Perro:

Try pulling a few out and looking inside them at different times of the year.That will give you a good idea what bait to either use or imitate.Nice size minnow hooked through the back on a bobber is a tempting treat for bass.Especially the big ones.fish it on the edge of those weeds your talking about,and now they arent a problem,now theyre your friend.Think of it as “soaking”like you do for big pike or musky.when you throw a obscenely large bait out on a basketball size bobber.You know if it moves it’s something worthwhile.Since it is your pond there i no pressure on it.you probably get a ton of bass in the 12 inch slot.A big minnow is a good bait to look for the plus size bass.

Injun:

Sounds like a good place to try soft plastic worms,jig n pig and topwater baits along those weed lines or a snagproof frog on top of the weeds!
Stained water fishing can be a little problem so do you ever use any of the rattle type baits?
Is your pond murky all year or is it from rain fall and run off?

BASS Fisherman:

Fishing visible cover: stumps, trees, weedbeds, rocks, boat docks, and other bass holding objects that can be seen with the naked eye is the classic way to cast for bass. But today, with more anglers fishing for bass than ever before and with the average angler more highly skilled than in the past, visible is often subjected to intense fishing pressure. The result: It’s harder and harder to catch quality bass from visible cover. This makes it more important than ever to know how to fish it right.

TYPES OF VISIBLE COVER: Here are some of the types of visible cover you’re likely to encounter in your area bass waters: Weeds and Grasses. Shallow tributaries, shorelines and coves often harbor visible aquatic plants. Emergent grasses such as bulrushes, maidencane, and cattails protrude above the surface. These serve as a bridge for terrestrial creatures, especially insects, to enter the water. Surface plants such as water lilies are rooted on the bottom and often have a flowering plant growing on the surface. Submerged grasses such as milfoil, hydrilla, coontail, and eelgrass grow beneath the surface, however some types may form a thick mat on top. Pond scum is a thick surface coating of algae that forms in hot weather in slack water. Wood. Stumps, brushpiles, fallen trees, and standing timber are all popular visible targets among bass anglers. Rocks. Bass will hold around large rocks or rockpiles in shallow water, especially in rivers where they use these as current breaks. Man Made Cover. Boat docks, duck blinds, and virtually anything else man puts in shallow water may attract bass. Mudlines. Where muddy water forms around a bank due to wave action or enters a clear lake via a tributary after heavy rains, a mudline sets up. Bass use this for concealment, hiding at the edge where stained and clear water meet.

APPROACHING AND FISHING VISIBLE COVER: Whether or not you will catch a bass from visible cover is often determined before you ever make your first cast to it. Here are some tips pro anglers keep in mind when approaching and fishing visible cover: Wear Polarized Sunglasses. These reduce glare and allow you to spot objects beneath the surface more easily. Many anglers wear Polarized glasses with black or gray lenses on sunny days and brown lenses on overcast days. Approach With Caution. Think of yourself as a predator. Use stealth when moving within casting distance of your target especially in clear water. Bass are wary creatures and usually will not strike if they’re aware of your presence. Avoid roaring into the area with your big motor. Instead, cut off your outboard a good distance away from the cover and use your electric trolling motor to quietly move closer. Avoid bumping into the cover with your boat. Fish The Outside Of The Cover First. Don’t cast into the middle of a weedbed, logjam, etc. until you have combed the outside edges first. If you hook a bass in the middle of the cover and fight it out into open water, it will usually spook fish using the outer edges. Instead, work the outside of the cover first, then work your way gradually toward the middle. Target Isolated Cover. A lone brushpile at the end of a point or a single stump two or three cast lengths from hundreds of other similar stumps often holds the biggest bass in the area. Target Juncture Areas. These are places where two or more pieces of visible cover come together. Here are some examples: 1. Where the end of a submerged tree meets open water. 2. Where two logs crisscross on the bottom. 3. Where a major limb shoots off from the trunk of a submerged tree. 4. Where the corner of a boat dock meets a shallow weedbed or open water. 5. Where a weedline meets open water. 6. Where the bottom or bank condition changes gravel turns to mud, fist size rock turns to head size rock, etc. Target The Edges Of Visible Cover For Active Bass. In nature, all predators gravitate to the edges of their habitat zones when hunting. Just as a lion will prowl the edge where a grassy plain meets a water hole, a bass will prowl a weedline or the edge of a stumprow. Bass relating to edges are highly catchable fish. Work the outer edges first with spinnerbaits, crankbaits, topwaters and other fast moving lures for active biters. Target Deeper Inside The Cover For Inactive Fish. Bass show a marked propensity for holding tight to stumps or rocks, or burying in brushpiles or weedbeds, when inactive. Use slow moving saturation lures such as jigs, soft plastic crawfish and plastic worms for inactive bass. Target Overhead Cover. When not actively feeding, bass may show a marked preference for overhead cover, including hydrilla or milfoil mats, lilypads, water hyacinths, pond scum, even debris such as logs or leaves that gathers in slack water pockets and the back ends of tributaries. They feel a strong sense of security beneath overhead cover and may often be approached very closely without spooking. Flip or pitch to this cover using the jigs or soft plastics. Accuracy Counts. It used to be fairly easy to pull a bass out of visible cover with a sloppy cast, but not in today’s high pressured world of bass fishing. All too often, if the cast isn’t right on the money, the fish won’t strike. Cast beyond your target so your lure is up to speed or at the proper depth when it reaches the spot where the bass is most likely to be holding. Many anglers rely on pitching when working visible cover; this is a highly accurate presentation that works in all water conditions and facilitates a silent lure entry. Learn To Dissect Cover. Don’t think of a stump as a stump, think of it as a short, squat treetrunk with a broad, relatively flat top and a system of roots at the bottom. Sometimes merely casting to the stump isn’t enough, if the bass are holding tight to the root system, they may not bite unless your lure hits this specific target area. Contact Cover. Pro anglers always try to bump their lures into the cover they’re fishing. This gets them close to the bass and imparts an erratic action to the bait as it careens off the object, often triggering a reaction strike. Throw Bass A Change Up. Pressured bass learn not to bite lures they see repeatedly. If you see several anglers in the area you’re fishing working visible cover with spinnerbaits, try fishing the same areas with a different lure that works the same depth zone, such as a shallow running crankbait. Pick The Best Times. When fishing flowering surface plants such as hyacinths and water lilies, you’ll often have your best luck from midmorning until mid-afternoon, this is when the plants’ flowers open and attract insects, which in turn attract bass. On other types of cover, bass often move to the outer edges in lowlight conditions and will be more catchable there early or late in the day. During midday, they’ll probably be holding tight to or buried in the cover.

