Like many, I fell in love with bass fishing by cutting my teeth in farm ponds. They are really a prime place to build confidence, learn new techniques, and generally just allow you to catch good numbers and quality without breaking the bank and traveling long distances. Really, I still find a whole lot of enjoyment to this day by getting away to our private pond and catching a few. From my experience, here are 3 baits that should lighten the load of your tackle box while still allowing you ample opportunity to catch some pond bass.

Worm

This is really the old faithful of bass fishing in general. I want to say that the first bait I ever casted specifically for bass was a black curly tail work on a Texas Rig. And things haven’t changed a whole lot. A simple Texas Rigged worm is a staple for good reason; it just catches fish. It can work well no matter the conditions you face, whether the pond is stained or clear, grassy, or clean. Simply cast it out and drag it back and you’re sure to get a few bites.

Fluke

It is hard to beat a weightless fluke when bass are actively feeding. Anytime that I notice the bass feeding on baitfish like shiners and other species, I will always have a fluke ready to cast in their direction. It can be twitched quickly across the surface making for some fun explosions, or even fished slowly for more finnicky fish. In either case, I don’t go to my pond without one.

Frog

This one actually took me a while to get comfortable with, as it is with many others. Sometimes you will go a little longer between bites and sometimes you’ll miss a fish because you get a little too excited when one hits; but man is it worth it. It is likely the most snagless lure you can throw, so if you have a lot of grass in your pond it is an excellent option. It does tend to catch bigger fish than other baits. And man is there anything more awesome than a bass demolishing a topwater frog!? My advice with a frog is to tie one on and don’t put it down. Your confidence will build quickly once you catch a couple!

Of course, it’s easy to want to drag along every lure you own whenever you go out in search of bass but narrowing it down to just a handful of baits usually results in more fish and less time fumbling through boxes and only growing more confused. None the less, I genuinely believe I can go to any pond in the country and have a great day with only these three options.

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