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For the last 3 years my buddies and I have been fishing a fairly small 10 acre water shed in the spring and the fall. Spring is great with 4-8 pounders. Fall(october) is a different story with a lot of 1-2 range. The water is usually dark stained and temperatures outside reaching 95-105. There is plenty of cover on the banks from moss to grass, trees, docks. The deepest part of the water shed is about 20-25 ft deep. My question is the proper way to pull some of the big hawgs out. Do I fish deep with a crank bait or carolina rig in the deep sections or fish the abundent cover? I just want to out fish my buddies this year! Help!

Loy, my choice would be crankin the fringes of the deeper water. Id' choose areas about fifteen feet deep and fish a bone or off-white color crank designed to run at least fifteen feet. Look for any cover that may be near that depth, run the crank down fairly fast then slow up to a medium retrieve. Make the longest casts you can.
Second choice would be to flip or pitch the boat docks with a black/blue creature bait. Learn to skip the bait up under the docks floatation or behind any wooden or steel posts. Allow the bait to settle then swim it back to you. There's always fish around docks, usully there are bait fish feeding on the algae growing on the floatation, bluegill and crappie are also usually there, this attracts the bass. Also the water should be shady under the dock which affords cooler tempertaures and more active fish. Johnnie

The Norman DD22 is an affordable crankbait for the application Johnnie is talking about. If the water is clear though, I would flip or pitch a brown jig (or something natural in color) around the docks. JMO of course. I havent had much luck with a black and blue jig here in Missouri, but the lakes I fish are pretty clear.

One thing I've learned about those small bodies of water in summertime.

They tend to stratify very significantly, the Hypolimnion, lower strata is anoxic and will be devoid of fish.
Exception, if there is sufficient incoming or outgoing current, a spring or long periods of significant wind.

Which means that under most conditions all fish will be above the thermocline, and easily available to shallower methods. But, during the day the larger fish will be inactive, even negative. There will be a few active large fish of course. But for best results, very early (if you can see the sun, you're too late) dusk and dark.

Some of the absolute best fishing I've ever had from these smaller waters has been at night in July and August. Big Jitterbugs and Buzzbaits. Slow and steady retrieve.

Just make sure you have permission from your cardiologist and an empty bladder. Those fish tend to hit right at your feet with an enormous explosion that will soak you to the skin!

(I have a story about it that will make you laugh your buut off.)

sorry i haven't replied getting ready to go again to the spot. Thanks for all the advice and I'll give everyone of them a try. Thanks to all!!

I'm going to have to be a little different here on my answer. What everyone has told you above will work! Hot water bass'n the night time is the right time!

But I like a Carolina Rig fished along the edges of the grass or any creek channel or drop off you can find. A big 10" worm or large creature bait fished on about a two to three foot leader this time of year could get that big hog.

Dont forget the frog baits over the top of the grass that has topped out also. Like metioned above make sure the bladder is empty!! cause when that water explodes so will everything else.

Conley

Yo Loy, where'd you say this pond is at?