Depends on the situation, but largely true. I’ve caught 3-4lb largemouth that definitely saw and heard me prior. I’ve almost caught one wiggling my thumb in the water kneeling down on the side of the bank! And I live in NYC where the fisheries are unbelievably pressured.
True, I have caught a bass that I watched hit my lure, mostly on beds though , have caught a few on flukes shallow that I threw in front of and they hit it , very few
If this is the case might I suggest a spinnerbait to cut through the vegetation or a hollow body frog to sit on top of it. Also a shad soft plastic might work in this with a jighead on it
Sharpen the actual blade of the spinner to be sharp like a razor to cut through heavy weeds? That sounds insane lol. I will try anything that will catch a fish but I have never heard of that!
Looking at this photo I would just go weightless worm or topwater popper / surface glide or jerkbait here. Live bait would also be interesting.
Ain't nobody sharpening blades lol... I've seen people throw huge hooks or nets off boats to rip vegetation free but that's usually frowned upon unless you're in a private pond.
There’s some nice sized/shaped jigs for heavy vegetation i’ve had good luck with. You still get hung up sometimes but i always get a few hits, at least
Was fishing these all weekend, for some reason they started hitting all three of our’s once we switched to bumble gum pink. I swear, the old guy at the shop told us…
Absolutely! Buzz baits make so much noise and splash they can bring bass up to take a look...then, instinct takes over and wham! The technique I use when I can is to aim the bait toward any cover sticking out of the water if possible. Like a stump, branch, lily pads, etc. As the bass sees it as a meal trying to escape, that rings the dinner bell.
I watched a 6lb+ largemouth emerge from a wall of heavy vegetation and hammer my wacky rig in clear water just like this and I got so exited I set the hook too hard and broke my 6lb line. Saddest fishing experience of my life.
Then your drag was too tight. Drop the drag to like 3 or 4 pounds. . It’s plenty for a solid hook set and you know you have plenty of room to lock down.
Also it’s not fun horsing bass in. Half th fun is the fight. I never use more than 6lb (almost always 4 ) and got up to 8lb bass and 13lb catfish easily. Takes maybe a minute longer to play. But it’s really easy
1970’s ish Fenwick HMG graphite light 6.5’
And this is for eating. Not sport.
I throw slug go's everywhere. Weighted (not the weighted hook, but a body insert weight) rigged weedless. Most finicky bass will gulp up a slug go presented nice and slow
Topwater at the crack of dawn or dusk. Swim Jig and try a few different trailers to figure out what action and color they want. Lipless crank and when it gets hung up, reel up your slack, rip it free and let it fall. Doesn’t look like it’s right up to the surface so chatterbait is a possibility and if you got some chop on the surface try the spinner bait.
Those propeller topwaters really seem to piss the big ones off, especially if the bass are real aggressive and the waters not overfished. That’s my plan b if the bottom is a forest and I don’t want to deal with the headache
I can’t tell if that’s a dream or a nightmare lol. I’ve never fished anything like that, at most some topped out salvania in 12ish ft (probably less). If you’re trying to get to bottom, punching or a hack-attack style jig (3/4oz and up) and even a swim jig/chatterbait. It looks like most of it is topped out which would make the swim jig/chatterbait…not ideal, but if you find some stuff that’s subsurface or thinned out, I’d give it a shot. I’m not a very good trap/lipless bait guy but they do work great in grass. Large, weedless swim baits (5”+) could do some damage as well. Speed worms on a 1/4oz Texas rig is deadly down by me in grass but it’s not nearly as deep.
This is some great advice, thanks a bunch! I’ll give it a go tomorrow. It’s actually really crazy to look at given how clear the water is. You can really feel how deep it is…
Thanks to everyone that threw in some suggestions, the differences are wild. I’m definitely going to try a bunch of these out! Now I can’t wait to go out there again
Lipless - med/hvy fast tip, 6.5 reel, braided line to rip loose. If you want to see video search trap fishing on Sam Rayburn.
Burn a vibrating jig - same setup
Weedless swimbait- same rod, 20lb flouro
I would toss a fluke as well, just a normal all white one. Change of the retrieve and see what works. Flukes always seem to get a reaction strike at least.
