Jigs N Grass

[Catt]

I am amazed at the number of what I consider accomplished anglers who are having problems fishing jigs in grass.

During the early 70s the Hydrilla/Milfoil/Coontail Moss on many southern lake started really getting thick so you either learned to fish grass or learned to enjoy getting skunked. Jigs with craw worm trailers were invented and techniques refined to effectively fish for bass in grass.

Here are a few tips that may help with your next encounter with grass & bass.

Start at the "outer" weed/grass line which by the way is not the well defined wall where the matted weed/grass stops. The "outer" weed/grass line can be located 15 to 25 yds away from the mat itself and can be found with your electronics.

When making a cast, pitch or flip keep your jig at a "near vertical presentation"; the less vertical your cast, pitch or flip the more you actually have work not only your jig through the grass but your line also.

Main objective is to keep that jig in contact with the bottom at all times, something most anglers fishing grass fail to do. When faced with weeds many anglers opt for the lightest weight possible; I go the exact opposite using at least a 3/8 oz shaking my rod tip forcing the jig through the grass. When bass are located in grass they are not on top of the grass but buried up inside the grass; they will move to the outer edges or make a quick run to the surface to feed. Yes it's extremely aggravating trying to get bait through the grass but the payoff is larger than average bass.

Follow the contour of this "outer" weed/grass line casting parallel and progressively work your way up to the matted grass. Once you come in contact with bass drop a buoy, drop anchor, mark a GPS and work this area in an ever going circle.

[A-Jay]

Excellent. Timing is everything. This is a something that I hope to employ a bit more of this season as the water warms up here. I don't have much experience doing it as only a few bodies of water contain this type of cover. However, there are some and I'm hoping to capitalize on this rather untapped resource. I've been reading up best I can and have searched through many posts here which have been very informative. Can you recommend a favorite brand and or model jig for grass/vegetation ? Are you still fan of Oldham's Jig 3/8 oz. black/blue with a 6" Gene Larew Hawg Craw with the tail cut completely off making for a stubby jig. 

A-Jay

[BriBass]

Thanks catt!... Just bookmarked this

[SoFlaBassAddict]

I've used lots of Catt's advice recently and am starting to become really comfortable with jig fishing now (to the tune of another 50-60 bucks for the bait monkey yesterday).  I've got no issue working an arkie style jig through grass now, I'm sure a true grass jig would be a tiny bit easier.  But thats not necessary.  I just start picking apart the outer edges with the jig, working my way in.  I'm not really comfortable with thick grass though.  I still opt for a weedless t-rigged rage craw or lobster in that situation.

[fishfordollars]

Great post. Some of my jigs actually weigh 1 1/4 oz. to fish the grass. I like the heavy weight. Not as much time spent trying to work it down through the grass. As Catt said keep it on the bottom.

If you are unsure if the fish will attack a jig of that size with a large trailer, well; you just need to spend some time with it and see for yourself.

[lavbasser]

I often find it difficult to determine where the 'edge' is. I fish lakes where the weeds may slowly taper but it covers a vast area. Flipping to every hole in that area would take a week. Plus the area looks totally homogeneous, nothing stands out. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks for the post.

[Catt]

I often find it difficult to determine where the 'edge' is. I fish lakes where the weeds may slowly taper but it covers a vast area. Flipping to every hole in that area would take a week. Plus the area looks totally homogeneous, nothing stands out. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks for the post.

Look at the structure under the grass & fish it

[Sam]

Yes, grass and wood.

Do what Catt says.

Be patient. 

[fishfordollars]

The grass you can see will tell you a lot. Any area that is thin or looks like a trail has been worn through it could be a slight depression. It can mark a ditch or a bottom contour change of any kind. Start there and work your way in and out.

A glance at the land on shore will also give you clues as to what is under it. Look at the points and depressions and follow them out under the grass.

[MFBAB]

When you're looking for the outer grass edge you just need to idle around points and watch your sonar.  The visible mat usually disapears at a uniform depth all the way around, basically giving away a depth change at that edge.  The same is true of the outer edge, when you idle out from the visible edge you will be seeing stalks of grass on your sonar until you reach the depth where it goes to a clean bottom, this is basically the point that light penetration becomes too weak to grow grass.  Whatever depth that is should form the edge of the grass pretty much everywhere else on the lake assuming water clarity is similar so you can start targeting points, humps, structure in that depth.  That's what works for me, on the outer edge you can't see the grass so it seems easier to lock onto a depth contour and follow that.

[Big-O]

Yeah Buddy...That's what I'm talkin' bout, right there and you're all over it Catt

Usually if I pull up within casting distance to visible surface grass....I'm starting too close :-/ We can all find the key grass that is on the outskirts of the visible bed by fan casting a few times and this is often where some of the bigger fish will be held up at certain times during the day. I fish these sparse clumps thoroughly and rarely go away empty handed. When I feel the jig is a bit tangled in this type of grass, I'll rip the jig in an upward fashion and let it fall back to the bottom on a slack line.

Only after I have completely fished the outside edges will I move in for close combat and I follow very much the same techniques you have mentioned

The thicker or deeper the grass, or poor water clarity will get a Rattle on my jig too. Also, find that I move the jig much less with this technique and catch just as many fish by only twitching the rod tip enough to rattle'em in.

