# Top water baits for small ponds



## tipul3 (Jan 29, 2008)

I fish mostly small ponds and was wondering what many of you use for topwater lures and is there much difference between evening and mornings. I have been using mostly buzz baits but they dont seem to be working so far, is it too early? I have better success with popers lately.


----------



## BASmead (Jan 11, 2008)

One of my favorite topwater baits is a 6" lizard, T-rigged weightless on a 2/0 wide-gap. Just drag it straight in as slowly as you can while still keeping it on or just under the surface. It works really well in glass calm, low light conditions. I like to fish them all night in the summer. I've done well with bigger ones also, up to 10 inches. There are quite a few good topwater frogs on the market that work great at times also. I like the ones from zoom and yum. The buzzbait seems to work best for me when there's a little breeze to break up the surface. I wouldn't say it's too early though, i've hit a couple good buzzer days this year. Of course the old arbogast hula- poppers and jitterbugs have taken alot of big bass too. Good luck to ya...


----------



## jcustunner24 (Aug 20, 2007)

Definitely not too early for the buzz bait, but if the bass are skittish in a small pond, that buzz bait will wear out it's welcome pretty quickly.


----------



## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

i think it depends alot of water clarity and how deep the fish are holding. In murky water with shallow cover and fish, bigger louder splashy baits are a good choice. If the cover is sparse and the water is real clear and the bass are holding a bit deeper you will do better on more subtle baits like poppers and twitching a original rapala on top.

I did finaly spend the money on a spro frog jr. and so far im very impressed with the results. Frogs are almost always the best if there is heavy weedgrowth near the banks. My biggest bass last year cam in 1 ft of water under a weed mat in the middle of the day on a hollow frog.

also pay attention to what kind of buzzbait you are using, they are not all alike. I prefer one that is a lighter weight with a bigger blade so I can move it as slow as possible while still churning up the water.

as far as evenings and mornings go it all depends on the pond, the time of year, and the weather they are all a little different. I would say though dont be afraid to try topwaters in the middle of the day around shallow cover. Especially in the fall when the fish are really feeding hard for winter. Ive caught nice bass as late as november on poppers in small ponds. Just fish them slow like you would a suspending jerk bait in cold water.


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

my all time favorite topwaters for pond bass are hula poppers and jitterbugs.not that i do any pond bassing these days,but i still think over the past 50+ years,things haven't changed much


----------



## saugeye2 (Feb 15, 2009)

1/8 oz buzzbait, small jitterbug, baby 1 minus and zara puppy


----------



## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

I have had descent luck in ponds with a Rebel Pop-R.


----------



## tipul3 (Jan 29, 2008)

Thanks for all the suggestions


----------



## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

if there are frogs try the sizmic frogs. Any of those types of frogs work but I have a better hook up percentage on the sizmic - I think bc its not as thick in the body and made of softer plastic. if there are heavy weeds try a mossboss. if there aren't a whole lot of weeds try a buzzbait. I like the 1/8 oz strike king. Good luck. I went out early 2 days ago and didn't do so well. 8 pm until just before dark seems best as of late. Later in the summer when water temps are higher the early morning should be better.. Any of the baits mentioned should work well, just haven't used many bc most of the ponds I fish are choked with weeds.


----------



## thedon255 (May 4, 2008)

If you've read any of my reports recently, you can probably guess what I'm going to say - Lucky Craft Sammy. It's a walk-the-dog lure and it's been fantastic for me. I've caught easily over a hundred bass on it so far this year. It's an expensive lure, $13 in the store but you can probably grab one for $8-11 on eBay, but since it's topwater, as long as you keep it out of the trees, you shouldn't have to worry about losing it to any snags. It's most effective when you cast it right at the bank or over a shallow flat. I generally have the best results with it before 9 am but I did catch a nice 19 inch bass at 1:30 pm with it, so it'll still work any time of the day.


I promise I don't work for Lucky Craft.


----------



## noodle8177 (Sep 24, 2007)

Go to your local wal-mart or bait shop and buy a bag of Zoom super fuke white peral and rig with a 4/0 wide gap hook and cast and twitch the bait and if hooked right the bait will jump out of the water like minnows running from fish. I use this rig every where and have taken some 5+ lb bass out of local lakes in the past week on it. Can also be used under te surface like a twitch bait. Just rig it texas style and try it you will be suprised let me know and hope this helps. Also it is weedless!!!!


----------



## Rat (Feb 19, 2008)

My favorite is a black jitterbug in the evenings just before the sun sets.


----------



## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

i like throwing a rapala floater (foil and black) throw it out and twitch it slowly on the top !!!


----------



## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

I see BPS is selling Heddon Meadow Mouse and Heddon Crazy Crawlers...Those were out of circulation for a while but are awesome topwater baits....


----------



## mj39 (Jan 2, 2009)

ive neen exerimenting with frogs lately and havent gotten anything . any tips cuz to be honest i have no idea what im doing with them haha


----------



## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

i just recently decided to try a rage tail toad and i gotta say it's just ok to me.i like the zoom line of buzz toads better.they're just a little quieter.i've caught some on both but i think i'll go with the zoom product from now on.there's also another good buzz frog made by a company by the name of ribbit i believe.try a snagproof frog.they're good and it helps support ohios' economy.


----------



## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

Heddon Torpedo. It's killer!


----------



## Fish G3 (Jul 16, 2008)

Try some wake baits. Manns make a good one.


----------



## back lash (Sep 13, 2008)

Spro Bronzeye frog Jr. in putty and black. This is my new favorite top water frog. It is awsome in the thick stuff and is easy to skip into the cat tails.


----------



## lang99 (Mar 6, 2009)

scum frog all the way


----------



## back lash (Sep 13, 2008)

If you like to use poppers, and there are some good sized bass in those ponds you fish try these. They are a lure i just found in a little bait store in southern ohio, I can cast them all the way across the little pond I fish often. They are made by a company called "Creek Chub". The lure is called "Knuckle Head Jr. It is just over 4" long and it has an awsome popping action. You can "jerk" it and it will give a slow swimming action because of the jointed head. It is heavy. It is not weed-less at all. I throw it between the weeds and it is fine. Here is a link I found-->http://www.lurenet.com/productdetail.aspx?id=i6500jpbb Don't get the Super knuckle head. It is a musky lure. It is 7" long and weighs in at 2 1/2 Oz. Good luck...B.L.


----------



## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

Stanley Ribbit Frogs and Hula Poppers


----------



## topwaterdevil (May 23, 2007)

Heddon Torpedo. Get the prop spinning and hang on.


----------



## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

been fishing my small pond and got my first two night bites on a medium black jitterbug a foot off the shore


----------



## RiverRunner88 (Jun 15, 2006)

if theres thick weeds ive done very well with spro frogs work them over the thick weeds or pads using a jerk and pause retrieve i usually make take longer pauses over holes in the cover..also zoom horny toads around weed edges


----------



## Dave_E (Apr 6, 2004)

In addition to what's been stated:

If the bass are spooky and the water is calm, try a THIN body floating worm.
T-rigged and weightless. You HAVE to try this one.


----------



## awfootball (Aug 10, 2005)

Sizmic frogs are awsome any frogs work though but best hookups on the sizmic. Like "JamesT" said


----------



## lacdown (Apr 25, 2007)

if there isn't too many weeds at the top, Smithwick floating jerk bait... or Rapala....


----------

