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Fall 2018
FISHING FOR GYPSY BASS
with Pete Ponds
by Dan O’Sullivan
page
14
T
he fall of the year is known for being one of the best ties of the year
to catch quality bass. After a long, hot summer, anglers and bass
are often invigorated by the cooler temperatures. Anglers greet the morning chill with an extra layer and bass greet the schools of migrating baitfish
with open mouths.
Like their quarry, groups of anglers will often flock to areas that the
large quantities of schooling bass have been located in an attempt to corral
themselves a quality limit. When this happens, upriver areas become crowded
and the fish can respond by becoming wary of all of the pressure.
FLW Tour pro Pete Ponds from Madison, Miss. responds to this phenomenon
by turning to what he terms “Gypsy Bass.”
According to Ponds, Gypsy Bass are smaller schools of fish that roam
isolated pockets and creeks off of the main river and they tend to work smaller
clouds of new baitfish that roam the lake looking for a home.
Ponds said these bass may be trickier to catch; but they are often easier to
catch, once you figure out the sequence.
“Catching Gypsy Bass requires a coordinated visual effort with my eyes
and my Lowrance units to find the bait and the bass,” said Ponds. “Once I find
them, I can use my trolling motor to steer the baitfish towards the bass causing
a schooling effect, then they become easy to catch; it’s often much better than
fighting crowds.”
Where and When to Look for Gypsy Bass
Ponds revealed that he typically focuses on main lake features and isolated
pockets off of the main lake. On river impoundments, he begins his search on
outside channel bends near bluff walls or steeper banks, then moves into the
pockets just of the main river. On reservoirs, he said that he almost always finds
them in pockets and marinas near the main lake.
He prefers to begin his search near the main lake to avoid the throngs of
anglers that instinctively run to the upriver areas and the long creeks in search of
schooling bass targeting migrating baitfish.
“This kind of approach requires a great deal of stealth,” he said. “If I am trying
to locate these schools around crowds, I will have a hard time locating them, or
getting them to bite.”
Ponds said that this phenomenon begins towards the end of August in many
areas of the country, and typically lasts until late October. He also said that it is