I'm just curious to see what everyones go to bait is when you fish a new pond for the first time? 

Most of my choices are made by weather and the make up of the pond like grass, pads, shallow, deep, clear, murky. And also time if year. Best answer I can give without all these variables is a plastic worm always works.

Texas rigged trick worm or senko

weightless senko or a Pit boss

27 minutes ago, joeblowwwww said:

weightless senko or a Pit boss

these two, and i would also add a zoom lizard and rage tail baby craw weightless as well...absolutely love the pit boss in ponds though, its killer. also i'd throw in a white spinner bait

Early I would start with a Cavitrno and/ or Megabass PopMax.  Then, Senko and Fat Ika weightless, Kut-Tail shakey head.  Rage Tail Cut-R T-rigged and Structure Bug jika rigged.  Siebert Outdoors swim jig (bluegill)/ Rage Tail Shell Cracker (Hard Candy).

 

 

 

Senko, of course. Also a lucky craft pointer or a spinner, depending on what I see going on.

Usually a senko or a chatterbait/spinnerbait.

I have had a weightless Trick Worm tied on the same rod since last spring. I know rigged weightless, it's not going to cut it year-round at a major impoundment, but it will in the ponds. If they're chasing, I'll use like a jerkbait. If they aren't, I'll drag it. You can C-rig or T-rig with weight. It's Gerald Swindle's shakeyhead worm. I even wacky rig it and it works! Maybe it even works better than a Senko for that because it's thinner and won't cover the hook point when you set it.

If it's summer, I'll have a frog on. Spinnerbaits are universal, buzzbaits, Spook Jr, Rat L Trap.

And I never leave home without a T-rigged craw and several different worms.

23 hours ago, trick worms said:

Texas rigged trick worm or senko

What's your favorite colors in the Trick Worm? Mine's bubblegum, limetreuse and methiolate. I can't seem to buy a bite in the natural colors. I haven't tried black. I'm also going to get some magnum sized ones because Swindle did a YouTube video on them. He says they're the most versatile worm in the tackle shop. He prefers black.

5 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

I have had a weightless Trick Worm tied on the same rod since last spring. I know rigged weightless, it's not going to cut it year-round at a major impoundment, but it will in the ponds. If they're chasing, I'll use like a jerkbait. If they aren't, I'll drag it. You can C-rig or T-rig with weight. It's Gerald Swindle's shakeyhead worm. I even wacky rig it and it works! Maybe it even works better than a Senko for that because it's thinner and won't cover the hook point when you set it.

If it's summer, I'll have a frog on. Spinnerbaits are universal, buzzbaits, Spook Jr, Rat L Trap.

And I never leave home without a T-rigged craw and several different worms.

What's your favorite colors in the Trick Worm? Mine's bubblegum, limetreuse and methiolate. I can't seem to buy a bite in the natural colors. I haven't tried black. I'm also going to get some magnum sized ones because Swindle did a YouTube video on them. He says they're the most versatile worm in the tackle shop. He prefers black.

I fish stained to muddy water so Black is definitely my favorite with junebug second. I fish one clear golf course pond that watermelon magic works good in. I either Texas rig or shakey head them

Just now, trick worms said:

I fish stained to muddy water so Black is definitely my favorite with junebug second. I fish one clear golf course pond that watermelon magic works good in. I either Texas rig or shakey head them

I haven't tried shakey head for them because I imagined they'd bury down in the weeds and muck in the ponds I fish. But then I fish T rigs with success. I guess i just have to give it a shot.

Just now, the reel ess said:

I haven't tried shakey head for them because I imagined they'd bury down in the weeds and muck in the ponds I fish. But then I fish T rigs with success. I guess i just have to give it a shot.

They have such good action that's why I shakey head them. It hasn't been a problem for me unless I'm fishing a really weedy pond

I always dropshot something in watermelon, 4".  Kut tail, Dream Shot, Crosstail Shad...whatever I'm feeling that day.

Spinnerbait, cover alot of water at different depths. 

21 hours ago, the reel ess said:

I have had a weightless Trick Worm tied on the same rod since last spring. I know rigged weightless, it's not going to cut it year-round at a major impoundment, but it will in the ponds. If they're chasing, I'll use like a jerkbait. If they aren't, I'll drag it. You can C-rig or T-rig with weight. It's Gerald Swindle's shakeyhead worm. I even wacky rig it and it works! Maybe it even works better than a Senko for that because it's thinner and won't cover the hook point when you set it.

If it's summer, I'll have a frog on. Spinnerbaits are universal, buzzbaits, Spook Jr, Rat L Trap.

And I never leave home without a T-rigged craw and several different worms.

What's your favorite colors in the Trick Worm? Mine's bubblegum, limetreuse and methiolate. I can't seem to buy a bite in the natural colors. I haven't tried black. I'm also going to get some magnum sized ones because Swindle did a YouTube video on them. He says they're the most versatile worm in the tackle shop. He prefers black.

I also have trouble fishing natural colored trick worms. I can't remember the last time where a natural color has dominated in any of the ponds I fish. 

 

I like to fish shallow or mid depth............not much of a deep water guy unless I am targeting smallmouth.

Any time I go to a new body of water, I have 3 rods on the deck to start with.

My first plan of attack is to start shallow and see what happens, I usually have a 5" stick bait on a wacky jig, a jig or t-rigged creature bait (depending on water clarity), and a frog. I'll target boat docks, laydowns, matted grass, shallow grass lines, etc.....

If that does not seem to be the deal for the day, I will move off the shallow cover and fish any mid depth grass/cover (6-15 feet of water) that I find with the same wacky jig, jig/t-rig, power shot, and/or replace the frog with a reaction bait that I can rip through or tick the top of the grass with... like a swim jig, squarebill, or chatterbait.

If they don't seem to be in the grass, I work out side the deep edge of it, trying to find areas with good hard bottom outside the grass, and/or isolated hard cover, like a rock pile, man made sunken junk, etc..., again with a wacky jig, jig/t-rig, c-rig, shakey head, drop shot, or deep crank.

No mater what the lake has to offer......I always try to hit points.

If there is no grass in a lake.............I don't go there LOL.

I always have a wacky rig, and now I always
have a drop shot tied on.

Favorites for those: Senko, Finesse worm, 
Trick worm, and Shad-Shape Worm.

Colors: Junebug, watermelon magic, hot
pepper frog, green pumpkin watermelon lam,
black, watermelon orange lam...etc.

1/8th oz leadhead jig with either a 4" curlytail worm in natural or black, or a 3" grub body in smoke color.

A lipless crankbait to cover some water, then a senko

On 6/24/2016 at 9:02 AM, Red Bear said:

these two, and i would also add a zoom lizard and rage tail baby craw weightless as well...absolutely love the pit boss in ponds though, its killer. also i'd throw in a white spinner bait

I'd do this ^^^ not seeing what conditions were . 

Spro 50 rat usaully let me know if there is bass in there or not pretty fast but i guess a senko could do the same