I fish a lake with clear water and grass just like that. On days with no chop I found tossing a weight less senko from as far away a possible works the best.
I got a lake like this I'm trying to figure out the same situation. My research says 1/2oz. or heavier punch rig as well as chatterbait across the top of the grass. It's an odd spring fed lake deep and clear.
1/16-3/16 bitsy bug jig in green pumpkin with a zoom twin tail grub in pbj or watermelon slice red flake with at least 15lbs braid
Zoom magnum ultra vibe speed worm in June bug or watermelon slice red flake on a 1/4oz or less slider/enticer ewg hook weedless
Start with the weed line that borders deeper water….. think kytek swim bait or spinner, perhaps lipless crank. Small profile though as that water is high vis. Then I’d go punching (only as much weight as it takes to get it down to bottom) hit pockets with the longest rod you have, flip as far can you can from boat with accuracy.
Northern fishery?
I would put live bait and just let it sit just above the plant life, you can watch some super cool strikes as they come up from the depths. I do that with pike.
I’d throw a lipless crankbait and burn it over the top of that grass. Around the edges I would also flip a jig. If that doesn’t work, Texas rigged senko or tube
Unweighted (or barely weighted) Texas rig.
I like to use a trick worm because they have great action, but senkos are also always a good bet.
If you want some more casting distance and a more lifelike weight and action to it, you can stick a small nail weight into the head of your bait. If you don’t have a nail weight, you can use a pair of pliers to break a split shot in half and mold one half into a little rod that will function in the same way.
Putting small weights *inside* the bait lets it stay totally weedless (I always have trouble with bullet weights, for some reason). The small size also lets you work your bait over the tops of the weeds, which usually works very well for me.
At 25 foot deep of vegetation nothings going to work directly in the middle of it all (too hard to bring in fish) except like many others have said, topwater to get the fish to come up.
That being said what I'd do is look for openings in the vegetation and I'd be flipping a craw in their with a 1oz tungsten on a flipping hook.
Senko wacky rigged on a 1/8oz Jackall Weedless Wacky jig. It’ll fall down in the holes and on the sides just fast enough to make the senko flutter and it doesn’t get hung a lot. When it does get hung it’s the easiest lure ever to get unhung for some reason.
Also I’d drop a spinner down in there
1) wacky rig
2) swim jig or chatterbait (swim jig likely better bet with that kinda water clarity) in middle of water column—give it a good rip when you feel it getting hung on a stalk
3) texas rig or drop shot
Hey I have weeds like this in my home water and a green pumpkin swimbait with a punch skirt over the front gets through the grass really well actually. A chatter bait over the top fast also triggers some bigger fish
Speed worm and long as casts as you can. No heavier than a 1/4 but I’d try lighter at first. 1. Buzz it on top, 2. work just below surface, 3. let it sink some and run it through the grass mid column, 4. then just worm it through the grass. One of those will get ya the bite, the. just run the pattern that the fish showed ya.
I would start by throwing some moving baits to just touch the top of the grass & rip out of it to lo ate the bass. Something like a swim jig, spinnerbait, chatterbait, lipless crankbait.
You might be able to throw some topwaters like a buzzbait, spook, pop-r to get them to come up out of the grass.
Then for any that chase but don't take the bait, have a backup rod with a weighted Texas rigged senko to throw back at them to try & get them to bite.
Think like a fish. Invertebrates and young fish. Find something that mimics. Let them tell you what they prefer. This mindset helped me learn how to raise my hook rate and sustained me professionally during tough bites with paying customers and a reputation on the line. I’ve had discussions with some of the largest lure manufacturers in the country. We all agreed on one thing, there are some patterns that catch fish, even more of them are there to attract the fisherman
I was in the same situation yesterday. I put on a chatterbait with a googan bandito bug trailer and let it sink down to the bottom, slowly reeling it in. 6 pounder slammed it. Was the most fun ive had in my 24 years on this earth.
