you'll almost never go wrong with a texas rigged plastic worm... How to Texas Rig a Plastic Worm: 10 Steps (with Pictures) that being said, I have switched from the sliding sinker up front to weighted hooks like this: Gamakatsu Worm Hook EWG Superline Weighted - Sportsman's Warehouse here's how to fish it... the interwebs will be a wealth of resources for learning to bass fish... good luck!
A senko is hands down the most versatile lure out there. It may not be the most fun, but it is by far the most productive for me. Wacky rig it, and if needed place half a nail weight in it. Watermelon is money winner. Light line, light rods, and big fish. My favorite way to catch them though is a top water frog. Give me a grass flat or a heavy moss, and I am in heaven.
Another vote for weightless Senko rigged to be weedless (bury the hook point in the bait). You only need a few colors and sizes along with matching hooks. I have 3" and 5" depending on the size of the fish I'm going after. Baby bass is great for clear or stained water. Darker colors or white for murky water. Minnow or something clearer for clear water. If it's rigged right with the right hook, it'll sink horizontally and wiggle back and forth as it does.
Early morning work weed edges in the shallows before the sun heats the water. Mid day try deeper cover like the trees or tight to the lily pads. Cast a senko parallel to the edge of the lily pads. Start a few feet from the edge then cast closer to the edge with each subsequent cast. Also could try a weedless Texas rigged worm on heavy line (15lb) and cast right in the lilys and bounce it along the bottom on the retrieve. You'll need heavy line to break free if you get wrapped around the lilys.
The other side of that lake is heavy moss. Should I try the frog in that? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I like fishing with spinnerbaits, but using worms and other soft plastics are very productive. You should look up various ways to rig them to get the most out of them. I have caught a lot of bass on shallow crank baits such as Rapala minnows as well. It can be tough to keep up with what bass want day to day, but it's a lot of fun to try.
If you end up using a spinner bait I have to recommend you use a 1 or 2 blade max, I feel like a lot of fish on a relatively unfished pond may be skittish with a 3 or 4 blade IMO
No body else fishes this spot. It's waist deep mud to get there and no one else will do it. Seen 3 people go in the mud and start freaking out. Pretty hilarious. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
All i know is nothing fights like a smallmouth, mine was around 23" and you would have thought it was big ol pike.
Then you've never caught a bluefish. Those things fight like crazy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I would fish that spot early in the year to have the best luck. My favorite are creature baits like a Strike King Smoking Rooster, especially in the spring. Later in the year I go to the topwater frogs over lily pads
I agree with Duke....for plain numbers of fish, a wacky rigged worm is tough to beat. However, for decent numbers and lots of fun..
