What's the best summer pond bass lure and catfish bait??

I prefer chicken liver or live perch for my catfishing, but in a pond setting i have also had really good luck with shrimp.

For Bass I prefer the old standby texas rigged worm or lizard, spinerbait, or a topwater ( pop-r ) style lure.

I am not sure on the catfishing. I seemed to always catch them with bacon.

I agree with "dwaynez" on the bass. With the addition of rattle traps, and crankbaits. Provided that its not too shallow, or too much vegetation.

Pond Fishing with Storm Shad baits, if there is not too much grass or moss. Texas rigged Purple worms, is my favorite. However, if you need to cover a lot of water, a crawfish colored crankbait, medium diver, or spinner bait. Depends on the water depth, color of the water and points of interest. Like, logs in the water (Worms), points (worms, or crankbaits) cat-tails (Spinner baits)....Just about anything that looks like the size of the bait fish in the pond will work. I have fished with purple beatle spins and caught over 100 bass in a pond before. Just do not fish with too big of line and lure!!!! Have fun and watch out for SNAKES!!! Saw one today and made my heart beat a little faster! Key on points and timber. Just like you would fishing any new lake!

For your cats I`d say shrimp or nightcrawlers in ponds. Bass probaby spinner baits, pop-r's, and senkos type worms.


Lester

I did pretty good with hot dogs fishing for cats on a small pond in flower mound.

I'm with dewaynez on the PopR. It's perfect in the evenings. I use a bone colored 1/4 oz.

They may be the same lure! This summer I have caught two catfish from a 1/2 acre pond while fishing for bass. The first hit a Mann's baby 1-minus in perch color in 4' of water. The second ate a 3" tube, green w/gold flake, t-rigged.
I wonder if I tried chicken gizzard, would I get a nice bass?

Small spinners like white rooster tails on ultra light is a winner on yearling to 3lb bass. Purple plastic worms for mossy ponds and bass on medium action.
You can ask anyone I ever fished with, I can catch catfish on cue on darn near anything. I can't seem to get away from them.

all above are good! i start off with topwaters, torpedos and pop r s.....then move to plastic worms...but if there is grass i will toss a small buzz bait then my personal favorite is a sluggo, a wave worm or senko or a fluke, but i will use a 3/0 hook on those and hammer the fish. I did that this weekend and most fish came on wave worms.

Pond bass are suckers for senko or fluke type baits. Won't fish a pond without them. Actually starting using the 3x zero and z-too b/c of pond fishing. It was way too expensive to use flukes and senkos when you can only catch 2 fish before they tear up. Try catching 50 or so fish and it gets really expensive. I usually only go through 2-3 of the 3x baits for that many fish.

I used the 3x and the snapback lizzards and caught over 30 fish on about 5 baits.....forgot about that, need to go get more for the next time.

Please excuse the "newbie" question, but I'm assuming your not talking about using the $7.99/Lb. shrimp for bait. Where do you get bait shrimp?

Another bait question. I was fishing Lavon a few weeks ago, with my usual Lavon luck (skunked). I look down and crawling on the rocks right at my feet was a medium=sized crawfish. Is it legal to pick them off the rocks and use them for bait? Would think that wherever there are crawfish, there are fish to eat them.

Thanks in advance.

you can buy the shrimp at academy and I don't think it's illegal to pick them off the rocks and use them.

I like Baby Brush Hogs, Small Craws, Bitsy Jigs, Spinner baits and senkos. One bait I haven't seen anyone mention is the Floating Worm. This bait is great in small ponds for bass. Rig it weightless with a 2/0 hook on 10lb test. I fish a bright yellow, organge, or pink worm.