Targeting Gypsy Bass

How-To Target Gypsy Bass

®

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