Bassin' from the banks..a newbie here

[promeetheeus]

hello all..great forum!
i have a question..i found several ponds that are VERY, VERY hard to get to and you need a SMALL boat to fish them (my 14ft is TOO BIG) or the bank..well, i started using the bank and have spotty luck in the fish i have caught..mostly 1-2 lb smallies BUT i am told there are some BIG FISH in these ponds and some BIG LARGEMOUTHS as well..any suggestion how to fish for them effectively from the bank and what lures?

since i am fishing from the bank, a top water, buzzbait, VERY SHALLOW crank or spinner seems to be in order..from another forum, i saw that the jitterbug in black was a "go to" for many people and it seemed to be a bait for this type of fishing so i bought one and my first time out, i caught 8 bass in various size in the 2.5 range..a big step up and i was VERY, VERY impressed!
the water varies from 2-15 feet (some areas drop straight down) and from SLOP around the edges out a good ways to clear water with heavy undergrowth of hydrillia (about a foot under the water top)..

any and all suggestions will be tried!

can't believe i waited this long to be a bass fisherman!

thanks..