre pond on it and even though it was fun too fish I always preferred fishing a bigger body of water. I don't know if it is more of the challenge of figuring the fish out or what but I would rather catch a few fish on a big lake then a bunch in a farm pond but that's just me.

[Havacman]

We have a farm pond on our families farm that was build in 1982. I learned a lot about bass fishing in that pond. My son and daughter fished it when they were big enough to hold a rod. We haven't let anyone who wasn't family or invited directly by us and it has paid off. Catch and release only ensured plenty of those 4-5# largemouths willing to hit about anything we was experimenting with at the time allowing kids and adults alike to catch the biggest fish they have caught. I agree farm ponds like farms are disappearing seemly on a daily basis.

[Nanna]

I fell in love with farm ponds when I was a kid, and it seemed like you could always find one back in the day. Nothing better in my eyes. Yes, you could hone skills and always catch a mess of good fish. I bet many an angler fell in love on a farm pond.

Sadly, with the loss of family farms, farm ponds all around are a thing of the past. Why people think we need more strip malls and McMansions is a puzzle to me. Why people trash outdoor areas and jack it up for the rest of us is a whole other puzzle. I always leave it better myself. Picking up any trash, tackle and line I come across. Some days I pull more trash than fish. I always come home with more lead than I started with....

We need more green space, not less. I think the flood prone areas would be a good place to restore ponds. Mother Nature is a funny old gal. No matter how flat you bullldoze, and fill in an area that was a pond, stream or both, when it rains, the water will come... Might as well make it a fishing pond!

I would fish everyday if I had a pond! Nothing would please me more!

[Bonefish]

When I was young and starting out fishing with my Dad, he fished a number of old rock quarries here Central Kentucky. At that time you could catch some very nice bass and bluegills out of these things. Through the years I have noticed they have been filled in and no longer a place to fish. A lot of our present day roads got their start from the rock and gravel from these quarries. They would start one ever so many miles so they would not have to haul rock long distances. I know my biology professor had one in his back yard that he managed to grow some of the biggest bluegills I have ever seen in Kentucky.

As far as fishing farm ponds, the most and the biggest fish I have caught in my life time has been from farm ponds. Some things to think about when asking the landowner for permission to fish are: Can you keep any fish and what size? Where can I park? Make sure to close gates. Let the landowner know you are coming. May I take a friend and how many? Leave the banks litter free. May you leave the pond owner a mess of fish?

[bull_bluegill]

I have always preferred farm ponds over bigger bodies of water. Properties change hands, going from the old-school farmers who would let anyone who was polite enough to ask permission have access, to city-farmers who buy the property just for the weekends, or to people who only allow family. And then there are the ass-hats who leave trash laying around who ruin things for everyone.
One pond I remember got closed because a couple of young guys would go in there at night catfishing. They would of course take their beer with them. They got drunk, and started cranking off shots with a shotgun. This pond was pretty much in the owner's back yard. That was the end of that...