How Would You Fish This?

[Sun Fish]

The bite has gotten real tough in NEPA. The water temp is around 40-44 depending on time of day right now. This is the primary vegetation in my local lake. How would you fish this? It's found in 3-9 FOW. I've been pitching 3/8-1/2oz jigs in there and T-Rigging creature baits and bigger profile curly tail worms w/ 1/2oz Tungsten weights but no luck getting anything out of this thick stuff.

[FD.]

While it may look thick from overhead, it is open underneath, like a forest. This is classic Florida power fishing...7'+ med heavy to heavy rod, 65 lb braid, bobber stop, 1/2 oz to 2 oz weight, 4/0 EWG superline hook and a small creature bait.

I normally have at least 2 setups for Hydrilla.

Heavy - the super thick crap

7'9" Fenwick Swimbait rod. Lots of backbone to get them out of the crap but still has a soft tip.

Revo SXHS 7.1-1 High speed to take up slack quick

65 lb power pro hy vis yellow - sometimes the bite is nothing more than a line twitch

bobber stop - to keep the weight pinned to the bait

1.5 oz tungsten punch weight

Gamu 4/0 EWG Superline

Gambler Ugly otter, Megastrike megabug, rage lobster almost always in black/blue flake. The compact bugs get through a lot easier.

for not as thick areas or working in the holes

7'6" Abu Vendetta MH

1/2 oz to 3/4 oz tungsten bullet - this gives you a slower fall when you don't need the extra weight to pull the bait down

How?

Imagine the grass is timber or even heavier emergent (cattails for example) vegetation. You would fish the outside edge, any holes, points, endentions ect.

[BrianinMD]

At that water temp I doubt the fish are up that shallow. I would move out to the edge of the weed line or a dropoff into deep water close by.

[PABASS]

The bite has gotten real tough in NEPA. The water temp is around 40-44 depending on time of day right now. This is the primary vegetation in my local lake. How would you fish this? It's found in 3-9 FOW. I've been pitching 3/8-1/2oz jigs in there and T-Rigging creature baits and bigger profile curly tail worms w/ 1/2oz Tungsten weights but no luck getting anything out of this thick stuff.

Slow down, bite was tough for me Wednesday; most of the fish wanted the bait at crawl speed. All but a few of my fish were in the deepest part of the pond.

[Lizardman99]

I am from NEPA to, and I have the same issue. I have a medium sized pond behind my house with nothing but bass, sunfish, and some bullheads. Its probably about 15 feet deep at max, and is full of weeds. Fall and early spring are the only times I can get to it because it is covered in algae in the summer. It has some very nice bass in it. The biggest i have ever caught out of it was about 5 pounds. Mostly there are only small ones though.The water has been starting to get a thin layer of ice across the one side at night.I cant anything lately. I need some advice on what lures to try.

[Mike L]

As FishnDaddy said, down here that is classic conditions in many Fla lakes regarless of the size.

The set up's he uses is right on. It's all about Power...Rod, reel to match and sensativity.

I like to use a swim jig or a skinny dipper just ticking the tops and rippin it if it hangs up even slightly, and letting it fall in every opening.

Mike

[Sun Fish]

This is on a 115 acre lake in which the deepest part is around 14 feet with the avg deep area in the 10-12 range. The deep water according to my electronics appears to have slim to no structure. I will try the drop offs near the weeds into the deeper water tomorrow

[WRB]

If you have a bowl shaped small lake with weed beds dying off the bass should be where the warmest water is located. A deeper water break could be as little as a 1 foot break line. I would definitely work the outside edges of the weed beds and spend my time looking for any rocks near the deeper water areas.

You might want to try a small crankbait that runs about 7-8' and crank it down, then slow it down with a stop and go retrieve. A weedless rigged drop shot would also be a good choice, with a 4 to 5" worm. If you are looking for bigger bass, a 4" or 6" Trashfish or similar swimbait would work, swam along the outside break line.

Tom

[mc6524]

Just a thought, since the water is cold, you have vegitation, I would suggest you might try a finese approach with a split shot, or floating worm and let it slowly settle in the vegiation.....

[RyneB]

a slow rolled swim jig in a bluegill pattern would be what id be throwing. That looks like a swim jiggers dream.

[ww2farmer]

Thats what my lake looks like too. There will always be bass in or near grass. I find that this time of year they get outside it on warm sunny days and suspend off the deep edge on or near any irregular features, such as points/cuts in the weedline, bottom transitonal areas (soft to hard, rock to mud, etc...) If the water is clear, your best bet is to start at the depth which you can no longer see bottom, or the thickest shallow stuff that still provide good overhead cover. Also look for stuff that is greener, on my lake we have miles of mifoil this fall that was slimy and dying, and I couldn't catch squat out of it, I could pick up suspending fish off the outside edge, mostly smb, but once I found clean green mifoil...I found the LM.

[Tyler j]

If possiable get away from weeds and throw an Alabama Rig or jerkbait if the lake has shad if not throw a crankbait or if they are super sluggish (like in the early afternoon or morning) throw a hair jig or drop shot what forage does the lake have?

[Crappiebasser]

I would drop shot it. Rig it weedless with the hook about the height of the grass.

[dam0007]

OP pic. I'd fish that with white, white/blue, chartruese spinnerbaits.

[BenB54]

mojo rig

[bassguytom]

Lucky craft pointer 78 has been working for me on the outside edge of a milfoil weed line. I will also go to off shore humps with a blade bait this time of year.

[nhbassin]

That looks to be milfoil that is dying off due to the dropping water temp. Dying vegetation emits CO2 instead of oxygen like live vegetation. Since fish typically prefer higher oxygen levels, which are needed for them to breath, I would move away from the vegetation all together. For your situation it sounds like Deep + Slow = Bass

[trueblue1970]

While it may look thick from overhead, it is open underneath, like a forest. This is classic Florida power fishing...7'+ med heavy to heavy rod, 65 lb braid, bobber stop, 1/2 oz to 2 oz weight, 4/0 EWG superline hook and a small creature bait.

I normally have at least 2 setups for Hydrilla.

Heavy - the super thick crap

7'9" Fenwick Swimbait rod. Lots of backbone to get them out of the crap but still has a soft tip.

Revo SXHS 7.1-1 High speed to take up slack quick

65 lb power pro hy vis yellow - sometimes the bite is nothing more than a line twitch

bobber stop - to keep the weight pinned to the bait

1.5 oz tungsten punch weight

Gamu 4/0 EWG Superline

Gambler Ugly otter, Megastrike megabug, rage lobster almost always in black/blue flake. The compact bugs get through a lot easier.

for not as thick areas or working in the holes

7'6" Abu Vendetta MH

1/2 oz to 3/4 oz tungsten bullet - this gives you a slower fall when you don't need the extra weight to pull the bait down

How?

Imagine the grass is timber or even heavier emergent (cattails for example) vegetation. You would fish the outside edge, any holes, points, endentions ect.

When I first looked at the pic I thought it was Florida...

[RODNEY]

Outside weed edges, small baits, 31/2 tubes, 4 inch worms or my favorite, small hair jigs, all fished slowly.

Rodney