What are the best baits and lures for bass fishing ponds and canals?
The best natural baits for catching bass in ponds and canals are live bluegills or shiners fished with a 4/0 circle hook. The best lures for catching bass are soft plastic worms, lizards and toads rigged with a Texas Rig and a bullet weight.
The large mouth bass is probably the most sought after fishing in the United States of America. There is a good reason for this. There is not too much better than wrestling a lunker out of a little pond or canal.
Another great thing about bass fishing is that they are just about everywhere there is freshwater. I have never gotten an answer about how a bass can get into a brand new pond without it being stocked. But they manage within a year or so there will be little bass in those ponds.
Another great thing about bass is that they grow about a pound a year if there is enough prey for them. So it doesn't take too long before you have a pond full of swamp donkeys. Ok. Enough about why we all love bass fishing so much. Let's cover the best bait and lures for bass fishing ponds and canals.
Watch the video below and see one of my best baits for bass in action.
The best natural baits for catching bass in ponds and canals are live bluegills or shiners fished with a 4/0 circle hook. The best lures for catching bass are soft plastic worms, lizards and toads rigged with a Texas Rig and a bullet weight.
The large mouth bass is probably the most sought after fishing in the United States of America. There is a good reason for this. There is not too much better than wrestling a lunker out of a little pond or canal.
Another great thing about bass fishing is that they are just about everywhere there is freshwater. I have never gotten an answer about how a bass can get into a brand new pond without it being stocked. But they manage within a year or so there will be little bass in those ponds.
Another great thing about bass is that they grow about a pound a year if there is enough prey for them. So it doesn't take too long before you have a pond full of swamp donkeys. Ok. Enough about why we all love bass fishing so much. Let's cover the best bait and lures for bass fishing ponds and canals.
Watch the video below and see one of my best baits for bass in action.
I am a fishing guide on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been catching bass all over the state of Florida for more than 40 years. The article below will teach you simple tips and techniques to catch more bass.
The best bait depends on a few different factors. One factor is the depth of the body of water and the depth of the part of the water column where the fish are feeding. If you are fishing a shallow pond that is maybe 5 or 6 feet deep just about anything that you throw will be in the bass' strike zone.
Another factor would be the type of man made or natural structures and aquatic vegetation that is in the pond or canal that you want to fish. You always want to have a bait near a natural ambush point like a sunken log or a row of cat tails. Predators like to use structure to hide and wait for their prey to come to them.
The best live bait in this scenario, would be a live shiner or blue gill under a cork with about 4 feet of leader. I can't imagine any hungry bass within 30 feet of that bait not coming to get it. The wounded bait will be sending out those low frequency vibrations that are just like a dinner bell to bass.
If I didn't have any live bait I would most likely throw a spinner bait to figure out where the fish are. A spinner bait allows you to cover a lot of water very quickly. You will probably want to vary your retrieve to see what gets the hits. Maybe start fast and gradually slow it down to see what works the best. As the spinner bait slows it will also sink so you can use it to fish all parts of the water column.
I wrote a few more articles on this website covering bass fishing during the different times of the year. You can read those articles by clicking on the link you are interested in below.
Winter Bass Fishing
Spring Bass Fishing
Summer Bass Fishing
Fall Bass Fishing
If you are fishing a shallow pond that is full of lily pads, the weed less frog is the way to go. Just make sure that you have some strong braid (50 lbs.) to get your bass out if you hook one in the thick pads. This is the same with floating weed mats. It's hard to get a lunker out of the thick stuff without a stout braid and a reel with decent drag.
The video below covers in detail the best baits and lures for bass fishing ponds and canals in Florida.
Another great lure to catch a bass with is the good old Carolina or Texas rigged worm or salamander. The type of bottom that you are fishing will determine which of these rigs will work the best. If the bottom is nice and sandy without a lot of gunk on the bottom the Texas rig works great.
I also like to Texas rig a crawdad lure and use it like a jig. You can punch through thick grass mats and lily pads or flip it around structure. It's a great way to fish a crawdad.
