I have the summer ahead of me I fish a lake that is 48 acres.We are over stocked with bass ,crappie and blue gill.The only cover the fish have is three different kinds of pads.What are the best lures to pruduce the max results.Top water and bottom.
Namaste,
Padhopper

The lure and the technique behind it depends on the user.  I've done my best with a weightless worm.  I like to just dangle the worm on the edge of the lilly pads.  I also like tossing out a frog and a weedless spoon.

Lilly pad fishing has always been in my opinion, the best bass fishing there is. Ive had tons of luck with large buzz baits pulled over the pads or in the holes. Frogs work very well too. When topwater fails, i like to flip & pitch a heavy jig with a rattle into the holes or a Texas rigged Lizzard from either 6"-10" depending on the size of the fish your after. When all else fails, a weightless, bubble-gum colored worm should do the trick, just twitch it across the pads.

learn to flip and pitch jigs, and plastics rigid Texas style , weedless spoons like a johnson silver minnow or moss boss
weightless plastics like worms or lizards rigged Texas style minus the sinker . weedless frogs .

Thanks for the tips ,I will be making a bass pro trip.

Thanks for the tips ,I will be making a bass pro trip.

Padhopper: Try this use an unweighted worm and drag it over the pads and matted weeds when you come to an open hole in the pads and weeds, let it sink and be ready for a hard hit. Use a big worm so it will sink fast or a smaller worm to sink slower. Tubes work good for this also, try a frog I've got good result with this also.            MCOPELAND1

 My friends use to laugh at me for using Zebco 33's but when I catch the big fishes, I was the one with the big grin in the end instead.  I no longer use them, but it's about the fisherperson and how they use their equipment.  I still remember the flimsy poles I used to try to put the hookset on the bass with some frog lures.  It was difficult and the results were a lot of missed hook sets.  Now I use a 7' heavy graphite rod and hook set percentage has gone way up.  Also good for turning a fish around quickly.

Greetings mcopeland1,Worms I havent used much,I have used frogs,Still havent mastered the art of setting the hook,I have a 8 and half pound on the wall ,I have released a 10 lber,I am limited by budget,being on disablity has its limits.I catch more fish and bigger than most with classic 33s,where as the folks across the lake ,have all the gear the rods and reels that an unlimited budget can buy and I do on the percentage better than they.I need to find a good fishing partner that has the larger craft to fish different stuctures and more variety of conditions. I good fishing partner is just about as hard to find as a good woman.Ha,Ha.
Thanks for the Tip,
Blessings,
PadHopper

48 acres is a nice sized little lake. Any idea how deep it is?

Greetings,
The end starting at my dock is 20 feet out and the water is four feet,this part of the lake is shallow and alot of lily pads grow around this part of the lake the water goes to 10 feet in the middle .Then as one heads to the main body of the lake deepth ranges from 20 to the 60 feet,this is what my humming bird told me.The side where the rail road tracks are has a very steep drop off. I usually need 40 feet of anchor rope to stay put when i run into a crappie school.
Namaste,
Padhopper

With that kind of depth....there should be some other types of vegatation in that lake. I wouldn't hesitate to use crankbaits etc...in the 10-15 ft edges.

Is this lake connected to a larger lake? And what part of the country are you in?

Heelo Dave,
There are some grass.I use crankbaits to date a bitsy minnow crank caught me a 8 and a half pund  bass on a 8 lb test line.No larger lake but it is feed by 5 different springs at different places in the lake.I am in Missouri the lake is outside of the Ethel,Mo. city limits population 100.The lake was made in the late 1800s for the purpose of water for the old steam engines.
Namaste,
Padhopper

Well to start you can use a lipless crankbait around the edges, but if you are targeting the pads specifcally soft plastic frogs are the way to go. You also stated that you wanted a lure for the bottom as well the only one that comes to mind is flipping a jig. You may want to look up ways to fish jigs in heavy lilly pad cover.

Poppers and Jitter Bugs work well as surface lures. Weedless spoons are really good for your situation, because you won't get hung up on all the vegetation. You may also want to try a spinnerbait, letting it sink below the lilie pads and then steadily retrieving it.
TIGHT LINES!