Fishing Small Lakes

[Topwater98]

I was wondering what the best baits are for small lakes. I sometimes fish a lake nearby that is about 30 acres. What lures would you use. So far we have mostly caught them on wacky worms. I have tried other baits but haven't caught anything. My brother has caught a small bass on a rebel crickhopper. I have tried hollow bodied frogs a little but most of the lily pads there are tiny. I have also tried a rapala f13 minnow and a red spinnerbait. I think the main forage is bluegill and perch.

[Robdog]

Spinnerbaits cover lots of water. If cover is sparse, you could toss a swim bait with a jighead and exposed hook. Use worms or jigs to feel out the bottom of the pond. I'm guessing you are fishing it from a boat. Just attack the lake just as you would a single cove or creek arm in a 50,000 acre lake, they are the same. That is how I fish big lakes is to break the lake down into small ponds to fish. I have had good luck over the years using this method. I your case you already have the small pond, just be thorough and fish each level of the water column and learn the topography of the bottom. You will be able to put fish in your kreel on a regular basis in that pond.

[MossBack]

I usually have good luck starting off with something like a texas rigged worm/lizard and getting a feel for the water, and then fine tuning your lure selection from there.

[aceman387]

Do you have any rubber worms? Buy some berkley power worms in blue fleck or black and try texas rigging  them weightless and drag them across those lilly pads slowly,even letting the worm fall into open pockets and slowly fall down. When things get tough i will rig small robo worms and yamamoto shad shape worms the same way. I will rig a 4"yum dinger (senko) wacky and cast it out and use it as a top water lure by keeping the rod tip up and flexing the tip as i reel it in slowly,try doing that across those lilly pads. Buy your self a white spinnerbait,its a good basic all around search bait.

[roadwarrior]

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/

[Marty]

My preference is not to select lures based on water size. I've fished waters from 6 acres to 40,000+ and use the same variety of lures everywhere, based on weather, cover, structure, etc. For example, I view a lily pad bed in a small lake the same as a large one.

 

Is my approach right? I don't know, but it's what my gut tells me and I feel comfortable with it.

[Lil'Gunner]

I don't know that small vs big lake makes a difference. Some of it has to do with time of year and where you are - north or south. Having lived both north, south, and in-between, I have found that slow baits like worms and jigs work best in the southern summer, while I have done really well on crankbaits in northern summers. I do great on spinnerbaits in the spring all over, but nada on them the rest of the year. The southern lakes I'm fishing now (all 10-50 acres).. every fish is coming out on green soft plastic stick baits. I give other baits a good long run... nothing. Go back to green stick worm - bang.

 

Forage is important - matching the color of your forage is a good starting point. My current favorite lakes are mostly bream based - you can't buy a bass in there on a shad-colored lure, and I've tried. I get tired of slinging the same things all the time - I WISH they would hit something else!

 

Overall I guess, in my 40 years of fishing them, I find bass in particular lakes go on long runs where they favor a particular lure type and color. Find it and run with it until it works no more. Keep working other things in so that you have an opportunity to catch the transitions when they happen.

[Lil'Gunner]

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/

 

Couldn't agree more with this, too... foolproof.

[Topwater98]

Thanks for the help! Like I said all I ever catch them on are wacky rigged worms.