Pond Fishing For Bass - Best Baits and Techniques

Want to fish a pond? These tips will make it much easier! Ponds can be some of the best bass fishing of your entire life if you know what to look for and which baits to throw. Keep it simple this year and use Tim's proven method to break down the water in steps. Don't get caught throwing just your favorite lure over and over again, its time to take your pond fishing to the next level. 

It doesn't matter if you're bank fishing or in a boat, this method will help you maximize your time on the pond. Start by covering water with fast moving baits or topwater to gauge how many fish there are and if they're in a feeding mood. Next, switch to slower moving reaction baits to pick off the remainder of the aggressive bass. Finally, wrap it up with finesse baits to catch as many fish as possible. 

Not all lures are created equal. Unfortunately there is a lot of junk and hype on the market today. Below you'll find an exhaustive list of baits we have confidence in for both pond and lake fishing. If you're looking to fill a particular category, these are lures we trust. The links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of every item. 

Creature Baits... 

-Reaction Innovations Man Bear Pig: http://bit.ly/2s51oIV

-Zoom Brush Hog: http://bit.ly/2bnpCRx

Texas Rigging... 

Tungsten Worm Weight- Swagger Vader 3/8 oz: https://bit.ly/3c28mks

Bobber Stop- 6th Sense Peg X: http://bit.ly/2bHjowk

Offset Hook- Gamakatsu EWG Wide Gap 3/0: http://bit.ly/2d07gvp

Fast Topwater... 

Buzzbait- D&M Slow Roller Buzz: http://bit.ly/2t7BMKt

Whopper Plopper- Silent Plopper 110: http://bit.ly/2bsPbQV

Toad- Strike King Rage Toad: http://bit.ly/2dekwdd

Toad- Zoom Horny Toad: http://bit.ly/2aY5lBt

Slow Topwater... 

Popper- Rio Rico: http://bit.ly/2f7gink

Popper- Bubble Popper: http://bit.ly/2yxP2ZQ

Frog- Spro Bronzeye Poppin Frog: http://bit.ly/2HsyqIJ

Subsurface Reaction Baits... 

Swimbait- 4.8" Keitech (Sungill): http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Hook- 1/4 oz Owner Flashy Swimmer 5/0: http://bit.ly/2e8O4Y7

Swim Jig- California Swim Jig 3/8 oz (Alabama Bream): http://bit.ly/2auXfmx

Bladed Jig- Chatterbait Custom 3/8 oz (Green Pumpkin): http://bit.ly/2Ix71mI

Bladed Jig- Evergreen JackHammer 3/8 oz (BHite Delight): http://bit.ly/2popvj6

Trailer- Hog Farmer Spunk Shad (Green Pumpkin): http://bit.ly/2UFkCD7

Soft Jerkbait- Zoom Super Fluke (Electric Shad): http://bit.ly/2aqys0H

Worms... 

Stick Bait- Big Bite Baits Wacky Stick (Watermelon Red): http://bit.ly/2rrNT6g

Stick bait- Yum Dinger (Green Pumpkin Purple): http://bit.ly/2J8nMrF 

Stick Bait- Yamamoto Senko 5" (Green Pumpkin): http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Worm- Netbait T-Mac Worm: http://bit.ly/2jndwj9

Tim's All-Around Pond Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Zodias 7'2" MH: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe

Reel- Shimano Curado 200K: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Line- 40 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- 15 lb Sunline Sniper: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

Budget Pond Combo... 

Rod- Denali Attax 7' Medium heavy: http://bit.ly/2tDsOa0

Reel- Caius B 150 HG: http://bit.ly/2O3Dvuw

Line- 15 lb Sunline Assassin Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel... 

TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G

Tackle Organization: How We Store Our Gear - New Ideas!

Its time for serious tackle organization! We've all been hit by this unexpected quarantine and we chose to make the best of it. Tim spent a few days dialing in his gear and he's finally got it perfected. Want to get the maximum number of crankbaits in a small box? Want to mix senkos with hooks while avoiding any concerns of rust? Tired of your different hooks mixing together every time you run in rough water? This is for you!

