I fished a highly pressured community park pond this morning and caught some pretty good-sized males up shallow. They were all tucked under mats of dead reeds a foot or less from the bank. I would just drop it in holes in the mat and jig it around some. I didn't see or catch any females with them but from the size of the ones I caught, I figured there had to be some big females nearby.

As I was leaving, I spotted a BIG bass cruising back and forth just outside the mats near a large tree in about a foot or two of water. I am a terrible judge of size, but a conservative guess would be 5-6 pounds. I made a few casts way past her with a Texas-rigged Rage Bug I had caught the males on and worked it through the slime and grass towards her, but she would never show interest. She would just swim off a little ways when it got close. After that, I tried pitching it about a foot in front of her thinking she may just grab it on the fall out of reaction. No luck. She never left the same 5 sq ft area I first spotted her in though. No bed or anything that I could see, just grass under her. She was only about 4 ft from the bank. I had to get to work and didn't want to spook her off completely so I left.

What would be your go-to in this situation? Bottom-baits just get lost in the grass below her, thick reeds and the tree pose a problem for moving baits with treble hooks, and the tree poses a problem for light-lined presentations (probably just because I've never had confidence in light line). I am thinking a wacky or Texas-rigged senko is the textbook choice but would like some input. A buddy of mine suggested a suspending glidebait or jerkbait that can be darted around then paused in her face as long as I can make it to her without snagging a ton of reeds and spooking her off.

Help me out. I am going to be worthless at work today.

What I would do...
Weightless Texas Rig
Lizard or craw for me, but senko works too. Bury the hook well so it's really weedless.

Invade her space. When she swims off, just leave it there. Eventually it'll piss her off enough to attack. It might take a while. My patience runs thin after 5 minutes or so, but it's usually worth it.

Careful though. Catching bed fish is fun, but hard on the fish. She might have been caught a few times already.

go to Lewisville and buy shiners . that bass on the bed will not resist. just tie a small balloon 4 ft above the shiner and she will come to the shiner and eat it

Thanks for the help. I went back that day at lunch to try my luck but another guy was already over there. I gave him his space and watched to see if he could catch her. He chunked everything in his tackle box at her with no luck.

I haven't seen her again. I am sure she was cruising that bank waiting for a male to push her up, but got tired of getting her head pounded in by every lure ever made and headed off somewhere else.

4 finesse baits to try.. Drop shot, wacky rig, weightless t rig, ned rig