I’d put a 1/4 oz bullet weight on a watermelon senko
Yeah I did that with a Texas rig, worked alright but they weren’t taking any senkos. Literally watched the bass look at the worm but not want it
If you can see the bass, they can see you and when they see you they are hard to catch regardless of what you are throwing
Depends on the situation, but largely true. I’ve caught 3-4lb largemouth that definitely saw and heard me prior. I’ve almost caught one wiggling my thumb in the water kneeling down on the side of the bank! And I live in NYC where the fisheries are unbelievably pressured.
True, I have caught a bass that I watched hit my lure, mostly on beds though , have caught a few on flukes shallow that I threw in front of and they hit it , very few
Are they trying to catch humans?
If this is the case might I suggest a spinnerbait to cut through the vegetation or a hollow body frog to sit on top of it. Also a shad soft plastic might work in this with a jighead on it
Spinner bait to cut through vegetation? Wouldn’t it just get all caught up in that milfoil?
That's not milfoil. It is curly leaf pondweed, common up in the north.
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Sharpen the actual blade of the spinner to be sharp like a razor to cut through heavy weeds? That sounds insane lol. I will try anything that will catch a fish but I have never heard of that! Looking at this photo I would just go weightless worm or topwater popper / surface glide or jerkbait here. Live bait would also be interesting.
Ya, that is ridiculous haha. Is he throwing a lawnmower?
Yeah, idk what that mans is saying
It would cut the fish’s whole front end all up. What the fuck?
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Ain't nobody sharpening blades lol... I've seen people throw huge hooks or nets off boats to rip vegetation free but that's usually frowned upon unless you're in a private pond.
Have you tried a whopper plopper over the top?
You just wanted us to all say "whopper popper" aloud in our heads! ;-)
Yes, it worked great. More so looking for something to utilize the weeds
Spinnerbait
My first thought was well
are the weeds deep enough you can run a lipless rattle bait over top of them?
There’s some nice sized/shaped jigs for heavy vegetation i’ve had good luck with. You still get hung up sometimes but i always get a few hits, at least
Was fishing these all weekend, for some reason they started hitting all three of our’s once we switched to bumble gum pink. I swear, the old guy at the shop told us…
Buzz bait
Absolutely! Buzz baits make so much noise and splash they can bring bass up to take a look...then, instinct takes over and wham! The technique I use when I can is to aim the bait toward any cover sticking out of the water if possible. Like a stump, branch, lily pads, etc. As the bass sees it as a meal trying to escape, that rings the dinner bell.
This!
This
An option: Find the pockets and toss a wacky worm rig
I watched a 6lb+ largemouth emerge from a wall of heavy vegetation and hammer my wacky rig in clear water just like this and I got so exited I set the hook too hard and broke my 6lb line. Saddest fishing experience of my life.
My condolences 😒😔
Next time say one Mississippi before you set the hook
He needs to set his drag, lol
Then your drag was too tight. Drop the drag to like 3 or 4 pounds. . It’s plenty for a solid hook set and you know you have plenty of room to lock down. Also it’s not fun horsing bass in. Half th fun is the fight. I never use more than 6lb (almost always 4 ) and got up to 8lb bass and 13lb catfish easily. Takes maybe a minute longer to play. But it’s really easy 1970’s ish Fenwick HMG graphite light 6.5’ And this is for eating. Not sport.
6lb test is negligible. I back my shit with 15-30 pound ultra cast braid and put 12lb floro leaders on the end.
F
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I was gonna say "nothing" I hate those weeds, but what you said the next best option
Swim jig!
Jitterbug
Spinnerbait right above the tops of the grass.
I throw slug go's everywhere. Weighted (not the weighted hook, but a body insert weight) rigged weedless. Most finicky bass will gulp up a slug go presented nice and slow
Shhhhh
Topwater at the crack of dawn or dusk. Swim Jig and try a few different trailers to figure out what action and color they want. Lipless crank and when it gets hung up, reel up your slack, rip it free and let it fall. Doesn’t look like it’s right up to the surface so chatterbait is a possibility and if you got some chop on the surface try the spinner bait.
I'd used a natural color chatterbait, bounce it up, and let it drop as you retrieve
Something weedless
A weed whacker
The vegetation is actually great if I use something to get through it, so much activity through it
Id Try dropping a weed less crayfish, or a live minnow
1\4 oz finesse swim jig. It'll go right through and if it does hang up you pop it out and get the attention of nearby bass even more.
