Private pond, no cover?

[DOUGER]

I have been reading here and on other boards about lures and all other forms of artificial baits trying to get a good handle on things before I experiment on my own but I have a question.

Last year my wife and I spent just about our entire year fishing at a private pond with no cover. There are a few areas with some grass, but barely enough to provide cover. We mainly used minnows all year and did well but didn't catch anything of any great size except for the occasional catfish(bro-in-law snagged a 5 pounder). But as far as bass went I caught the largest one using minnows and a bobber(about a 3 pounder, my scale is wacky).

So this year I am diversifying and learning all I can about artificial bait to help me bring in a Hawg for once. I realize that there may not be any "Hawgs" in this pond and I will only fish it when I don't have time to travel elsewhere and only have an hour or so to kill.

So after all that, here is my question. What would you folks recommend for a pond with virtually no cover? The water does get murky and I am not positive how deep it actually gets but outside of that there is no hiding places like stumps or pads or weeds or docks. I did use some spinnerbaits and caught a few small bass but that was it, all my luck came off of minnows. So what do y'all think? What is the best rig for me to try in open water to hunt for a Hawg in this pond?

Thanks for the help!