There's a three-acre pond near my house that's at least 60 years old (based on satellite photos). It was once just a stock pond on a ranch, but it's been incorporated into a city park and now has a floating dock.

The water is color of milk with a little coffee, and visibility is only a couple inches. I've cast lipless crankbaits off the dock in all directions and never found any structure. The bottom is mud everywhere except within a foot or two of the bank.

I've caught a couple bass at this pond in a few hours of fishing: one about 2 lbs (crankbait) and the other about 1 lb (weightless Senko). Both bass were as pale as a ghost, with hardly a hint of color in them.

What are some good approaches for trying to catch some more bass from this pond? Thanks.

Weightless flukes are always great in farm ponds. As are T rig or weightless worms and I would throw dark colors based on the water clarity. If you want to just get bit, throw an inline spinner (rooster tail)

The Mepp's Black Fury is also an inline spinner that works very well in the spring. Use a pair of hip waders to get you off the bank and fish parallel with the shore line. Move forward around the pond a few feet at a time overlapping your cast from shallow to 2 or 3 ft.

"old farm ponds" are the most fun.

Is a "quiet" lure like a weightless fluke going to be noticeable to bass when the visibility is near zero?

A 3/8 spinner bait with a med Colorado blade. Let it sink and slow roll it back oh and black for colour.

Put on a 1/4 oa. or 3/8s oz. Beetle Spin and go after them. Hope this helps. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

At our tank we did great with frog baits
Most fun was the hula popper

And, if you want to fish bait... Small perch

As Donald Harper noted earlier Mepps Black Fury would be 1st choice for water described followed closely by the little Bomber Mini-Whacker spinner bait in yellow & black skirt. Once the water temp gets up a little you can still get them in muddy water on black Heddon Tiny Chugger.

What size Mepp�s do you like?

Used to catch em on H&H spinnerbaits in ponds so muddy you could not see the bait while it was in the water. Point being, if the water is consistently muddy, the fish have given up on vision to locate food and use their lateral line to feel the vibrations given off by the bait.

The bass are pale white looking due to the muddy water. The baitfish in the pond will also be pale and washed out looking. I would try a small white spinnerbait with a single Colorado blade. The Colo blade has the most vibration.

Don't disagree with the black worms but try the spinner too.

Seems like the No. 2 blade was best for me on Black Fury.