One of the first methods to employ is to start at the edge of the lily pad section. Keep your boat at a distance that you can make some good casts right at the edge of the lilies. Often there are some good size bass lurking just at the edge and will hit on a spoon or a shallow diving Rapala. These two baits will get hung in the stems of the lilies, so cast accurately to the edge.

Try looking for the shady side of the lily pads. This will often hold a few keepers. If there is a large opening in the pad section, try using spinner baits such as a Rooster Tail. This may sound crazy, but yellow ones work very well, white ones not as well.

You will encounter an area of lily pads that surround a circular opening at some point. You won’t get bass out of these areas but you can get them to hit. A spinner or spoon can work well by casting to the opposite side of the opening and working it across.

An all time favorite and time tested method of fishing lily pads is with the weedless frog. It is hard to beat the rush you get when a big bass hits that frog and runs. Simply cast into the lily pads and skip, or “jump” the frog across the pads. Be mindful of the lure, however, try to make the action as natural looking as you can.

Keeping these few tips in mind can add plenty of excitement to your bass fishing experience. Good luck!

Now, here are some of my favorite TOP-WATER “Big Bass” baits that I strongly recommend to try.

1. A “full size” Zara Spook

2. A Buzz Bait

3. A “Soft” jerk bait

4. A Torpedo (Prop-Bait)

5. A large 6″ Gitzit (or tube bait)

These baits have caught more larger bass for me and my students and charter clients than most top water baits on today’s market.

These other baits would be SUB-SURFACE “Big Bass” baits that I would use should be worked under the waters surface:

1. A Jig & Pig combo (a jig can be used with several different types of trailers) my personal favorite trailers would be either a plastic pork chunk or a 4″ twin tailed Hula Grub.

2. A Carolina Rig (rigging this rig properly is just as important as what type of bait you would use with it.) My 2 favorite baits I usually use with this rig would be a 6 inch Lizard and a 4″ Gitzit (or tube bait)

3. A Texas Rigged twin tailed Hula Grub or a 4″ plastic Crawl.

I have personally used all of these baits at one point in my fishing life time and will admit I have caught Bass with all of them and will not ever go anywhere with out all of these in my tackle box. Good Fishing!