Whether it’s been a converted gravel pit, a dammed-up stretch of creek bottom or gully, or even just an area dug out from the earth itself for the purpose of providing a fishing opportunity, ponds have provided a great deal of insight into the angling process and have held a lot of fond spring memories for me throughout my angling career, and not just when I was young.

These spaces are often the first to open in spring, and due to their size –some so small I could easily cast across them — warm up the fastest of all waters with the heightened angle of the season’s strengthening sun. Their contents often vary, with panfish normally being the pursuit in most of them, though some sport pike and largemouth bass if the water is deep enough or fed by springs that keep oxygen levels adequate through the winter. In addition, many seasonal ponds provide angling opportunities as well. Stocked trout, panfish and catfish give anglers the chance to experience tight lines and catch species they may not have access to elsewhere and are often located near towns and cities for convenient fishing.

Not all ponds are created equal of course. Some are well tended by management agencies and conservation groups, while others are stocked once or twice after their creation by landowners and then left alone to see what they become in terms of self-sustaining fisheries. Some are simply deep troughs cut from the soil, and others have multiple arms, inflowing rills, and seeps that change their dynamics and provide a microcosm of a larger lake creating areas for fish to transition from deep to shallow. Additionally, some have natural forage fish like fathead minnows and chubs in their waters, while others may only have insects and frogs along their edges in addition to young-of-the-year fish for their populations to eat. The variability means one pond will not be like another and fish may locate differently despite being of the same species.

As a result, all ponds have a code for anglers to crack, whether it’s a two-acre pit or a 12-acre farm reservoir, and that’s what makes these springtime waters so fun. Walking around them casting spoons and spinnerbaits to cover water and connect with a pike, or simply soaking the season’s first nightcrawlers with a youngster under a pair of slip floats for panfish can provide some excitement and kickstart an interest in angling. Additionally, these areas in my experience have been ideal places for early season fly rodding as crappies and bluegills in tight, competitive spaces will readily take to most of my offerings, even those old B flies that didn’t turn out as expected, but still looked just buggy enough to trigger a bite. In time, locations like flats adjacent to the main part of the pond or structure such as a sunken pile of field rock will help anglers learn the importance of such features that hold fish and the become a target with each trip to the small water.

This spring, don’t overlook the potential of ponds in your area. The variety of fish they host, even from season-to-season through stocking programs or from milk-can operations done decades ago, provides a fun springtime variety. Whether through a discussion with a landowner allowing access to the small water, or via public paths available to all anglers, ponds create a unique opportunity that harkens back to simpler times and easier fishing, (which again might not be without some challenges and learning opportunities) and perhaps afford a reminder to you of the other wonderful small waters where many of us got our start … in our outdoors.