How to catch more fish?

so im not much of a fisherman, but i recently bought a crappy rod because here at my girlfriends house there are some ponds out back with lots of fish in them. before i bought a fishing rod i was using like a bamboo stick with a tiny hook on it and using bread ive been catching little tiny fish, which actually kept me entertained for quite a while.  But i decided that i hate using bread because it doesnt stick very well to my hook and the fish always grabbed it and took off or sometimes even the water current would rip it off my hook.  so i bought a cheap rod and reel and ive been using like a rubber worm and i just put a fish hook through it.  i only caught one fish the whole day (fairly decent size), and i was outside fishing for almost 2 1/2 hours.  I know there are fish in there because i can see them jumping up catching food on the surface, and i can see big ripples appear suddenly every once in a while.  But they completely left my hook alone! does anyone have any recommendations as to a universal lure that i can use that will draw all the fish in to it? or some other type of bait i can use that sticks better to my hook? (i really liked using worms but they are a little hard to find and i dont know where they sell them around here). i prefer using a lure because that way i dont have to spend money on bait or i dont have to keep putting bait back on the hook everytime a wave knocks it off my hook!
 
thanks to anyone who replies! -danny

hard to beat these guys....................
 

what fish doesn't like these??? Comes in all sizes and colors.............
  Rebel Crawfish

KingKool

hard to beat these guys....................


what fish doesn't like these??? Comes in all sizes and colors.............
Rebel Crawfish

+ 1 ... love this lure on rocky bottoms, great for walleye and smallies. Used them alot on the upper allegheny.

TheBlueLagoon

I also recommend The Berkley Gulp Alive 2 inch or 2.5 inch in black or silver shad, fire tiger and chartreuse. I use the 2" or 2.5" to weed out the smaller fish, fished under a slip bobber or regular bobber your choice.  
I just started panfishing more often this fall. I was never a believer in the gulp minnows until I gave them a shot, Now I prefer them over live bait. Cheaper, and just as effective especially in cold weather.  
I've never fished with the 1" they look so small to be effective, but I may have to give them a shot.  ~ slab do you find yourself catching more dinks using the 1" ??
if you're fishing a pond I would reccomend a floating rapala, anything that dives will prob get caught up in weeds to much.

I'll use the 2-2.5" during the late spring and into the summer when the crappie seem to be looking for a bigger bait. When the water drops down to below 50 degrees though, I'll start switching back to smaller baits. Late fall, winter, and early spring are all times when I will only use the 1". I don't really catch that many dinks on them. The dinks are usually looking for something even smaller than the 1" minnows in the colder water. At least, that has been my experience. I do have all of the sizes and colors that you mentioned though. My Gulp Minnows are like American Express to me. I don't leave home without them! And I've caught walleye, catfish, largemouth, and smallmouth on them too. On the 1" I've caught crappie, gills, punkinseed, perch, a 32" channel cat, white bass, walleye, largemouth, smallmouth, steelhead, pelletheads, giant brown trout in NY, and sheephead. Love those things.
 
Those Rebel Craws are great for rocky bottoms like in streams, creeks, and rivers, but I think this dude is fishing a pond. The pond is probably full of panfish and largemouth. Go with rubber worms, Gulp minnows, and floating Rapalas. This time of year, fish slowly.

Mr.Slickfish

worms under a bobber will catch everything in the pond.

very true, but he says they are " a little hard to find" LOL. And he doesn't know where they sell them around there.
 
Look under a big rock- use anything found under big rock. You will catch some fish.

Depending on the size and species, Berkley gulp maggots often do as well as, or better than, live bait. And they're more durable. You can pick up a jar at most places that have a decent supply of fishing equipment (bait shops, Gander Mountain, Wal-Mart) or online (FishUSA, Amazon, etc). Fish them on a small hook or jig head under a float. Twitch the line occasionally. I've used these with a lot of new anglers to great success.

Yeah, me too.

Most of all patience... I give +1 to the Rebel Craw though

^^ Those roadrunner jigs crush the crappie!!