[Rickhem]

This thread hits on a lot of personal favorites for me. Getting out on those weeded-over ponds before the weeds take it over is a good way to find out what's swimming in them. And watching where the last bits of open water are once the weeds grow can sometimes tell you where the deeper water is too. Makes it seem more scientific when you get back there in the summer and drag some frogs or other surface stuff through the weeds and pads.
And I really enjoy when I can find a otherwise-unknown body of water in an industrial park, or an oxbow kinda pond by scanning through google maps, then going there and catching something from it. Lots don't show up until you go to the satellite view, and some aren't easy to get to, but the satisfaction of doing it successfully is worth it.
Found a little pond in the back of the industrial complex where I worked in Pine Brook that turned out to be loaded with bass. Caught them up to about 4 pounds from there, and it was a frequent lunchtime visit for me. Also explored branches of the Rockaway that flowed around a landfill, and there were largemouth, smallmouth, and pike and pickerel to be had in there.
Gotta love small waters!