I would like your advice

[awjweb]

A friend of mine owns a lake in central Missouri that I have been fishing for about 8 years. I fish there several times each summer. Each time I go there I usually end of catching 4-6 bass appx. 10-14" in length. I know the lake has some lunkers and I know that I can be more successful there. I have fallen into some fishing habits that may not be the most productive. I ask your advice as to what else I should try. How would you approach a like like this:

The lake is man-made, fed by a barely trickling stream on one end and dammed at the other. It's about six acres in size. The stream fed end is about 6 feet deep and the dam end is about 27 feet deep. There is lots of cover in the lake in the form of downed trees. Much of the shoreline is lined with small 2-3" lilly pad beds which extend from the shoreline out about 20 feet. The water is stained but fairly clear with about 5 feet of visibility. Most of the bass caught there are 10" with occasional 14-16" fish. I caught a 24" lunker (I didn't weight it) there a few years back so I know it holds large fish.

My typical strategy at this lake is to the fish lilly-pad beds at the shallower end of the lake. I usually start by running a spinner bait parallel to the weed edge at various depths and distances from the edge. The spinner bait is not usually successful but I do it to see if the bite is active and to cover as much water as possible in a small amount of time in order to find the fish. After that I fall back to fishing texas rigged worms along the edge. For this I fish perpendicular to the edge. I toss the worm a few feet back onto the top of the Lilly pads. I then twitch it along on top of the pads and finally let it drop off the edge and sink to the bottom. I let it sit a few seconds on the bottom twitch it a few more feet and then burn it in for the next cast. I repeat this every few feet along the weed edge. This is how I caught the lunker I mentioned above. I also use the t-rig to fish the branches of the downed trees in this area

If the t-rig is not successful I tie on a scum frog and toss it all the way to the shoreline. Then I skip it along the top of the pads, stopping at the holes, all the way out to the edge, in the same way I did with the t-rig. This strategy lets me get back into the heaviest cover in an attempt to entice the inactive bass out of their holes. Catching fish this way is the most exciting way I can think of but it it not usually very productive.

If none of this is working I go to the dam (deep) end of the lake. The surface of dam slope is rock and gravel. Here I fish perpendicular to the dam. I toss jigs (I like salty craws) to the shoreline and them bounce them down the slope.

What other approaches should I try? Do you see any flaws in my current strategy?

Thanks in advance

[bpm2000]

Sometimes it pays to start with a softer presentation instead of ripping a searchbait through an area and spooking fish - try starting with a trig then going for a reaction bite - sounds backwards but if you bank fish its a good idea.  

[the ohh face]

I fish some ponds that sound similar to the one you describe.  At almost all of them I have caught the largest fish at the inlet stream.  The most productive time seems to be right after a couple days of heavy rain when that stream is pushing a lot of water and bass food into the pond.  At this particular spot in this senario topwater always seems to work the best.  I use a popper or torpedo in early spring and a buzzbait or jitterbug in summer.  Usually catch a lot of fish but almost every one over 4 lbs has been caught when dragging the lure across the current coming into the pond from the stream. And as you didnt list buzzbaits as something you fish with I would recommend them if you dont already use them. I catch most of my big fish on them.

[Cigarlover 1]

I would probably try getting a worm down in the lilly's as opposed to just pulling it across the tops and on the edge. Sometimes big bass will sit in there and wait from something to come to them instead of chasing something on top or outside the weeds.

Maybe try a jig in and around any of the fallen trees if you comfortable with that and some big cranks with a nice wide wobble in the deeper water.

[Guest avid]

Get out the deep diving cranbaits.

You have a great fishing hole.  

Only six acres but with deep spots, and a great variety of structure and cover.

I'm guessing going deep by the dam.  Give it a good workout with those cranks.

then start moving shallower, with a jig.

There is no doubt in my mind that there are five pouners + in that little honey hole.

go git em dude.

[roadwarrior]

I like everything you are doing. I fish some ponds of similar size and would encourage you to fish the entire perimeter. In small ponds even the biggest bass must search for food, they cannot survive by simply holding at one or two ambush points. I catch big bass occasionally on spots that don't look at all interesting.

All classes of lures will be productive on your pond at one time or another. I generally fish reaction baits early, in low light. My most productive time, especially for big bass, is 10:00 AM until 2 or 3:00 PM (either side of noon). During the day soft plastics are my best producers, specifically: Fat Ika, 6" Senko and Micro Munch Tackle El Gordo tube.

Good luck!