How To Effectively Fish Grass?

[haikterz]

I fish a lake that has grass on the bottom which comes up maybe 2 feet from bottom. I think fish are dug in there during the cold months. Water is usually 8-10 feet deep and 45 degrees.

What are some productive ways to fish this stuff

[roadwarrior]

Well, there are NEVER any fish there this time of year. Dead, decomposing vegetation depletes

the oxygen in the water. The bottom of the food chain is effectively closed right now in those areas. 

[haikterz]

Where should I look, I can't find them anywhere else, I drove all over the lake and can't mark Any fish?

Also a guy pulled 4 fish in the same area last week.

Thank you

[mnbassman23]

Slow rolled spinnerbait or swim jig, lipless crank, hard jerkbait, and a senko. I would also throw a carolina rig with a floating plastic and longer leader. You could work this really slow and let the plastic sit in place for awhile if the fish are lethargic. 

 

Just a couple ideas.. what is the water clarity like in this lake?

[haikterz]

It's clear (5 +) with grass floating around

I used most of the items you describe but haven't used a c-rig, I am going to give that a try, do you know which plastic will float?

[roadwarrior]

Where should I look, I can't find them anywhere else, I drove all over the lake and can't mark Any fish?

Also a guy pulled 4 fish in the same area last week.

Thank you

 

Focus on structure: Points, rip-rap, humps. ledges, rocks & boulders, verticle cliff walls and more

generally, anything that seems to "stick out".

[BassCats]

Oldham's Grass Jig with Rage Tail trailer. You can google Oldham lures and call in your order. You might get lucky and talk with him directly and learn some new tricks.

[mnbassman23]

It's clear (5 +) with grass floating around

I used most of the items you describe but haven't used a c-rig, I am going to give that a try, do you know which plastic will float?

Look for plastics that do not have salt added to them.. z-man and strike king come to mind, they both make an Elaztech line of baits that float well. 

[haikterz]

I have some at home I will give that a shot this weekend. As far as the jig goes I tried several different kind and it brings up all the nasty dead stuff with it. Based on the look of the grass I can't believe there are fish in there but was proven by the old man last week

[ClackerBuzz]

i'm confused. is the grass green/vibrant=fish it; or brown/decomposing=forget it. maybe there are patches of green grass amongst the dead?

find the green stuff and float a t-rig weightless senko (or light weight 1/16-1/8oz) down into it. dead stick w/ very light shake/twitch when ice starts to form on ur nose.  or drop shot 1/8oz weight, 2-3" grub/small plastic. experiment with 8"-2ft leader.  no action! let the current do the work especially in cold water. 

[roadwarrior]

Well, that fish could have been just passing by, suspended, on the edge or just lost!

Dead vegetation has a VERY low probability of holding fish.

[Nitrofreak]

Where are you located at first of all?

 

If the grass is alive or just starting to thrive, a couple of things I like to use is, one, a drop shot with a 3 or 4 inch robo worm or tube, set to dangle just above the grass line, pick the rod tip up and move it less than a foot and dangle it again, or just dead stick it, I will usually wait 30 seconds at the very least before I pick it up and move it if the water is cold or still chilly, the other is if the fish are active then the call goes to the lipless crank, run it across the top of the grass making sure the bait stays in contact with the top of the grass and ripping it as soon as the hooks grab at the grass then slowing it back down to come in contact with the grass again and keep repeting until you are out of the strike zone.

 

If the grass is dead then I would be looking to the structure somewhere close to that grass bed, chances are the grass was once on the bank of an old creek bed the way it sound in your post.

[haikterz]

I am fishing Oregon costal lakes.

The grass is there year round.i am fishing a channel bend that passes next to a point. The bank has reeds 5 feet into the water then drops off from 2ft to 20 feet.grass starts from the reeds all the way to about 10 ft and defined grass edge.

I tried the edge for hours and nothing. Seems like the fish are coming from the grass area.

[Nitrofreak]

I am fishing Oregon costal lakes.

The grass is there year round.i am fishing a channel bend that passes next to a point. The bank has reeds 5 feet into the water then drops off from 2ft to 20 feet.grass starts from the reeds all the way to about 10 ft and defined grass edge.

I tried the edge for hours and nothing. Seems like the fish are coming from the grass area.

