First time back in 20 years

[sharkbait]

Last time I was here it was a dump! Heard they cleaned it up and some nice sized fish being caught. Gonna meet up with an old friend and his boy from 10 years ago. Looks like its gonna be a beautiful day! Fish on!

 

[chrisohm]

On our way out we saw a few people carrying some decent fish out. One guy had a beast, at least 36". Good to see you today!

 

[joshuaypdx]

My 11 year old son and I are out fishing there today with Powerbait on the bottom and worms under a bobber. We haven't even had a nibble yet. He and I have been fishing a lot this winter with zero luck. I thought the ponds might give us a good chance.

Any advice for what to fish at the ponds? I sure would like to put a smile on his face today.

 

[chrisohm]

I hope he had some kind of smile on his face by the end of the day! I have tried multiple colors of powerbait and worms with no success. I have used a spinner and caught 1 trout and 1 bluegill. That is all I have landed from those ponds. Not sure about the other ponds but trout are in #3 and #6, largemouth are in #1 from what I have seen other people catch. On my way out I ran into some people that swear by their garlic powerbait. One time out I did have some crazy hits when I added garlic powder to my bait but never tried it again after that. I need to try that again this week and post my findings...

Anyway, try one spot and move. Pond #6 has some lengthy bank access so get acquainted with it. Try the garlic idea and maybe some anise or shrimp scent. Stay away from using spoons or spinners unless you know the pond well enough to not loose your gear. I watch people use their fly gear or their spoons/spinners with nothing to show for it. The people that walk out with big fish are using either worms or powerbait.

The next time you go out send me a PM and we will try to meet up. My son is 6 but would love to have another kid around to fish with. Heck, I could use the company too! I also have a fun secret about Canby pond if any parents out there are interested!! PM me for the details!

 

[PNW Sam]

Right now is not exactly the best time to go out and try to catch a bunch of fish, or even one fish for that matter. It hasn't been stocked for many months with normal sized fish, and there are only a few brood trout in there right now. Pond 3 and 6 will be getting 1k fish the first week of March, so try sometime within a couple weeks after that.

That being said, the ponds can be very productive and fun if you take a little time to learn them. Warmwater fish including bass are in all of the ponds, and just a hint, go where other people don't go. There are also some big catfish in pond 6, going to 25+ pounds, with one monster that was in the high 30's caught a few years back.

For trout, fish various flavors of powerbait 10-16 inches off the bottom. You could also fish worms or other baits under a bobber, but remember you want to have your bait close to bottom, so that would usually mean 4-5 feet of leader here. Kind of the obvious stuff, but I guess you could also try adding some various scents.

I would love to meet up with any of you guys for some fishing and show you a few tricks to get in to a few fish after they stock the ponds again. I'm 17 and wouldn't teach your kids bad habits :lol:, PM me if you are interested in meeting up.

 

[Coyote]

There are also some big catfish in pond 6, going to 25+ pounds, with one monster that was in the high 30's caught a few years back.

One day last year I hooked something huge and had it one for a minute or so but it got away. I think it had to be a catfish, and a huge one at that because I was using a pretty heavy duty rod and it was fighting like hell. I was devastated when it got off lol I still think about that **** fish.

That was pond six, right after the dogleg to the left if you are walking along the left shore of it (when coming from the parking lot) in that narrow straightaway. Is that where you've seen cats caught in pond six PNW Sam? Because I would love to catch a good size catfish this year. My girlfriend is from New Orleans and her first question every time I come home from fishing, even though I'm almost always going for trout or bass, is "Catch any catfish?" :lol:

 

[PNW Sam]

I personally haven't caught a catfish (never tried either) in Pond 6, but some guy i met there showed me cell phone pics of a 24 pounder he caught at that spot I like that I've posted the coordinates to on various threads. I'd say that they could be caught pretty much anywhere, but in the colder months the deeper spots would be a more likely place to try.

The guy I talked to that caught that decent sized cat was fishing for trout with powerbait off the bottom when he caught it. I also tried a little bit for cats in Pond 7 (more turbid pond, southernmost fish pond) with a whole dead bluegill last summer, and something tore it to shreds, but I couldn't get it hooked. I think I had the bluegill rigged up wrong, because the fish would take it hard and it would pull off when I tried to set the hook.

Also on a side note, when the channels are planted by ODFW, they are 1-2 pounds, so they gain almost all of their weight on their own in the ponds.

 

[Big3d]

it's not the same as first in 20 years, but I am on my way out and will prob wind up at the ponds, if not woodburn pond on edwin rd. if anyone it out there and sees me in a red hoodie and jeans come say hi, I'll be the guy with the empty stringer and pole that isn't twitching...