Tonight I used the Ned rig turd worm (Green Pumpkin) and caught 4 small bass at night. Tried the wacky rigged Senko (watermelon red/blk. flake) in deep water but no bites. Sometimes a rooster tail on a fast retrieve works just before nightfall.

It is a fly made out of yarn. Looks like a string on a mop. You can purchase a lot of these materials at Hobby Lobby. It is very simple to make. Good for catching bluegill, crappie & small bass. I use the color "purple" since they can see it in murky or stained water. Go on youtube & they will show you how to make this fly. One of my favorite flies is the wooly bugger. I took the Orvis fly tying class. The instructors are very helpful.

Thank you Spirit I caught it on a purple mop fly on a fly rod. It was homemade. Which makes it even better.

As a Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife volunteer Aquatic instructor, I teach kids how to fish in a derby. (GOF)

When I hear this term I think of "color" baits. For bass I look at the color of the water, the baitfish and the algae underneath & try to match it. Most of the time it is green pumpkin or if murky water black & blue when deep. Try to match it as closely as possible. Look at the back of bluegill's tails swimming- chartreuse.
For me "black & blue is always true".

I bought North Face Men's Ultra 110 Hiking shoes for walking around the pond in wet weather. They are durable and have Gore-Tex. I paid $70 at Bass Pro (a Black Friday deal). They retail for $115. So far they have held up in soggy ground & puddles. Comfortable & have nice dry feet.

For bass try a wacky rig Senko or a Ned rig. For fly fishing crappie try a purple mop worm or a wooly bugger.
If you want all species of fish try a coachdog rooster tail---> largemouth bass, crappie & bluegill.

3 times or more a week since the pond is right in back of my house. My best fishing is at night. That's when the real fish come out.

I caught my big bass on a wacky rig 5" blk./blue Senko, a Ned rig TRD (green pumpkin) worm, & a gold fluttering spoon. Catching big bass requires patience & stealth.

He doesn't like snap swivels or beads. An old man with his hat on backwards to cover his bald head. Hope he does not get a suntan or have a treble hook hit him in the head. Has a salt water perspective with a strong sense of "cheapness". Don't you use "a bead" in the Carolina rig in freshwater? It attracts the bass's attention by sound.
I use a barrel snap swivel with a U shape rather than a pointed one. Other than the needle nose pliers, can't buy his argument.

I once hooked into a huge bass using a cricket lure and a lightweight spinning rod and 10 lb. monofilament line during the daytime no less, in a pond. I could not believe how strong this bass was. My drag on my Mitchell 300 kept going off. Every time I reeled this devil in she pulled back more line. After 4 minutes of this I made a terrible decision of trying to horse this monster in. Frankly I did not have the right equipment or the experience needed at that time. I stripped the small Rebel crickethopper lure out of her mouth with its small treble hooks. That was the biggest freshwater bite I ever had. Looking back then I made many mistakes. It will be a long time before I forget that fish & what could have been. I have gone on from that experience however and caught large bass. Makes me appreciate what fly fishermen go thru. I hear the hurricane coming outside, let me get off this computer.

Try moving around to find the location of the fish to get bites. Don't cast in a desert and don't fish history. Look for all the probable places for bass to bite like trees & grasslines. Everyone gets skunked. Sometimes even for a week. So you must be persistent and be smarter than the bass. You are not alone.

Can't miss fishing the rooster tail. Next bet would be the Rebel Cricket\hopper. For large Bass the wacky rig Senko (Blk\Blue).

For learning lures I use one until I get a bite. I started out with a fluttering spoon & cricket hopper for bass and moved on up. In the beginning I could not figure out how to get a bite on crankbaits lol. Learn the bite & its proper presentation. Develop a technique of your won. A lot of anglers told me they do not like the Ned Rig because they lose too many fish. Yet every company now has gotten into the Ned Rig business. Spend time on the water to find your confidence bait. It will come gradually. As a start use a rooster tail. Multi- purpose lure.

I wear a mosquito net with a wide brim hat along with a rain coat along with some chest rub on my neck and wrists & disposable latex gloves. I assume you are wearing jeans along with hiking boots. Gnats can be bad also. i learned the bass & mosquitos bite in prime time & you have a short window.