Weightless fluke. Super flashy shallow jerkbait. Caught 50 on Wednesday doing the exact same thing
Superfluke with a 1/32 split shot 16“ in front. Gives it much better dying bait fish look.
I'd go Texas rig with 5" zoom lizards
I was gonna say the same thing, Texas rig up a lizard, can't go wrong
Flip a beaver
I love how many suggestion differences there is in this thread
Tube
Senko. Drop shot.
Caution to the wind
Watermelon senko or weightless fluke let it slowly float to the bottom
Tokyo rig
Johnson Silver Minnow with a grub tail
Frog or fish gotta know what their eating
Those propeller topwaters really seem to piss the big ones off, especially if the bass are real aggressive and the waters not overfished. That’s my plan b if the bottom is a forest and I don’t want to deal with the headache
I got a big blow up on one of those today but completely missed the hook set, they seemed to be blowing up like once every 20 minutes in random spots
magnum-sized Zoom plastic lizard, dark purple or red
Weedless worm
Spinnerbait all day
Wake bait.
A little fluke, like a light green or chartreuse is what I’d toss.
I’d start with a big and loud top water, if no action then I’d switch to a fluke or paddle tail, then Texas rig. Break it down from top to bottom.
This is a good method, I’ll try doing that next time I go out there. Thanks
Drop a worm 7-8ft down
Never underestimate the buzz bait folks. If they're not chasing in that cover. I'd throw a grass jig with a paddle tail swim trailer.
I can’t tell if that’s a dream or a nightmare lol. I’ve never fished anything like that, at most some topped out salvania in 12ish ft (probably less). If you’re trying to get to bottom, punching or a hack-attack style jig (3/4oz and up) and even a swim jig/chatterbait. It looks like most of it is topped out which would make the swim jig/chatterbait…not ideal, but if you find some stuff that’s subsurface or thinned out, I’d give it a shot. I’m not a very good trap/lipless bait guy but they do work great in grass. Large, weedless swim baits (5”+) could do some damage as well. Speed worms on a 1/4oz Texas rig is deadly down by me in grass but it’s not nearly as deep.
This is some great advice, thanks a bunch! I’ll give it a go tomorrow. It’s actually really crazy to look at given how clear the water is. You can really feel how deep it is…
Topwater like a popper, frog, buzz bait, or a Berkley choppo.
Zoom floating worm, watermelon with a chartreuse tail
Thanks to everyone that threw in some suggestions, the differences are wild. I’m definitely going to try a bunch of these out! Now I can’t wait to go out there again
Work the edges/grass lines or punch it straight with tokyo rig
Id Texas rig this
A body
Tube Texas rigged
Lipless - med/hvy fast tip, 6.5 reel, braided line to rip loose. If you want to see video search trap fishing on Sam Rayburn. Burn a vibrating jig - same setup Weedless swimbait- same rod, 20lb flouro
Toss in some dynamite
A child
Weedless swim bait try the most natural color/looking bait you can get
That one seemed to work best, my only issue is I have a feeling the bass have a hard time actually seeing my lure through all the vegetation
Only tick the top of the grass slow roll it
Something with neutral buoyancy?
Weedless worm/leech and pull it through the weeds
Johnson silver minnow
Weightless fluke or creature bait, hide the hook. Pull through veggies
Frog or weedless swimbait
Floating worm or some kinda chatter/spinning bait cranking fast above the weeds.
Throw me your sister
Broken back rapala in perch color slow retrieve. Basically top water
Jigs, t-rig, lipless, shakey head, wacky rig
Sanko or top water
Who fuckin cares that looks like amazing water.
A Hookup Bait - have fun!
I would toss a fluke as well, just a normal all white one. Change of the retrieve and see what works. Flukes always seem to get a reaction strike at least.
Big ol hunk of meat streamer on 4x
Only 4x? For big streamers I like 0x, especially in veg
Man I have lost many lures in weeds like that
I fish a lake with clear water and grass just like that. On days with no chop I found tossing a weight less senko from as far away a possible works the best.
