Icky Ponds?

[Normandy]

???

So yes, I am quite new at this. My husband has become fascinated with fishing, and am the information gathering wifey. I also like it, but I like to research before jumping into things.

A few questions. We are in NC, and the waters are already quite warm here. Well, at least in the small creek/pond where we've been fishing. The weather has been in the 80's all week.

Here are my questions and I will say I'm sorry for asking all this before I begin...

1> Everyone keeps telling us to fish at sunrise and sunset. But, it's cold out there then! At least a 20-25 degree temp drop. For bass fishing, would it be better to fish at noon-ish when the waters are warmest?

2>Bait- we've been using bloodworms, minnows, and other types of live bait. What's best?

3>Creek- Where we fish is a small creek that feeds into a larger river. The creek is a dark, murky, greenish brown, but we've had quite a few bites. However, we lost lots of hooks in trees and scrub at first. This area is quite beautiful, has lovely fallen willows and other trees on the banks, and I can actually see the fish moving. Is this a good place, as per usual? We've not really fishing it but once and it was at night. We caught three small bass and got several other bites..

4> Lastly, thank you all for your help in advance Casting- is the best way to fish for bass to 'trolley' the line in slowly and keep recasting, or let it sit for a bit? Thanks