I'm out here in Northern NJ where we got hammered with Thunder storms for today, raining cats and dogs. They only lasted for like 10 minutes at a time though and now i got some spare time, so im wondering what you guys would recommend to throw? I'm going to be fishing small ponds, I'd say 10 feet deep at the most, more like 3-5 throughout. The waters going to be chocolately cause it usually is, and im sure even more so now with getting stirred up by the downpours and the ponds have little structure, mainly weeds as cover. I'm thinking big colorado bladed spinnerbait; maybe some weightless plastics and senkos? Any advice would be appreciated

I love fishing after a thunderstorm.  Maybe my favorite time fish.

all I can say is topwater topwater topwater.

the rain and wind will agitate the water, it gets cooled, aerated and all kinds of goodies get loosened up and enter the food chain.  The shifting barometer and sudden changing conditions often triggers the bass into becoming very active.

I love it.

if you think theres gonna be any chance of lightning, you know what to do  

Avid really knows what he's talking about, but I gotta disagree with him on this one.  I have had some of the greatest fishing of my life "counting rocks" as its has been called with a TX rigged culprit worm after thunderstorms, the exact opposite of topwaters.  Topwaters may very well work but my philosophy is "dont fix it if it aint broke" so im stickin with the worm.

Well I just got in from fishing, but maybe i shouldve named it fishing DURING and right after a storm ;D. I absolutely killed em on a green watermelon senko with black flake. I tried a a buzzbait and some topwater rapalas per Avid's advice but didnt really have any success (I blame this on me fishing em wrong, rather than Avid's advice being faulty ) But I definitely had a blast and will do this wayyyyy more often. Check out my thread in the outings section for the pics here http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1179367314

you did the right thing keeping your baits/lures under the surface....the topwater bit is not on yet here in the NE

I caught the biggest bass of my life after a feirce storm 10 lbs 4 oz they love to go shallow after a storm this bass was in 2 foot of water actually she came into 2 foot of water from 5 feet after my manns worm.I can still see her in my mind how slow motion it was and her mouth open up ever so fast and then turn sideways to run like it just happened 2 minutes ago..WOW the memories

if i was in avidville id tie on a topwater but if i was in northern nj i would probably be throwing a spinnerbait and a jig.  my guess would not have been senko in all that muddy water but it sounds like that was the ticket.  oh well there are a lot of times that i dont think a senko is a good choice, but the  fish tell me differently.

matt

One of my favorite after storm tactics is to fish the mud lines.  I look for area where the muddy meets the clear.  I cast into the muddy and retrieve to the clear.  Bass often can be found in ambush just inside the clear water.  Since I live in avidville, topwaters are my #1 for this.  Followed by flukes or sluggos.  Had some awesome times right after the storm!