Tim started playing with the Edge boxes when they first came out but it wasn't until the quarantine that he really jumped in. The Edge Terminal box offered storage solutions unlike anything else. By individually compartmentalizing all his small hooks he has avoided the never-ending struggle of hooks mixing together. The box itself resists rust and was a no-brainer with all the free time to organize hooks. From there he began finding niches for all of his tackle storage needs. 

Below is a breakdown of some of Tim's favorite boxes for different techniques. The links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions. If you've been considering upgrading your tackle organization, we're very happy with these boxes so far. 

Edge Boxes... 

Terminal Tackle- https://bit.ly/2SuzhOm

Standard 3700 size- http://bit.ly/2t3uHMR

Deep 3700 size- https://bit.ly/3dbdbby

Thin Box (Awesome Space Saver)- https://bit.ly/2VX5eAL

Stowaway Waterproof boxes... 

Treble Hook Storage - Standard 3700: http://bit.ly/2fvjcFB

Custom Divider Boxes... 

Standard Box- Deep Diving Crankbaits: http://bit.ly/2XCbMnb

Thin Box- Lipless Cranks/Blade Baits: https://bit.ly/3fdjgpE

Bass Mafia Bags For Loose Storage... 

Money Bag Plus - 3 Pocket Bag: https://bit.ly/2Yz6tIl

Money Bag 13x16: http://bit.ly/2P059cO

NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel... 

TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G

Underwater Footage From Bass Heaven!! (Is This Even Real?!) Insane Topwater Strike Footage!!

This is the craziest school of GIANT BASS ever! They just finished spawning, they've schooled up on outside structure, and they're hungry! Come UNDERWATER and watch as we throw TOPWATER lures over them. These fish are exploding on a frog, whopper plopper, walking bait, and popper. The topwater strikes are crazy!

Its amazing to see how different the bass treat each of these topwaters. The Whopper Plopper gets hunted down at top speed and ambushed any which way the fish is able to get it. The walking bait is hunted back and forth and ultimately ambushed from the side. The frog and popper are both hunted vertically with the bass shooting straight up and eating the bait belly first. 

There is so much we can learn from this! Knowing how the bass eat the baits tells us which baits to throw when the bass are in different moods. We also see that the slower moving baits will rely much more heavily on "fooling the fish" (bait color, sound, hook color, etc) than the faster moving offerings. 

Below is a breakdown of the baits in the video including our top 3 baits from each category. We've also included our favorite color choices for each style, hook and hardware upgrades, and our favorite rods for throwing topwater. All the links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

Frogs... 

-R2S Bully Wa 2 65(Shown In Video): http://bit.ly/2axyR2a

Favorite Colors: Little Allen, Ghost, TW Bluegill

-Jackall Kaera (Small Profile): http://bit.ly/2Fz6SA3

Favorite Colors: Glitter Hasu, Green Frog, White

-Snagproof Bobby's Perfect Frog (Soft, Easy Hookset): http://bit.ly/2abpR40

Favorite Colors: Brown Bullfrog, Sexy Shad, Tweety

Poppers... 

-R2S Bubble Walker 80 (Shown In Video): http://bit.ly/2e0PZOY

Favorite Colors: Sooner, Loon, Bluegill

-Megabass Pop Max (Incredible Colors): http://bit.ly/2qqfmm1

Favorite Colors: Gill, MB Gizzard, Ito Wakasagi

-Yellow Magic (Small Profile): http://bit.ly/2al0dKP

Favorite Colors: Smoke Shad, Japanese Shad, Alewife

Whopper Plopper...

-Whopper Plopper 130 (Shown In Video): http://bit.ly/2a7ipHL

Favorite Colors: I Know It, TW Bluegill, Chubby

-Whopper Plopper 110 (Stop and Start Retrieve): http://bit.ly/2bsPbQV

Favorite Colors: T-1000, Monkey Butt, Bone

Walking Baits... 

