Bass wont bite!! HELP!!

Question
Hi,
    I fish in a small pond in Northern Alabama, Huntsville.  I caught a 3 lb. bass and my Uncle Ray caught a 5-6 lb. catfish.  There are tons of sunfish and baby bass...and we see great big bass just sitting there staring at us, but they won't bite!  We use live minnows.  I think it was just luck that I caught my one bass.  I even touched a huge Bass's mouth with my minnow, but he wouldn't take it!  I have a worm bed that I started, too.
    Do you have any suggestions?  Also, there is not any cover or places for the bass to hide, but I know they are there because I can see them all around the edges!  There are also a lot of snapping turtles in the pound.
Thank you,
Wendy

Answer
Wendy; If you can see the bass they can see you and they will most often not bite.

Suggestions: If this is your pond or somebody you know  well ask them if it would be OK to put some brush or other cover for the fish.  Next, place some kind of brush or plant some bushes around the bank to hide behind.  Put away the live minnows and try a plastic worm or lizard or some kind of floating artificial lure and cast them as far away from where you stand as possible. Work them back to you slowly at first and if that doesn't work try a little faster with jumps and hops.  Try casting parallel to the shore line putting your lure within six inches of the shore then twitch it back.
Try fishing at night if allowed.  If you must use live bait cast it to where you know bass are but where they can't see you.  Do not make commotion on the bank of the pond as the bass can feel this.
There are times when bass simply will not bite no matter what you do but this isn't often.  Usually if they do not bite it is because you have done something to put them on to your being there.  I have crawled up to a pond on my hands and knees and cast from my knees to keep from being seen.

I hope this will help you to catch some bass.  Thanks for calling on me to answer your question.

I am
Jack L. Gaither    (JackfromSeminole)
Lake Seminole, Georgia