Slano Kopovo

A pond is small, shallow and intimate, and on most days the fish are within casting distance from anywhere on the bank. That does not make them easy: in clear, still water the fish see you, hear you and learn quickly. The best spots are the ones with cover and a little extra depth — the inflow or outflow, an island, an overhanging tree, a lily bed, the corner where the wind drives food. Carp cruise the margins and bask under the surface on warm days; tench and crucian carp root along the reed edges at dawn; roach and rudd take insects off the top. In a small water the fish are sensitive to weather: a warm afternoon or a change in pressure switches them on or off in a matter of hours.

Float fishing is the heart of pond fishing: a light waggler or a pole float close to the edge, small baits, delicate presentation and a steady trickle of feed. Feeder fishing with a small method feeder is a reliable choice for carp and bream on a bare patch of bottom, and ledgering with a simple lead and bread or a boilie in the margin takes the biggest carp at night. Light spinning with small lures along the reeds and lilies picks up perch and the odd pike. Keep noise down and stay back from the edge.

Ponds warm fastest of all waters, so spring comes early and the fish feed in the shallows within days of the first mild weather. Late spring and early summer are the best, with carp on the surface and tench at dawn. In summer the small water gets warm and low in oxygen, so night and first light are the times to fish. Autumn cools the pond quickly and produces a short, hard feeding spell before winter, when the fish sit in the deepest hole and rarely move.

Fish the margin directly under your feet before anything else — in a pond the biggest carp feed a metre from the bank where nobody bothers to cast.