PondHunter

If you can see them, they can see you. Since you have a good idea of their location, try casting from farther away so they can't see you. Try light line, prefferably flourocarbon, and a split shot about 12" above a live minnow. Or try a very small 1/8th oz jighead tipped with a minnow.

If you are catching turtles, try a larger hook. Catfish have a fairly large mouth. Circle hooks work well too.

In the clear waters I normally fish in, anything other than a knot to attach the lure will cost you. I have also fished in Minnesota for Bass where Pike were present, and the bright silver leader didnt cause any problems at all. Both types of fish tore it up. Short answer is, try it and see. I know thats not what you wanted to hear, but its the truth.

My go-to lure for ponds is a Black 1/8th oz. Jighead w/Yellow eyes, tipped with a 4" Smoke Grub. It can be fished at any depth and any speed.

The Trilene should work just fine.

I am in agreement with this. I still use 6 and 8lb mono on my reels all the time and don't have any problems with it. I prefer Stren, but there are plenty out there to choose from.

I would put 30lb. braid on both reels. My preference is Power Pro, but use whichever brand you like. For Smallmouth, a 3ft leader of 8-10lb Flouro will work, and for Pike, either a solid wire leader or one of the titanium leaders would be my choice also.

I am currently using a 3X Tippet on my 5 wt. flyline. My question is.....What size line do i need and how much of it should I use to replace the forward part of my tippet? the problem I am having is that as you tie more Flies on, it shortens the tippet until its too big to work, and then I have to replace the whole thing. can I use some 2lb. test in a 2 foot section to replace the tip and just have a few spare "leader" sections with me? Thanks!

I remove the split ring and tie directly with a loop knot. I used to use snaps and such to quickly change baits, but when I removed all that hardware, my catch rate went way up.

My favorite is the green frog/yellow belly.

You're right. A Medium Light rod would work very well, and there are plenty of good ones in the price range you're looking at.

I would find another place to fish for a month, or use the noisiest topwaters you can get your hands on. Good Luck!!

Absolutely. It will be even better if it's a Black one too.

I use a 1/0 EWG hook with 4" worms, 3" tubes, and baby sluggo's. I also like 1/8th oz jigheads with worm and grub bodies.

I pinch the barbs down on all my single hook lures. Started after I gut hooked a fish in my own pond and it died very quickly. Since then, I haven't lost another fish even if it was gut hooked. If you use the correct rod and keep it loaded, you wont lose any more fish being barbless.

Jig/Worm-Gopher tackle Mushroom w/4" curly tail Jig/Grub-Round Head, black w/yellow eye/ 3 or 4" grub Buzzbait-black or white

Thanks guys! I will give these a try!

I really like the eratic action of the sluggo. My question is: if I add weight to the hook, or body to get the bait deeper, will it kill the action too much?

I guess I am old school. I still like the Mister Twister hooks with the worm keeper. I primarily fish in alot of weeds and a Texposed EWG hook always fouls too quickly.

In addition to the above suggestions, try this one. While you have a rod setup that is drowning worms, try casting a Rattletrap. The rattle really helps them locate it, and the semi-slow retrieve allows them to catch it. I would also trade the trebles out for some regular hooks. A catfish with a mouthful of trebles can be a pain to release. You have already caught them on a spinnerbait, that proves the fish in that pond will chase a lure. ;D

Texas-Rigged worm. 6" Black Gulp Nightcrawler w/Mister Twister keeper hook and a tungsten bullet weight.

I have a few hook sharpening tools. One is the Luhr-jensen file. It works well on larger hooks. I also like to use a triangular needle file. It is small enough to fit most hooks and works on larger ones as well. The third is a commercial hook sharpener that is really a piece of steel coated with a diamond abrasive and it works well too, but it is mainly for final sharpening as it doesn't remove alot of material.

Shimano Curado E7 on a 6'6" Med Ex Fast Shimano Compre rod.

My favorites are: Topwater Jig/Grub Texas rigged worm I have lost too many crankbaits to snags to recommend them.

I have had alot of success with the Jitterbug in the Forg pattern, and Black at night is just awesome. I haven't used it much lately since I finally got somewhat proficient with the Texas rigged worm Fliippin' and Pitchin', but the jitterbug definitely works. Even Bluegill will try to eat one! The factory hooks need replaced though, and with a split ring attached as well.