I fish in Virginia and my favorite lake is loaded with pads. I have a boat, but that doesn't keep you from getting snagged. If you cast into pads you are eventually going get caught. It's the price you pay.
My favorite lure for the lily pads is a plastic Zoom Horny Toad or a Yum Buzz Frog. These don't float like scum-frogs, but they are slow sinkers.
I rig these plastic frogs texas style with a 5/0 Gamakatsu wide gap worm hook. These are very tough hooks. Once rigged, they are VERY snag free and you can skitter then across lily pads with ease (mostly). My favorite technique is to cast beyond the pads, pull it up onto a pad, let it sit there for a second, then slowly pull it off.
I use a palomar knot to tie on the hook, since it doesn't reduce line strength.
My favoite rig for this is a 6'6" medium-heavy trigger rod (Browning Medallion GT), baitcast reel (Abu Garcia C4 5600), and 14lb test mono (Sufix Seige). Some people say that's too light for lily pads, but here is what I've learned:
1) it's light enough that I can get long, and more importantly, accurate casts, but heavy enough for every fish I've ever caught (had then throw hooks, but never beak loose),
2) the 14lb test line won't overload the rod (I'd rather lose a fish or a lure than break a rod). 30, 40, or 50 lb test braid some people use is overkill in my opinion, and can definately overload a rod - but that's just me.
3) if I do happen to snag a lily pad stem, I can take my towel, wrap a few loops of line around it and pull - hard. More times than not the hook will just tear thru the pad stem.
4) if you do lose one of these frogs, its a fraction of the cost of a singe scum frog. I buy 25 hooks in a pack, and the frogs come 5 to a pack for a little more than the cost of a single scum frog.
BTW, I sometimes use a 7' rod, similar reel, and 20lb test, but I've never really needed it.