A 12lb bass is a 12lb bass, no matter where you catch him. Just because it is a pond doesn't mean that fish will bite what you are throwing. At an apartment I used to live in, there were two ponds that were stocked back in the day. I fished that pond for over a year and caught some decent sized bass, biggest was about 3lbs. One day, a buddy and I were fishing and this guy who purchased a rod and reel at a garage sale popped by the pond. He was testing his new purchase to see how he liked it. He landed a 5lb largemouth in a few casts on a rattletrap.
My buddy and I looked at each other like WTF!?!?! I had thrown just about every bait you can imagine and never caught something that big. He let it go and I never saw anyone catch him again. So just because you are at a pond, it doesn't mean you are going to catch the big fish.
EDIT: I should say unless the pond is so small and shallow you can either catch him with your hands or a net.