Each kind of lure has certain times and places in which it is most effective. Careful bass fishermen, those who think about what they are doing and why, know that they can use the lures in their tackle boxes to work for them and that each one has an optimum range of service. Some lures work deep and some stay on the surface; some baits should be retrieved slowly and others should be burned along. So when the fish are deep, don’t (in most cases) go with a surface lure. And when the bass are lethargic, don’t make them chase a speeding bait.

COLOR: As each lure has a job to do, each color has a purpose, too. While some research indicates fish respond better to some colors than to others and that water clarity has a lot to do with what color lure might work best, it ia beyond the realm of most fishermen to obtain a device that indicates the best hues to use. So stick with crawfish colored lures when working close to the bottom around rocks, stumps, and willows. Use a fish colored bait, such as one painted chrome or silver or gold or like a shad, when working around deep points or around schooling baitfish. Try bright colors such as hot pink or chartreuse when the water is stained to the point that visibility is less than 18 inches. But chartreuse also works well in water that is fairly clear, and it is an excellent choice in spinnerbait skirts. Some bass anglers prefer chartreuse spinnerbaits around weed beds (and many like black there), while others go with white shirted lures around wood structure.

SPINNERBAITS: These are the most versatile of bass lures. They can be worked deep or shallow, slow or fast and in a number of motions. They are generally snagless, which makes them a top choice around weeds and submerged trees and willows. Use spinnerbaits generally this way: Try the inline models only in fairly open water, although they can fished among rocks with only a slight chance of snagging. Stick with the safety pin spinnerbaits around trees, willows, weeds, of all varieties, boat docks, stumps, flats, and long tapering points. A spinnerbait is one of the absolute best baits to use if the water is very dirty, especially in the summer and spring. The blades on the lures send out a lot of vibration as they rotate through the water and the action gives fish something to key on as they seek the disturbance in muddy water. Try a big cupped Colorado style blade when you seek to make the most underwater noise. On the other hand, when vibration isn’t too important but plenty of flash is, try a willow leaf blade. The most popular sizes of willow leaf blades are No.4 to No.8. Since you’ll be fishing a spinnerbait mostly around heavy cover such as weeds and wood, be sure to knock the lure into the cover regularly. That is, bump a stump or tree trunk with the lure and then let it settle a foot or so. Strikes from ambushing bass often will occur just after a spinnerbait hits a piece of wood then tumbles down. Too, you can slither the lure over snags that are out of the water and let the lure slip quietly into the water below the tangles to sneak up on lurking bass. Spinnerbaits and crankbaits are generally used to cover water quickly. Generally use a spinnerbait if the water is shallow and a crankbait if the water is deep.

