How to Find the Deep End of a Pond

We all know that water depth is important.  Knowing where the deep and shallow areas are can greatly improve your fishing results.  This is especially true in winter.

During winter (or any other time), bodies of water such as lakes and ponds cool off from the surface inward.  Water also cools at a much slower rate than the atmosphere.  That's why you might see steam rising from a lake on a cold morning.  That's also why fish head for the depths.  It's warm down there!

If your fishing location happens to be a major lake or river, finding the deep area is fairly easy.  In most instances, the deepest part of a lake will be at the dam. Rivers are a bit tricky.  The easiest way to find the depths is to Google the river.  If it's well fished, there will be plenty of information posted by other anglers that will guide your way.

But what about those of us who have neither lakes nor rivers?  What about those of us who fish ponds and playas?  Here are my tips for finding the deep end, because casting out to the middle may or may not do the trick.

First, take a moment to look around at the topography.  Water is subject to gravity in a huge way, and I haven't seen a pond yet that's a perfectly shaped bowl.  Use the surrounding streets and land to determine where the ground slopes down.  

Gravity wants to take this water to the lowest possible point.  Where is that?  Look at the picture below.

At the street level just below the houses, the ground slopes down from left to right.  That's a big clue that I'm at the deeper end of this pond.  Look down for the next clue.

That structure protruding from the water is a drain that's connected to a city water system.  When the lake gets too high, water goes in the drain.  So where's the best place to put a drain?  That would be on the lower end where gravity carries the water.  As bizarre as it sounds, lower is deeper when it comes to ponds.

Last but never least, pay attention to nature.  If you see blades of grass protruding from the water several feet passed the water line, you're not on the deep end.

If you observe ducks barely touching the water surface with their beaks to get food, you may not be near the deep.  What you want to see, at least from ducks, is pictured below.

Look at those ducks.  Their bodies are vertical.  They're at a perpendicular or 90 degree angle to the water.  The whole front half of their bodies are in the water.

Take a close look at the feet on the black and white duck.  It's having to tread just to keep itself in that position.  This indicates that the duck is probably not touching bottom with its beak.

All of this, friends, adds up to the lower end of the pond.  The lower end of the pond, with few exceptions, will be the deeper end.