[MicroSalm]

Not having much to go on about the farm pond as to the depth, size, geometry, and clarity of the water but I suspect the big ones would hold up in key locations.
· Bass will winter in the deepest, most vertical break areas in a lake.
· When water temperatures start warming up in early spring, bass will start migrating toward potential spawning areas, stopping first on main lake points, then on secondary points.
· During the spawn phase, the bass will seek out flats and coves with the correct bottom composition to spawn on.
· After the spawn, the fish will start heading back out toward deeper water, staging on the same points they stopped at during pre-spawn.
· Bass will hold adjacent to structure
· Summer time heat, finds most of the bass in deeper water main lake areas or in heavy cover areas. Current can also be very key during the summer.
· The fall transition, finds the bass following bait to feed up before the winter. Fall areas include the same flats and coves the bass used to spawn.
Since you said it’s your pond you should be able to catch a few during the spawn when the females go on the beds. However, like most large bass they adjust their eating habits until after dusk. Biologists are right about bass preferring optimum water temp to eat but, big fish feed more between dusk and dawn. I believe big bass are the exceptions to the rule. Big bass get big because they don’t do what the majority of the bass do the same goes for big bucks (deer) also. Maybe the larger bass are more aware of their surroundings who knows, but ask around to other fishermen who night fish and ask them if the fish are larger when caught at night. I have a chain of lakes near where I live and the fishing is brutal on the weekends, it gets better on the week days, but the night fishing is fantastic. I equate that to boat traffic and fishing pressure the big ones know the “noise means trouble”. Yes, bass can be conditioned. So, I suggest to you to go night fishing using a 5/8 oz. or large jitterbug, black spinner bait, devils horse, or a chug bug. Night fishing also improves your “feel” at the rod which improves your day fishing and it is rush when they hit top water at night. Give night fishing a chance you’ll see what I mean. That’s my two cents worth.