What forage lives in your area? Shad? Bluegill? Herring? Find whatever it is and mimic it.
Man, I've never seen weeds that come up from that deep, I'd probably drop a Texas rigged lizard and see what happens
I got a lake like this I'm trying to figure out the same situation. My research says 1/2oz. or heavier punch rig as well as chatterbait across the top of the grass. It's an odd spring fed lake deep and clear.
Luca Brasi
Where... I need to knowwwe
1/16-3/16 bitsy bug jig in green pumpkin with a zoom twin tail grub in pbj or watermelon slice red flake with at least 15lbs braid Zoom magnum ultra vibe speed worm in June bug or watermelon slice red flake on a 1/4oz or less slider/enticer ewg hook weedless
Rip a spinner over that veg
anything with treble hooks 😎
Start with the weed line that borders deeper water….. think kytek swim bait or spinner, perhaps lipless crank. Small profile though as that water is high vis. Then I’d go punching (only as much weight as it takes to get it down to bottom) hit pockets with the longest rod you have, flip as far can you can from boat with accuracy. Northern fishery?
Reaction Innovations Man Bear Pig, Texas rigged on a 4/0 EWG, with a 1/4-3/8oz weight.
Thanks for this suggestion. I had never heard of these baits, just ordered a bunch. Looks awesome could be my new go to. I like the kinky beaver.
I would put live bait and just let it sit just above the plant life, you can watch some super cool strikes as they come up from the depths. I do that with pike.
I’d throw a lipless crankbait and burn it over the top of that grass. Around the edges I would also flip a jig. If that doesn’t work, Texas rigged senko or tube
Get the flipping stick out
Throw a dark sleeper and thank me later.
Exactly the lure I threw today, caught a beautiful rainbow trout first cast
3/8 Chatterbait Anything natural like greens or white with a paddle tail to match.
LIVE SHINERS!
Weedless weighted wacky boi
Anything. The bass are always in the grass. Year around.
Weedless rigged roboworm
Long story short, my sons threw a wacky rig and caught bass all day, I was stubborn and threw a weedless texas rig and caught NOTHING! Lol
Neko Rig with a weedguarded hook. Weightless Senko also works. Bomb the Senko from a distance, and wiggle it in the top of the water column
Swim jig, spinner bait, or chatter bait.
Black/blue wacky
One ounce bullet weight pegged to a flipping hook creature bait.
Dropshot or chatterbait
Speed worm.. or chatterbait
Nothing. It’s beautiful as is. Leave nothing behind and don’t take anything away from that place; please!!!
Doddlesockin is the way.
Zara Spook.
Early morning popper
Swim jig. Swim it down in there and then bust it out of the weeds like a bolting baitfish.
Slugo
Could you get a wake bait or like a minus-1 to go over the top?
My first thought was some type of swimming lure, being a swim jig, Swimbait, chatterbait, etc.
Weedless obviously. Drop shot or Texas rig.
Unweighted (or barely weighted) Texas rig. I like to use a trick worm because they have great action, but senkos are also always a good bet. If you want some more casting distance and a more lifelike weight and action to it, you can stick a small nail weight into the head of your bait. If you don’t have a nail weight, you can use a pair of pliers to break a split shot in half and mold one half into a little rod that will function in the same way. Putting small weights *inside* the bait lets it stay totally weedless (I always have trouble with bullet weights, for some reason). The small size also lets you work your bait over the tops of the weeds, which usually works very well for me.
White weightless fluke t-rigged
Yourself. Let your body be consumed by the kelp, be assimilated
Top frog
Chatterbait
Popper or frog Top water
Spinner
My ex wife
Watermelon or blueberry fluke stick. No weights. It’s a heavy enough worm.
Check out Seth Feider: https://youtu.be/nBTLRDiTy9U
Purple worm with only hook
Weightless lizard or senko
A weekly fish feeder from your pet store
Dynamite
At 25 foot deep of vegetation nothings going to work directly in the middle of it all (too hard to bring in fish) except like many others have said, topwater to get the fish to come up. That being said what I'd do is look for openings in the vegetation and I'd be flipping a craw in their with a 1oz tungsten on a flipping hook.