CRANKBAITS: Crankbaits are especially productive on active bass that are willing to run down a meal. When the crankbaits are working to their potential, they are digging their big plastic bills into the sand, gravel or rocks on the bottom, deflecting themselves off objects and bouncing tantalizingly in front of hungry bass. They should be used when you want to quickly prospect for bass along an underwater hump or reef, down a steep or tapering point, along the sides of a road bed or around a launch ramp. Some expert bass fishermen use crankbaits in heavy cover such as trees and stumps, but those are places where a beginner should take considerable care. Because they mostly are floaters, crankbaits will bob back to the surface if you stop retrieving them; but if a hook is stuck in a branch, the lure will be stuck and perhaps unretrievable. Try a crankbait in heavy wood only after you’ve had lots of practice in walking one along a lake bottom so you can learn how the lure works. Many fishermen use three color patterns in crankbaits: chartreuse or firetiger, shad or chrome, and crawfish or reddish orange. These colors will mainly get the job done whenever a crankbait will do it. Another selection of many anglers is the deep diving models over shallow runners because the big plastic bills on the deep diggers serve several purposes. They deflect off snags and they dig puffs and furrows as they nose down into the lake bottom. The result is an added attraction that might draw attention of a hungry bass.

PLASTIC WORMS: Most anglers’ favorite lure is the plastic worm. But it’s not a simple stalk of colored plastic that it used to be. Now you have straight worms, snake worms, plastic lizards, curly tail worms, j-tail worms, and worms with holes, dimples, air pockets molded in, bumps and nubs and flavorings. Then you have the colors. Probably no other category of lure comes in as many colors as plastic worms. But if your just beginning to stock your tackle box, here’s some simple advice. You’ll need two basic styles: a straight worm for flipping and a worm with an action tail for more open water fishing. The j-tail and snake worms provide tantalizing motion in the water and they give off vibrations that draw fishes’ interest, but they also can catch on small sticks, weeds and twigs and foul up an angler’s presentation when he’s flipping. As far as colors go, stock worms in black, blue, grape, and motor oil. And perhaps a metal flake variety in electric blue or motor oil.

JIGS: They are great for flipping shallow cover or casting to deep structure. They are best fished when they are in close proximity to under water cover. There are two basic varieties: The open-hooked plain jigs dressed with marabou or plastic grubs and the bass-style jigs with a snag guard and a rubber or rubber and hair skirt. These often are tipped with a plastic worm or pork rind trailer to add bouyancy and action. You can fish plastic worms and jigs in much the same way. You should keep the lure in close contact with the bottom as much as possible, twitching it in short hops. The jig-n-pig is a top choice when the water is still cold in the spring. It is meant to imitate a crawfish, which is one of the bass’ favorite foods. Many fishermen switch over to plastic worms when the water begins to warm around spawning season, but the jig-n-pig will produce fish all summer long for those who stick with it. Toss either a plastic worm or jig-n-pig into a pocket in a weed bed, next to the shady side of a stump or leaning tree, under a boat dock, next to a submerged rock, along riprap and near boat ramps and points.

TOPWATER: The topwater bait is broken down in two categories: slow moving and fast topwater lures. Examples of slow movers are Zara Spook, Rapala floating minnows, chuggers and poppers. Fast baits are Jitterbugs, buzzbaits, and various propeller lures. Surface lures begin to draw interest just before the bass move onto the spawning beds and they’ll continue to be hot until the water cools down in October or November. In the spring, try buzzbaits and the Zara Spook or Rapala near stumps or standing timber on shallow banks. During the summer, work topwater lures early and late in the day, or when the clouds are heavy and the wind is calm. Bass will move a long way to hit a topwater under such conditions. In the fall, try a surface lure near points and cover in bays made by creeks that feed a lake or reservoir. Buzzbaits work best when retrieved with a fairly quick pace. Allow them to bump the objects in the water just as you would with a spinnerbait. With a Spook or Rapala, however, a different approach is necessary. Cast one out and let it set until all the ripples from the splash-down are gone. Then twitch the lure slightly. Often the strike will occur then, but repeat the stop and twitch throughout the retrieve. Sometimes the strike will occur well away from the cover; sometimes it’ll be right next to the boat. With a Zara Spook, each twitch should be made on a slack line. When you jerk the Spook, it’ll dance right to left and stay within a small area for a long time. That give a bass plenty of time to get angry at the intruder. A strike under those conditions is a moment to remember.

Heavy cover such as weeds, moss, lily pads, reeds, brush, and timber may appear anywhere in a lake, but not all areas are equally productive. The following are things to look for in these particular areas.

