This "tree trick" will point you to that hidden pond in the woods

Hey, it’s Keith. 

It's no secret that the perfect honey-hole is every angler's white whale. 

Secluded waters are less pressured, meaning the fish are less wary and more likely to bite, giving you a shot at bigger, less stressed bass.

Landing a trophy catch from a spot no one else knows about is not only satisfying but can elevate your fishing game to the next level.

If you can’t locate these ponds, though, you’re stuck fishing the same over-pressured public waters, competing with every other angler, and settling for smaller, pickier fish.

Worse yet, like Captain Ahab searching the seven seas, you might waste hours wandering the woods, coming up empty-handed and frustrated—time you could’ve spent with a line in the water.

Most anglers turn to satellite imagery to spot these hidden ponds from above, and while that sounds promising, it often falls apart in practice.

This happened to me recently when I tried to find a small pond I located while surveying my new property on Google Earth. I headed in the general direction but spent a frustrating half hour zigzagging through the trees with nothing to show for it.

Then I remembered something from my childhood and the memories came flooding back to me.

Today I’m going to share with you a simple tip that will help you discover the hidden pond of your dreams. 

BEST LINKS

What I looked at this week

• SECRET farm pond bass fishing (Fish Hawk)

• Bushwacking into secret bass ponds (Cray Outdoors)

• Fishing SECRET pond in the woods! (Vince Fishing)

• Small ponds produce big bass (Major League Fishing)

• Neglected ponds equal lunker largemouth (The Fisherman)

Deals of the week

• Discount Tackle has marked down numerous brands of tungsten worm weights by 30%.

• Fish USA is offering a deal on the Striker Vortex Rain Jacket—from $264.99 down to $106.00!

• Tackle Direct has six-packs of Missile Baits D Bomb Rusty Craws marked down from $4.69 to $1.79.

DEEP DIVE 

The hidden value of secluded ponds

Before I show you how to find these ponds with no GPS and no compass, let me share why these hidden gems are worth seeking out.

• Unpressured fish: These ponds don't get the pressure that normal public ponds see. This means the bass are more aggressive because they aren't lure-shy. These fish will almost always see your lure as food.

• More bass: Once the population of bass outnumbers any other fish in the pond, the number of bass begins to grow. Besides crappie, bass are the dominant fish and will take over a pond, turning it into a feeding frenzy of bass searching for smaller minnows and bream to eat. 

• Bigger bass: Hidden ponds provide bigger fish simply because nobody is harvesting them. The bass can grow to their full potential without being caught and kept by other anglers.

• Peace and solitude: You can fish at your own pace and enjoy God's creation in peace and quiet without the noise or chatter of others. That's something you just can't put a price on!

I learned this lesson as a kid visiting my grandmother's house north of Lake Pontchartrain. I spotted a wake in a small roadside ditch, followed it downstream, and discovered a hidden pond that produced trophy bass for years—all because hardly anyone knew it existed.

How to find these secluded ponds

As I mentioned, I recently scoped out a pond on Google Earth and headed into the woods to find it, but no matter how long and far I walked, it evaded me.

Then I remembered how I used to find secluded ponds in my youth. Instead of searching straight ahead, looking for the physical pond, I looked up while I walked.

I searched the canopies of the trees, on the lookout for an opening.

Then I spotted it!

It was to my left and about 75 yards away: an opening in the treetops.

The blue sky shone through, and I immediately made a beeline toward the section of woods with the missing trees.

As I got closer to the opening in the canopy, I soon spotted the pond. My old technique worked again!

So, why does this work?

Well, it's simple.

The pond will have the same circumference as the opening in the forest canopy because trees don't grow in the ponds.

So, a one-acre pond will accompany a one-acre-sized opening in the treetops. 

All you have to do is remember to look up and find the opening.