I have used a 3" curly tailed grub on ponds and these work great! One thing that I learned from from a young age fishing farm ponds is to walk quietly around it. I have seen bass take off because they know that you are there, at least this has worked for me. Great stuff Randy and thanks for the tips!
I fish in the saltwater and I use 3 or 4" curly tails for flounder and redfish. They're very versatile. Beetle Spin spinnerbaits can have the heads changed, so you can take them with you to add to a curly tail or minnow tail without carrying a bunch of stuff.
@@comfortablynumb9342yea beetle spins are really good for farm ponds, I caught one of my biggest Bass on one, it had the blue body with the white forked tail and I got these at Walmart years ago. I have looked everywhere for these and they don't make this color anymore.
@@moseskongi4746 I caught a couple keeper flounder today on Gulp swimming mullet, 4 and 5". I have been using the 4" mostly but I just started with the 5" recently and they definitely get bigger bites. You can put them on a spinnerbait or I like jig heads with spinners attached underneath sometimes. The Gulp curly tail grubs get a lot of bites too but less hookups. They get a lot of short strikes. But they're good on a bucktail jig. I need to try the Beetlespin spinnerbaits more, and put a Gulp on the jig head. They seem like they'd be awesome for dirty water. I have caught redfish with a spinnerbait called Redfish Magic by Strike King. Those can have the jig head changed too and they're a little tougher.
@@comfortablynumb9342 Gulp swimming mullet is a curly tail, but they call it swimming mullet. You must think I'm talking about their swimbaits or paddletails.
Really admirable that you took the time to make this video Randy. Totally vibes with your old-school direction and somehow projects decency and humility. Well done...Also count me in the ranks of a kid who snuck on to fish farms ponds at night=)
I feel like you can catch those fish with some of your suggestions, but never overlook inline spinners (mepps 3) and bigger, these can absolutely destroy in a smaller/ mid sized pond or slow moving creek
Randy thanks for this video please do more bank fishing videos any video with boats trolling motors anything like that I never watched because I will never be able to afford a boat
I grew up smallmouth fishing and I have to agree with everything here. I'd say I've had the best luck with crankbaits/buzzbaits and the least with plastic worms. One thing I do love to do and have done a lot and had a ton of fun with are poppers and mouse/frog simulates for fly fishing(when you can find the right spot to be able to cast well that is). I've also used them on a normal bass pole as well and man is it fun to have the bass hit those top water lures/flies. I was so damned lucky to have grown up in a town that was also an inland "island" surrounded by some good sized rivers with dams everywhere and just loads of bass and perch. I personally prefer fishing for trout in a stream or river(fly or spincast rod)but If I'm looking for strong fight and good action I go smallmouth fishing first choice.
I have a ton of cranks that are 1/2 inch in size. Floating Rapala's are good too. Roostertails or spinners without tails (silver is my fav). Rebel makes good floating grasshopper cranks and small crayfish lures. And I use small 1 inch lipless (cranks) or also called Rattletraps. The green/black or red/black are great. Yes, cloudy days or mornings at sunrise or in the evening. I dare not fish my local ponds at night, too many creepy things going on.
Thanks for the video. All I do when bank fishing is finesse type gear. My spinning rod setup to the lures I use. I don’t use anything heavier than 1/4oz. One big tip is don’t get caught up in walking to the bank and casting out. Stand back and fish the edge of the banks before you actually walk up to the edge and spook the fish. Many times there few feet off the bank!
My wife swears by bettlespins. I’m over here chucking all kinds of lures that I buy and she sticks to her $1.67 Johnson Beetle spins and out fishes me almost everytime we go.
The old Mann's baby 1- is the best pond crankbait of all time....not even a competition. I've caught more bass out of ponds on a baby 1- fire shad than any other bait, far and away...except in the spring, then it's a red / orange craw pattern baby 1-.
I float tube a pond during the day. At night i took a car battery and ladder to my pond hooked up my black light and had a blast. I must have caught 50 fish doing this.
One of the easiest ways to catch pond bass as a kid was using the spinner bait like you said and just walking the bank edge with the pole extended over the weed line and it would get whacked. Works for river sea walls as well.
There used to be a 1/4 oz spinnerbait at Walmart called the “ Little Money”. Had a photo of George Cochran on it. It’s a good bait. Also good for spotted bass on big lakes. The Zoom Ultra Vibe speed worm texas rigged is excellent also. Don’t forget a Snagless Sally if you’re in Florida.
Bank fishing in the south is a different animal if you fish these TVA lake. I primarily fish Douglas Lake in E TN, near Knoxville. Its a power generator and the level fluctates a lot. No vegetation. Shale/slate botton. No plants, no cover, no crawdads, just shad. And a thermocline. I bought one of those Deeper castable sonar balls. Last summer I used that thing to death. Heres what I found. During daylight, the catchable fish were ALL 24 to 30 feet deep. (Perhaps some current carried dissolve oxygen, IDK. )Which on avg was 35+ yards. So if you cant cast at least that distance, youre fishing empty water if your lake is like Douglas. Unless you want carp or drum. Only at night did I mark a number of fish closer in.
Yellow and chrome rooster tail or a weightless black Berkeley power worm always crushed ponds and the bank around here. I can't tell you the amount of fun I had with a pack of power worms and pack of hooks jammed into my back pocket.
We must be cut from the same cloth Randy lol We even began fishing them at night to avoid getting caught.. best lure by far, at night was a black jitterbug..
When I fish a pond for bass I have about 5 bubble gum zoom floating worms in my pocket, and one on the end of my rod. I can fish it fast and high, or slow and low. Don't need to bring anything else.
You probably did most of your bank fishing when you were younger because you missed the Senko! I bank fish the Delaware River on my lunch break and a Senko is my most productive bait!
The past few years I’ve crushed it on moving baits. Top water, chatters, cranks, etc. This year I find that besides throwing a jig on a casting rod, probably 80% of my catches are coming off worms and slow moving baits on the good Ol’ sissy sticks. Shallow against the bank or going deep it just seems to work better this year. I’m in the northeast, anyone else seeing this pattern?
yea don’t be standin on the bank under the sun and be careful how far you hike in to your spot you’re gonna have to hike back out with less energy and more heat and fatigue
Wait till you get blue back herring, you don't have to worry about bank fishing any more, fish tournaments every week and have not seen a crawfish in my livewell in 10 years, before had to clean up the drain all the time, fish stinks unless you spot light terrible terrible