VARIETY of COVER: Points: A long, stumpy point that continues into deeper water is always a likely spot, but if you find one with brush on it you’re really in business. Also highly productive are points with extensive weed beds reaching to the surface. Bays: Any bay that is located close to deep water in the main lake, provided it has cover, is worth checking out. Especially ideal is a break in a steep bank, where a small cover results. The bay does not have to be deep or big to give up fish. A tiny weed choked cove can harbor and produce bass all day long, so don’t pass it up as too small. Rip-Rap: Look for cover along rip-rap for an often overlooked spot that can pay off big. If the cover you’re thinking of fishing isn’t in a bay, on a point, or along rip-rap, that doesn’t mean it won’t produce. But there are still things you can look for to help you decide whether an area would be productive. Look for anything that makes the cover different from the rest. If it is a weedbed, are there any logs in it? How about stumps or lily pads? Combinations of two or more kinds of cover are better than just one type. In any kind of cover, springs, feeder creeks and underwater humps, ledges, and channels all add to a spot’s potential. Plants: In reeds, lilies,or weedbeds, the plants often form pockets and openings in the cover. These are especially productive on overcast days, and you should always get in a few casts under such conditions. Also good during low light conditions are the edges of the cover, particularly where it forms a point. Under bright sunny skies, bass move deeper into the cover, becoming reluctant to venture near the edges or openings. The brighter the conditions, the heavier the cover you should fish. Openings in the weeds may make catching bass easier, but a lack of them doesn’t mean a weedbed won’t hold fish. Don’t overlook a weedbed because you think it’s too thick to harbor fish. Remember that your seeing the tops of the weeds, where the foliage is at its fullest, but underneath among the stems, there is plenty of room for fish. Standing Timber: Areas of standing timber and stump fields are prime bass spots. Buzzbaits worked close to the cover are a wellknown bass getter, and spinnerbaits take their share of fish in the timber as well. Shallow minnow type baits can be dynamite when twitched and allowed to rest near a stump or log. Stick baits and standard topwater lures also will work when fished in a similar manner. On Tough Days: In cases of really tough days, it’s time to pick up a flippin stick. Although it’s not everyones favorite way to fish, flippin is often the most productive method when bass get lockjaw. Flippin is also a prime technique for fishing reeds. Once the knack of tossing your jig-n-pig or plastic worm into a small opening in the cover has been mastered, you can flip into almost any kind of cover. Unless you’re flipping, reeds growing high out of the water are hard to fish except along the edges. Crankbaits worked parallel to reeds sometimes can pay off, as can spinnerbaits and buzzbaits, fished in a similar fashion. A Few Lures For Heavy Cover: When fishing weeds or lily pads, for several generations a favorite of anglers has been the Johnson Siver Minnow, with a pork frog added to it. A plastic spoon such as Heddon’s Moss Boss will also take fish, and comes through moss better than other lures. However, the metal weedless spoons offer the best trade-off between castability and performance. Perhaps the most overlooked, and one that is seldom thought of is a pork frog. Fished alone on a weedless hook. a large pork frog is hard to beat in thick weeds or moss. Once you’ve got a bass hooked in thick cover, you’ve got to get him out. Keep your rod high and keep the fish coming. Try to get his head out of the water when you set the hook, and then keep it out, skating the bass over the top of the cover. If the fish is allowed to dive into the entanglements, it could be all over. Be wary of the bass’s movements, and snub its attempts to head for the bottom. Heavy cover fishing is a bit different than fishing open water, and so are the rewards. A huge sow bass busting a hole in the weeds to engulf your bait is one sight you’ll never forget.

holbrook91:

One word: Senko…fish it weightless Texas rigged…Greenpumpkin/Black flake or Pumpkin/Green flake should pretty much cover it…let the Senko fall on slack line…watch your line for the bite…you can sometimes feel the “thump, thump”, but mostly you will see your line jump or they will swim off with it…*note* they usually hit it on the fall….throw it on top of the weeds…drag it to where the weeds end and let it fall…also casting it to the bank or around wood is good also..I wear them out doing this in my parents small pond…hope this helps…

exert-7:

Since this is a small pond and I fish a small 2 acre pond in my backyard almost daily, here’s what I have found that is almost guaranteed to catch them on every cast. Get a small Rapala minnow, throw it out and let it sit for several seconds then twitch twice, pause, wait, twitch twice wait usually by the third repetition a bass or bluegill will hit. If you want to catch bigger fish step up a size and go with a Zara Puppy and use the same technique. Small Texas rigged Ring worm or Zipper worms work well on a 2/0 offset worm hook, 3/16 oz worm weight on an ultra lite spooled with 6 lb test line. The spinners are great as well but as you mentioned they are impossible to keep the hooks from fouling.

Good fish-in’