 

Thats more like what we are looking for right there !!!!

 

Thats some great info, nice job !!

 

Now tell us what you are doing to fish this area, bait's and everything you have already tried. 

[haikterz]

I have tried jerk bait fish over the grass( dives 5ft) with up to 30 sec pause. I catch a trout sometimes this way lol. Drop shot a senko 4 inch thin in lots of colors, shaky head with zoom trik worms, wacky rigged senko (3,4,and 5inch).

Tried flick shake with jackal worms. Ripped a lipless crank in the grass.

I have tried lots of stuff but I am getting some awesome pointers from you guys to improve

[dumfish]

Mojo a floating worm or bush hog.

[Nitrofreak]

I like to suggest a jig, 3/8oz pitch it right up against the very edge of that grass and bring it out SLOWLY, toward the deeper water, let it fall off that shelf and follow the bait down with your rod tip, work every inch of that area before you give in with the jig.

 

Watch your line close !!!

[papajoe222]

There are a number of ways you can fish the grass, but if the fish aren't active and are burried in the grass, your options are narrowed to either penetrating the weeds, or fishing the edges (that includes the top of the grass). You can't beat a jig for getting into the grass and either a Senko, or a drop-shot will get your bait on top or on the edge.  With the grass only growing two feet off the bottom, you might try a drop shot setup using a jig as your weight with your Senko or whatever two or two and a half feet above it.  You have the option of changing speeds and still staying in the productive zone with these setups that you don't with a spinnerbait or crank.

If you're working it slow and not getting any love, try either dead sticking it or working it fast. BTW, just because you're not marking fish on your electronics does not mean an area or some form of cover is not holding fish. If you have confidence in a particular piece of structure or cover, it's never a waste of time to fish it.   

[aharris]

yeah, if the grass is green, rip a lipless crankbait thru it or something. If it's dead, dont waste your time. Look for a creek channel or maybe some points near by. Not sure where you're at so it's kinda hard to help you out.

[haikterz]

Lots of good pointers, thank you guys for the suggestions. I am going out tomorrow and plan to slow down and use everything suggested here.

[mnbassman23]

Let us know how it goes. Hopefully someones wisdom here prevails and you get into some fish!

[Megastink]

SCREW fishing slow!!! If you can see five feet or more, you need to fish fast. Slow roll a trap until it catches in some grass, then RIP it out and repeat. Shad start to dye off when the water he's into the low 40's. bass may be used to seeing fluttering baitfish.

Also try a Jerkbait worked five to ten pumps at a time with a two second pause in between. If they can see well in the water, you can't give them time to think about it.

Reaction bites are reaction bites no matter what the water temp is! Cover water!

Good luck.

[haikterz]

I think part of the problem is there is no shad in Oregon, main food is trout I think

[BassCats]

another idea is the *** jig. Don Iovino likes them and now sells them with his skirts. I have fished it in trees and rocks and never lost one. though I have not tried it in grass yet, others say it works just as well there.

[Fishing Rhino]

Here's how I fish grass.  This is a Jackall Wacky Jig Head.  I prefer it to the jig heads with the barb on the shank.  A drop of crazy or super glue hold the bait in place.  I fish several baits this way such as a wacky rigged worm, the Rage Tail Grub in the photo, the Rage Tail Menace which outfished the grub.  You can also rig a floating worm and it becomes a shaky head on this hook.  You can use just about any plastic bait that you prefer.

 

I have found a better hook for grass.  Unfortunately, the weight is lead, so it cannot be fished in Mass.  I don't like the vertical eye because it can snag grass.  It works pretty well, but the hook in the second photo is much better.  The eye is in the front of the head, so it slips through the grass.  There is nothing to snag the grass.  It also has two guards, made of titanium and they rarely get bent.  It comes in the same weights as the Jackall Wacky Jig heads, 1/16th ounce, 3/32 ounce and 1/8th ounce weights.  It can be rigged the same way using super glue.

 

 

You can see the positioning of the eye lets it slip through the thickest gunk nicely, and the two guards definitely are an improvement over the single wire in the Jackall Wacky Jig Head.

 

I have a good supply of the Gamakatsu hook above.  They'll be getting a workout at Pickwick when I want to drag a plastic through the aquatic plant life.