bass baits for fall ponds

[nashontheriver]

i fished a friends pond yesterday just outside of Muncie. The weather was mid to upper 60's and a bit breezy. The whole pond is surrounded by tall grass growing out of the water near the banks. a few spots are cleared. with in an hour and a half my friend caught about 5 bluegill and i had a 1 1/2lb+/- lmb. i used a white booyah spinner bait (pond magic). a fun time for late october...any recommendations for other effective bass baits in this environment?

[Grey Wolf]

Rat-l-traps.

[chubaka]

Rat-l-traps.

x2

[Tokyo Tony]

In my opinion, fishing ponds from shore in the fall in colder climates is one of the toughest ways to catch bass. You can never go wrong with a dark-colored senko, fished very slowly. A 3/8 oz black/blue jig is also one of my go-to baits. Lastly, when the water gets colder, I usually opt for a black/blue Chatterbait, 1/4 to 3/8 oz, instead of a spinnerbait, which is a go-to for me all summer. Chatterbaits put off a lot more vibration and you can fish the lighter ones very slowly, which is a big plus. Cast it out, let it sink to the bottom, give it a jerk to get the vibrations started, then slow-roll it along the bottom, literally as slowly as you can, as long as the blade is vibrating, rod tip down. I love the feel of strikes on a slow-rolled chatterbait :-)

Let me know if you have any luck on the Chatterbait - I'd love to hear some success stories.

[J Francho]

Tony, lots of success on chatterbaits...fall and spring.  Generally, I like black, but there is something about purple.  I know they seem that they put out a lot of commotion, but I've always felt they left a subtler signature.  maybe I'm off on that.  They do work.

[Crestliner2008]

If the water temps dip into the 40's or low 50's, then you can't beat a 4" Senko wacky rigged. The problem with rattletraps fished from shore, is that if you have only a limited shoreline access, you run the risk of "putting them off the bite" real quick! Sure....if they're aggressive, it's a great presentation, but if they are at all spooky, you'd be much better off working the area thoroughly with subtler presentations.

[dman]

A pond i fish all time has completely shut-off in the last 2 weeks...>Water temps now in the mid 40's....I've thrown everything in there and not even a tap,  cannot figure it out....I just want a few more fish before i pack it in for the year!

[JigMe]

You can try a 5" senko. I have always had some luck when nothing else works.

[CRFisher]

Spoons.

[GoIrish]

I usually go with green pumpkin or white stick-os or go with a slow jig. Thats just what i do in northeast IL

[MskSlyr]

I would have to second using some of the soft plastics in particular the stick bait style slowly. Pond fishing in the fall can produce some real hogs.

[nashontheriver]

great ideas, thanks. i mostly stick to the river, i had 2 of my best this year a couple of weeks ago. next time i'm at the pond, i'm taking some senkos. they seem to get talked about a lot on these boards.

[lockus]

Went 3 times this week at local ponds and caught a few fish.

Casting from shore with a Rattlin Rapala - Baby bass color.  Steady retrieve, hitting the tops of weed patches and ripping across when I feel them.

Fished a few hours each time and caught 2-5 fish between 2-3 pounds.  When they hit it you'll know.

Good luck.

[nashontheriver]

i wonder how late in the year the rattle type baits and senkos will be effective? i'm heading to a friends  pond sometime this week. last time all i caught were bluegill and crappie at this location. i'd sure like to catch a few more bass before the end of the year.