-R2S Rover 128 (Shown In Video): http://bit.ly/2acSVea

Favorite Colors: Abalone Shad, Ghost Minnow, Sooner

-Evergreen Shower Blows 125 (Amazing Sound): http://bit.ly/2zIkqUH

Favorite Colors: American Shad, Emerald Shiner, Bone

-Heddon Super Spook (Inexpensive): http://bit.ly/2diThgH

Favorite Colors: Bone, Lakefork Shad, Okie Shad

Hook Upgrades…

Red Hooks- Owner ST-36 (Size 2, 4): http://bit.ly/2wSknXp

Strong Hooks- Owner St-56 (Size 2, 4): http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

Split Rings: Owner Hyperwire Size 2,3,4: http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

Favorite Frog Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 7'3" XH: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Shimano Curado 200K HG: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 65 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

All-Around Topwater Rod... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 7'2" Med light+: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Shimano Curado 150 DC HG: http://bit.ly/2yHtsp4

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 40 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Budget Topwater Combo... 

Rod- Sellus 6'10" Medium: http://bit.ly/2dQNkw7

Reel- Caius B HG: http://bit.ly/2O3Dvuw

Line- Power Pro 40 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel... 

TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G

Post Spawn Crankbait Fishing Tricks - Speed Cranking For Aggressive Bass!

Forget the way you fish crankbaits! If you're not speed cranking in the post spawn, you're missing an amazing opportunity to catch big bass. Its all about TRIGGERING a reaction strike. Whether you're a Southern Largemouth guy or a Northern Smallmouth guy, you have an amazing opportunity right now to force feed your crankbaits to the bass. The crank's ability to fire up a feeding frenzy is second to none as bass are moving toward their Summer haunts and you don't want to miss it!

This technique works incredibly well this time of year. It doesn't matter if your fish are 20' deep feeding on outside ledges or 2' deep on shallow rock bars. The method works in both scenarios, you just need to adapt the specific baits to maintain the speed at different depths. We find that carrying a variety of squarebill crankbaits, mid divers, and deep divers will allow you to adapt to changing conditions. Also, traditional knowledge would encourage using ghost colors in clear water but we've found that during this period you can see incredible results fishing bold colors like Chartreuse or chartreuse/Blue, even in gin clear water. 

Below you'll find a breakdown of the baits and equipment Matt discussed along with size and color recommendations. The links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

Summer Bait... 

-Strike King 6XD: http://bit.ly/2ery44M

Colors: Chart Sexy Shad, Powder Blue Back Chart

Squarebills... 

-Strike King KVD HC 1.0 Squarebill: http://bit.ly/2Pz3HvE

Colors- The Shizzle, Summer Sexy Shad

-Lucky Craft BDS-3: http://bit.ly/2blTVwI

Colors- Golden Shiner, Ghost Minnow

-Damiki BTC 60: https://bit.ly/35yagXK

Colors- Baby Bow, Threadfin Flash

Deep Cranks... 

-River2Sea Tactical Crank DD 75: http://bit.ly/37dclbX

Colors- Metallic Shad, Natural Gill

-Megabass Deep X 300: http://bit.ly/2sSQHpt

Colors- See Through Chart, Blue Back Matte Chart, Sexy Ayu

-Norman Deep Little N: http://bit.ly/2acSLUd

Colors- Chart/Blue, Chartreuse Shad, Nutter Shad

Mid Cranks...

-Norman Deep Baby N: http://bit.ly/2O9CAcu

Colors- Chart Blue, Nutter Shad, Sexy Shad

-SPRO Rock Crawler 55: http://bit.ly/2BLmsVN

Colors- Phantom Green, Missouri Craw, MudBug

Hook and Split Ring Upgrades... 

-Owner Hyperwire Size 3 Split Rings: http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

-Owner ST-56 Size 4 Trebles: http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

-Gamakatsu EWG Size 4 Trebles: http://bit.ly/2cZrsbY

Fluorocarbon Crankbait Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 906 CBR (7'6" MH): http://bit.ly/2og0BmK

Reel- Shimano Bantam MGL 150 XG: http://bit.ly/2H44yjG

Line- Sunline Assassin Fluorocarbon 12 lb: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Braid Crankbait Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 845 CBR (7'6" MH): http://bit.ly/2og0BmK

Reel- Shimano Bantam MGL 150 HG: http://bit.ly/2H44yjG

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 20 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- Maxima Ultragreen 12 lb Mono: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel... 

TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G