Last week I found a small man-made pond in the woods nearby and thought I'd give it a try. I noticed tons of very small sunfish around the edges and even caught a glimpse of two good-sized large mouths swimming by, but after three trips I haven't landed one. I'm fairly sure these bass are pressured and very finicky about what they eat. I've tried everything from top-water frogs to Texas-rigged Senkos, with no luck other than I did manage to hook one on a white/chartreuse crank bait, but he threw the bait just as soon as he hit it. Anyone have any experience as far as what might work for these finicky large mouths?

A jig.  Is the water stained, dingy or clear?

I would start with a black and blue jig with a black and blue trailer or a PBJ jig and PBJ trailer.

Later,

If a Senko with fluorocarbon won't work than i quit!!!!!

I fish one private pond near my house and they won't touch a senko of any brand.  Not one, but you throw a jig, or a spinner bait or especially a buzz bait and hold on.  But they will not and I mean will not touch a senko at all.

Later,

Same here with the Senko's I throw a senko and will not get much but if I throw a Gambler Giggly Stick on a 1/4th oz spot remover I can catch a whole lot more and usually a lot more bigger fish.

Try a small spinner or buzz-bait in the evening right before dark.

Thanks everyone,

I'll give the good ol' jig a try. Spinnerbait didn't work last time, but I'll try it again. I've had good luck with senkos on area lakes, but no dice here, which is why I was stumped. Happy fishing.

Oh by the way, water is slightly stained and pond is about 3-4 feet around edges and gets as deep as 10-15 feet in the middle (as far as I can tell).

Any structure at all in there?

I would throw parallel to the bank with a spinnerbait.

Try a 1/8oz Strike King Bitsy Bug in Black/Blue or Green Pumpkin

with matching Paca Chuck Trailer.

GOOD LUCK!!

BB

If a Senko with fluorocarbon won't work than i quit!!!!!

x2, or a trickworm

Try a shakey head or a drop shot. If that doesn't work then those fish need to see a swimbait ASAP! ;D

Sometimes a thin 6" curl tail worm like a Luck "E" Strike or cheapo Renegade from WM will work for me when nothing else will. I guess the tiny profile combined with the little bit of tail action makes them look like an easy meal.

They also smell pretty darn tasty as well.

Baby 1-.  Bang it into any structure you can find.  Also love a clear tiny torpedo for topwater.

white king size buzzbait right before dark and also green pumpkin bleeder tube during the day

The tricky pond I fish the fish really and I mean really like the black Cavitron with black blade, in 1/4 and 3/8oz.

Later,

Plastic worm (6" to finesse to RT Anaconda), tube, hula grub, and toads (worked above and below surface).  Also, have you tried different colors/sizes of senkos?  Wacky rig?

Try a firetiger 1/8th oz buzzbait with a trailer hook, or burning, and I mean burning a white spinnerbait. On the spinnerbait, add a bulky trailer and a trailer hook. You might want to cut down the skirt size a bit to. Make it easy for the bass to inhale the bait, 'cause when your movin' it as fast as ya need to, those bass need all the help in the world. But they can get their mouth on it. Also, if you can find clearer water, try a small swim-bait in 'gill colors. Pond bass are usually finicky 'bout their colors. Baby Bass, Bluegill, or nothin' else. 'Cept the occasional 60mph white spinnerbait. Also, if their hitting but not taking the buzzbait, switch over to a firetiger or bluegill wakebait. If the fish are shut down, try a 4 inch finnesse worm in translusent colors in the clearest water you can find. Hope this helps. This is what I've found to turn on the bass in the man made, heavily pressured pond five minutes frommy house.