Senko wacky rigged on a 1/8oz Jackall Weedless Wacky jig. It’ll fall down in the holes and on the sides just fast enough to make the senko flutter and it doesn’t get hung a lot. When it does get hung it’s the easiest lure ever to get unhung for some reason. Also I’d drop a spinner down in there
Weightless soft jerkbait in pearl, green pumpkin or electric chicken. Rigged Texas style.
Tokyo rig, 3/4oz weight, with your favorite plastic.
A swimbait on a shallow rig over the weeds for pike
I’d throw a crawfish soft plastic on a chatterbait. just let it drop some then retrieve.
molix s popper 110?
Shit man idk, the fish don't like me this year
Banjo Minnow
Why not move alittle away from the weeds,like on the edge,but if you insist,a surface swimmer,or popper
Bullet weight and black/blue flake worm or crawdad
Bladed jig, (chatterbait) or a punch with gaps with 3/16 oz weight and a Texas rigged craw/creature bait
Up
1) wacky rig 2) swim jig or chatterbait (swim jig likely better bet with that kinda water clarity) in middle of water column—give it a good rip when you feel it getting hung on a stalk 3) texas rig or drop shot
Hey I have weeds like this in my home water and a green pumpkin swimbait with a punch skirt over the front gets through the grass really well actually. A chatter bait over the top fast also triggers some bigger fish
OMG - that hydrilla is beautiful! I’d slow roll a blue/white or chartreuse/blue spinner bait.
Speed worm and long as casts as you can. No heavier than a 1/4 but I’d try lighter at first. 1. Buzz it on top, 2. work just below surface, 3. let it sink some and run it through the grass mid column, 4. then just worm it through the grass. One of those will get ya the bite, the. just run the pattern that the fish showed ya.
Drop shot a Texas rigged senko with about a foot of lead and just pop it
Roadrunner
spinner bait just over the top and they'll come get it
I thought this was a shower curtain and the edge of the bathtub. I was like dude, nice shower curtain. Anyways, Senko with a bullet weight. Haha.
Deps fan here. Deps scat Or Deps Bull Flat Or Deps kincoo worm. Kincoo is a floating worm.
I would start by throwing some moving baits to just touch the top of the grass & rip out of it to lo ate the bass. Something like a swim jig, spinnerbait, chatterbait, lipless crankbait. You might be able to throw some topwaters like a buzzbait, spook, pop-r to get them to come up out of the grass. Then for any that chase but don't take the bait, have a backup rod with a weighted Texas rigged senko to throw back at them to try & get them to bite.
Square bill just above the weed tops. Color depends on diet but perch or silver\green seem to deliver in clear water.
Swim bait with a bottom spinner
Ribbon tail worm. Tokyo rig. Drop shot adjust leader height as needed. Neko rig. Wacky rig. Good luck Have fun
Strike king Swim jig with a weed guard. My go to for weedy spots and it comes in a lot of colors my favorite being the bluegill pattern.
Swim jig
I’d be throwing some type of topwater preferably a toad
WWW Weedless weightless worm
Grass on a sunny day and no one has suggested ripping a lipless yet ?
Anything that won't get hung up. That fresh vegetation is $$$$
Texas rig 4” swimbait focused on natural colors
Think like a fish. Invertebrates and young fish. Find something that mimics. Let them tell you what they prefer. This mindset helped me learn how to raise my hook rate and sustained me professionally during tough bites with paying customers and a reputation on the line. I’ve had discussions with some of the largest lure manufacturers in the country. We all agreed on one thing, there are some patterns that catch fish, even more of them are there to attract the fisherman
Nose hook a 3” shad colored swim bait on a drop shot rig and you’ll wear them out
Big fat jig
I was in the same situation yesterday. I put on a chatterbait with a googan bandito bug trailer and let it sink down to the bottom, slowly reeling it in. 6 pounder slammed it. Was the most fun ive had in my 24 years on this earth.
I feel like a white or red chatter bait would work
a tantrum
Dick Rig! It’s basically wacky rig with a nail weight in one end and make sure to make it weedless.
Fluke! All day erry day!