BiteFiend

That's almost exactly how I fell in. Water temp was upper 70's though, so I got pretty lucky as far as the water not being cold. 45F water will take your breath away. I did however just get done putting my phone and wallet in my pocket, and my keys were in my hand when I fell in. The wet phone and key fob I wasn't happy about, but things could have been much worse.

One thing with older brush piles is that once they have been there for a while, algae will form on them. Smaller baitfish will use this algae for food, which attracts bass. For this reason, I like fishing dead wood better than live wood.

Dang, can't believe I forgot FB jigs! One of my favorites for deeper water as well.

In addition to what Catt said, don't overlook spoons, shaky head worms, and swimbaits large and small.

That's a tank! Congrats! Big worms this time of year are a great tool, as you've found.

Tough to tell for sure because of the shadows in the picture but I would guess common minnow.

Looks like minnows.

Zman as mentioned. Also pretty much anything that doesnt have salt injected into the plastic floats.

Some days they like it skirted, some days they like it nekkid. I usually start skirted though because I feel like the added bulk and water movement helps the bass hone in on it.

I would be fishing the points, pockets, and holes in the lilley pads. They should hold fish if they are near deeper water, provided there are a foot or two of water under them. Frogs, punch rigs, and T-rigs should work best. I find smaller fish will roam the edges, while bigger fish tend to burrow themselves under the pads.

I know a few years ago they had tons of problems with rods breaking, but I don't know if they still do. I don't have any direct experience with them, so hopefully someone that does can tell you better than I can.

If you fish from a boat simply let some line out with nothing but a weight tied to the end, get on your trolling motor and go until you reach the end of the line, then reel back in, pinching the line with your fingers as you reel. If you fish from shore, find an open area, tie the end of the line to a tree branch, fence post, car, etc and reel in the line while pinching the line with your fingers and walk toward where you tied it off at. When you get to where you tied the line, cut it and the line will twist back to where it should be.

Are you talking about small paddle tail swimbaits or larger boot tail or hard swimbaits?

I tend to associate confidence with trust. Fishing with confidence to me means that I trust my plan and my abilities.

I have other rods by that manufacturer, however I don't have any spinning rods by them. If it were me though, I would go with the 7'1" M or 7'3" M. A medium powered rod will be better as an all purpose spinning rod than a ML.

So which brand are you settled on? That isn't in your original post. It would be helpful to know so you can get a better recommendation of length and/or power since there is difference in brands as far as what "medium" and "medium- light" are.

+1 I have the 7'2" Compre DS rod and would recommend it. What I like about it is that it is I.M. graphite, which tends to give the rod more tip than H.M. graphite. This makes casting light weights easier and has a little more "give" to the tip to aid in not pulling the tiny hooks from the fish's mouth. The only downside is that is is a little heavier in weight than I would like. That said, I would probably get another one if I needed another rod for DS. Not a bad rod for $100.

Bigger lures, very bright or very dark lures, and those with high vibration are best for muddy water. However, you mentioned that you will be targeting bigger bass. I have found that I catch bigger bass with more consistency when using more "subtle" baits to target them. Even in muddier water. For that reason, rat and wake baits as others have mentioned should work well, as should 10" and bigger worms; preferably ribbon tail so that it gives off some vibration. Hollow body frogs should also work well, but one thing to consider is popping vs non-popping frogs. For whatever reason, I have never caught a 5lb plus bass on a popping frog. They have all been on non-popping frogs; and I fish the heck out of frogs. I think this might go back to the "subtle" idea. Then again, it might just be lack of luck too.

If only there were spots in my area.

Zoom finesse worms or Roboworms.

^This... I also fish a couple of lakes that are very tough to get a frog bite (if at all). From what I've seen, this is especially true if the lake/pond gets a lot of fishing pressure. Does the pond you fish get a lot of fishing pressure? Also have you seen or heard any frogs at this pond? Not that a bass won't hit a hollow body frog if frogs aren't present, but in a highly pressured pond they might not.

Jim Bob

For open water, 17 lb is overkill in my opinion; unless you are talking about some magnum deep-diving cranks. If you are fishing squarebills with that set-up and banging them around rocks or wood, I think 17 lb will serve you well.

Personally, I don't like using a spinning rod heavier than a medium. The techniques I use a medium powered or lower spinning rod for are generally finesse techniques. For techniques that require a medium-heavy powered rod and greater, heavier line is suggested. That is not to say you can't for example, fish frogs with a spinning set-up. However, one would want a faster gear ratio reel and heavier rod to get the fish out of the slop. At the end of the day, remember that what you are dealing with are tools. What sets a baitcaster apart from a spinning reel is that you can use heavier line, have better control of the cast, have faster gear ratios, and the ability to make more casts per hour. Ever try flipping and pitching with a spinning reel? It feels like the process takes years when compared to a bait caster.

No need to be concerned. You can catch more fish by going than by not going though.