river-rat

State - Louisiana #1 - Jig - Black/Blue/Orange and Black/Blue with a Zoom Flippin' Blue trailer #2 - Larew Hawg Craw - T-rigged or, like Catt, I sometimes use it as a jig trailer #3 - Buzzbait - specifically a 1/2 oz Boogerman Magnum Racket Buzz As a side note - with a couple of exceptions, every fish I've caught over 7 lbs at Lake Cataouatche has been on a 1/2 oz. Johnson Silver Minnow.

From the way you described the pond being shallow with lily pads, I would use the following (in no certain order). Snagless Sally (3/8 or 1/2 oz.) with an Uncle Josh #11 pork frog. The Sally is an inline spinner bait and comes through vegetation really well. They have been in production for over 40 years and still work extremely well. I use them on a regular basis. Johnson Silver Minnow (1/4 or 1/2oz.) Extremely effective around lily pads. Use a pork frog or a 4" grub as a trailer. The plating process used to manufacture the lure requires that you sharpen the hook before using. Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm. Use a texas rig either weightless or a light slip sinker and swim this through and over the lily pads. Spro Frog or a toad type bait (Horny Toad, Ribbit, etc.) I love to fish the type of pond you described and these lures usually produce for me.

I've been using the Johnson Silver Minnow with a rubber spinnerbait skirt for a trailer since I started bass fishing in the mid-60's and it still catches fish. Just be sure to sharpen the hook before using it.

The majority of my fishing is in south Louisiana, specifically the Atchafalaya Basin/Lake Verrett area. For jigs, I use two different skirt colors to imitate bluegill/bream depending on water clarity. For water with at least 12" of visibility, the best has been a skirt made with brown/orange glitter, pumpkin/green glitter, and orange. For a trailer, I'll use either a Larew 4" Salt Craw in pumpkin pepper/ green glitter/chartruese claws or a Zoom rootbeer/green glitter trailer. In less than 12" visibilty (which is the majority of the time) a black, blue, and orange skirt with a Zoom flippin' blue trailer has produced best. For crankbaits, I have had really good success with a Lucky Craft Fat BDS 2 in the green chartruese rootbeer color. black and chartreuse, or green and chratreuse.

I basically rely on two colors - for light to medium stained water I use tennessee shad - for heavy stain to muddy water it's hard to beat Black and Chartruese.

I used both the Timber Tiger and the Brush Baby with a lot of success for years. Both come through heavy wood cover as well or better than any crankbait I've ever used.

For 10" worms, I use a Mustad Denny Brauer Filipping Hook in 4/0 or 5/0 and haven't had any problems.

Absolutely not. I've caught fish on Zara Spook's and a Devils Horse in the middlle of the day during summer many times. I concentrate on fishing isolated cover that produces a lot shade. Make multiple casts and don't give up. Some of my biggest summertime bass have come on a topwater between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM.

I carry the Tiny Torpedo and the Baby Torpedo.

I focus more on sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset than I do the solunar tables. I've been tracking sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset for over 20 years and believe that generally fish are more active during a period beginning 45 minutes before to 45 minutes after each occurence (1.5 hours total). I always want to know this information for the day I'm fishing. When you have two of these events occurring at basically the same time (example - sunrise/moonrise), I've had even better results - as long as weather conditions don't change things up. If you have any practice time before the tournament, try to be on the water before day light and see if you can establish something for a very early bite. To get complete sun and moon data for one day, follow this link and fill in the blanks. I always check this site before I fish. Good luck. Complete Sun Moon Data for One Day

I use the glass worm rattles for worms and creture baits and a glass tube rattle for tubes.

I've been wearing the Keen's Newport H2 sandals for the past 5 years and would recommend them for summer time wear.

Since most of the areas I fish at night are no deeper than 7-8', I use a 1/2 - 5/8 oz. spinnerbait in black/blue with a #11 Pork Frog trailer or a big worm in black/red glitter or junebug. I'll also have a black buzzbait and a jig as backups in the rod box when the fish turn down my first two options.

Same as Catt - Mustad Denny Brauer straight shank round bend flippin' hook. If I'm having trouble with the bait sliding down the hook I'll use a Parasite Clip to hold it in place. You can get the Parasite Clips at ***. You could also use a toothpick through the eye of the hook to do the same thing.

I try to keep things really simple at night by having no more than 3 rods on the deck rigged with the following. 1/2 - 5/8 oz. spinnerbait with a black/blue skirt 1/2 oz. buzzbait For plastics I use a 1/4 oz. flipping jig head rigged with an 8" - 10" worm or brush hog.

I replace the treble hooks on all of hard baits with either the Mustad Triple Grip (Black Nickel) or the Gamakatsu Round Bend trebles. Haven't been disappointed with either one.

I use the Mustad Denny Brauer Flippin' Hook in 2/0 or 3/0 for baby brush hogs.

You might try emailing Bagley Baits (sales@bagleybait.com) and asking if they know of an online retailer selling this item. I've done this with a couple of other tackle companies and was able to get the item I as looking for.

A black buzz bait is my main topwater bait at night - especially the Boogerman Magnum Racket Buzz (1/2 oz). But I've also done well on a Strike King Rage Toad or Rage Shad and the Stanley Bull Ribbitt.

Gene Larew Salt Craw (4" and 6") Rage Craw Zoom Super Speed Craw

I've been using the Johnson Silver Minnow and Rex Spoon for many years. The biggest bass I caught last year was on the JSM. (9.9 lbs)

I use t-rigged tubes quite a bit and have come to rely on the following. Strike King Denny Brauer Flippin' Tube (4 1/2") Green Pumpkin - Red & Green Glitter Black Red Glitter Right Bite Tube (4" and 5") Green Pumpkin - Red Glitter Black - Red Glitter Black - Blue tail Reaction Innovation Boom Boom Tube (4" and 5") Coonasty (without a doubt my #1 tube in the Atchafalaya Basin) Penetration Cal 420 Net Bait Tube (4'and 5") Bama Bug

I've been using the 8" and 9" Jelly Worm in blackberry or black grape for years in addition to a 10" ribbon tail. Some nights it produces more than the ribbon tail.

It's hard to beat a black buzzbait with a black blade during these periods.

At times I'll add an extra skirt to a spinnerbait when night fishing or during the pre-spawn to increase the size of of the profile. And, like Catt, I'll sometimes add an extra skirt to a jig when I want slow the fall rate.