Is there a Way to Know if There's Bass in a Pond?

[Simp]

Last year, about this time, I was catching a few largemouth in my girlfriend's pond. Though later in the spring and summer they stopped biting entirely. My girlfriend got me a little crankbait identical to the one I was catching them all on except a slightly different color. But it's just about useless to me if the bass aren't biting in the pond. I don't fish little cranks in the lake. So, is there a way to tell if there are bass in the pond? Or do I just have to throw and hope?
[signature]