If the bottom has a lot of gunk on it use the Carolina rig with a floating worm. The floating worms and salamanders have extra salt in the plastic to make them float and make the bass hold on to them longer. Bass like salty bait.
The Carolina rig features a weight above a swivel about 12-18 inches from the worm. This allows the worm to float a little bit above the bottom but the weight keeps it from floating to the surface. This rig is a great way to keep your bait presentation clean and appetizing to the bass.
I wrote another article that covers in more detail how to use a Carolina rig and a Texas rig to catch more bass. You can read that article by clicking right here.
The weight moving through the rotting vegetation on the bottom of the pond or canal sends a tell tale bubble trail as it releases the trapped methane gas. This bubble trail attracts predators who know that means something potentially edible is crawling on the bottom.
The key to using the Texas or Carolina rig is the presentation. You have to have a life like presentation. When I use these rigs, I make sure to move the lure very slowly. It might take me 4 or 5 minutes to reel the worm or salamander back to cast it out again.
Most fishermen fish too fast, in my opinion. Slow down the presentation and you will probably catch a lot more bass. At the very least try different speeds when retrieving your lure.
The video below is about how to catch a large mouth bass fishing in Florida waters.
Best gear for bass fishing:
If you are going to be fishing for bass all day you will definitely need to protect your eyes and skin from the sun's harmful rays. Polarized sunglasses are a must for bass fishing. A high end pair of sunglasses will run about $250 and a lower end pair will run you about $25 with glass lenses. You can find them with plastic lenses for about $5 at Walmart.
I have a pair of the $250 sunglasses that I got for my last birthday. They DEFINITELY outperform the cheaper polarized glasses that I have. My problem is that I am afraid to wear them because I tend to break nice things.
Whatever price range you decide to go with you must wear polarized sunglasses or you can not sight fish for bass around the ponds and canals. The polarized lenses eliminate the glare on the surface of the water so that you can see under the surface.
The best color lenses for inshore and dirtier water scenarios are amber, rose and copper. If you are fishing super clean and clear water or you are fishing offshore a blue or a gray lens is best.
You will also want to stock up on UV performance fishing shirts to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays. These shirts have built in sunscreen and are moisture wicking which means they evaporate your perspiration more efficiently keeping you cool on those hot days on the water.
Best tackle for bass fishing:
You aren't going to catch any lunker bass without the right tackle. The right bass tackle depends upon where you are fishing for the bass and what sized bass are around.
For instance, if you are fishing in deep cover like thick lily pads or thick floating grass mats, then you will need to beef up your gear. I would suggest a 4000 series spinning reel filled with 50 pound braided line coupled with a 7 to 8 foot medium heavy rod.
If you like bait casting reels then I would suggest a 7:1 gear ratio reel with at least 10 or 11 lbs. of drag filled with 50 pound braided line coupled with a 7 to 8 foot medium/heavy bait casting rod.
If you are fishing an open pond or lake that lacks a lot of structure or thick vegetation, then you can get away with a lighter rod and reel combo. I like to use my trout rod for this scenario. It is a 2500 series spinning reel with 8 to 10 pound mono filament line.
Watch the video below and get the correct bass tackle.
Best bass lakes in Florida:
There are a lot of good bass lakes all over Florida. The reason why bass are such a popular game fish is because they live in just about every lake, canal, pond, river, ditch or any place else where there is freshwater and something for them to eat.
The list for best bass lakes in Florida is for those bass fishermen that want to catch a trophy bass in lakes that consistently produce trophy catches. The list starts in the southern part of the state with Lake Okeechobee and ends near Tallahassee with Lake Talquin.
- Lake Okeechobee
- Lake Kissimmee
- Lake Monroe
- Lake Harris
- Stick Marsh
- Lake Istokpoga
- Lake Toho
- Lake Tarpon
- Lake George
- Crescent Lake
- Rodman Reservior
- Lake Talquin