As you know, this technique works much the same in rocks too but no rattle needed due to the noise of the jig ticking up and down on the rocks. Hello...anybody home 8-) but rocks'n'jigs is a whole other topic for ya

[Catt]

When I feel my jig is getting a bit tangled I simply apply pressure, then release, apply a tad more pressure, then release; if this doesn't work I apply pressure while shaking my rod tip. Once my jig breaks free I pause for a good 15-20 seconds cause before I can count to 20 I done got bit!

Oh sorry A-Jay, I don't think there is a better jig for grass fishing than Terry Oldham's jigs; trailers are Gene Larew or Rage Tail.

[A-Jay]

When I feel my jig is getting a bit tangled I simply apply pressure, then release, apply a tad more pressure, then release; if this doesn't work I apply pressure while shaking my rod tip. Once my jig breaks free I pause for a good 15-20 seconds cause before I can count to 20 I done got bit!

Oh sorry A-Jay, I don't think there is a better jig for grass fishing than Terry Oldham's jigs; trailers are Gene Larew or Rage Tail.

Thanks Catt ~ I had a feeling you'd say that.

What's that, the bait monkey's calling? Tell him I'll be Right there.

A-Jay

[lavbasser]

Thanks for the help guys.

[low_pro]

Weeds, lilys, and stumps... define my lake! Just started flipping last week and got pretty good at it after a few hours. Just me in the boat, good time to practice new techniques...

Question, I was throwing a t-rig wooly bug with 3/8 oz. bullet. Are t-rigs and jigs interchangable?? Or should I use one over the other in certain situations?

EDIT:  I found this...  answers my question

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1246768029

[backpain...]

Does this outside deeper grass usually come up greener and healthier early in the year? I was fishing Monday, and all of the grass that was visible in the lake was still fairly brown and generally unhealthy looking. But the grass I was getting on my baits in the 8-12 foot depth range was bright green and healthy looking.

[Catt]

backpain..., I can only speak for down south but yes some deep water grass stays green year round

low_pro, one of the biggest mistakes anglers who are new to fishing grass make is assuming t-rigs & jigs interchangeable or thinking one is better suited for fishing grass.

The hottest thing going right now is punching grass with specialized Texas Rigs, grass fishing veterans like fishfordollars , Big-O, & myself have been punching grass with jigs decades now. Many anglers will tell you a "punch" rig is easier to work through grass than a jig but I don't find a jig any harder.

Many anglers think a silent approach when fishing jigs in grass is the proper approach; by that I mean they want the jig to fall quietly through the grass and come through the grass cleanly. My approach is to be noisy, that is I want my jig to cause a disturbance by moving grass as it falls and when its coming though the grass.

I think of it like this, unless the bass is facing your jig as it enters the grass with the silent approach your jig will likely go unnoticed but create a little commotion and that bass will not only notice your jig turn but turn and swim towards your jig.

For years a 3/4 oz jig was the heaviest you could find so to help penetrate matted grass we would toss the jig straight up in the air and then with our rod slam it straight down through the grass hitting the water with a humongous splash...caught many a bass with this technique.

[Osprey39]

Here in New Mexico, we have almost zero vegetation in our lakes.  Because of that, I have no idea what it looks like on a graph but I'm curious.  Do any of you have a screenshot of it you can link?

[MFBAB]

Here in New Mexico, we have almost zero vegetation in our lakes. Because of that, I have no idea what it looks like on a graph but I'm curious. Do any of you have a screenshot of it you can link?

I don't have a pic but you will know it when you see it.  If you are on the edge of a grass bed you will see a hard return indicating the bottom and then growing out of that there will be some stringy looking stuff on the screen as well, there will be some daylight b/w the surface and the top of the grass at this point also.  The further out you get the shorter and more sparse the grass will be on your screen until you reach the depth where the screen is just showing a clean bottom where the grass ends. 

[RoLo]

With respect to jig-fishing in weeds, I feel that a critical point has not been addressed.

As mentioned above, the end of the visible wall-of-weeds is NOT synonymous to the outer' weed-line.

While this may be news to the angler who fishes mainly in manmade reservoirs,

it's well-known to anglers who mainly fish natural lakes (necessity is the mother of invention).

With the exception of the spawning season, the outer weed-line (alias deep weed-line)

supports the lion's share of lunker bass. While this is true MOST of the time,

it certainly isn't true all the time. After several consecutive days of warm stable weather,

bass tend to loft progressively higher in the weed-bed, and their relative position in vegetation

gets increasingly closer to the plant crown and farther above the lake floor.

Although fishing above bottom may be unproductive today, in the wake of prolonged stable weather,

ripping the jig in 6-foot hops may be the ticket tomorrow. The key as always is "versatility

Roger

[Catt]

After several consecutive days of warm stable weather,

bass tend to loft progressively higher in the weed-bed, and their relative position in vegetation

gets increasingly closer to the plant crown and farther above the lake floor.

Although fishing above bottom may be unproductive today, in the wake of prolonged stable weather,

ripping the jig in 6-foot hops may be the ticket tomorrow. The key as always is "versatility

Roger

Exactly Roger, which is why I start at the "outer" weed/grass line and then work progressively towards the mat.

In reference to Roger's above quote one should always fish the entire water column 

[Lard_Bass]

Catt,

If you are 15-25 yards away from the matt, that would put me in 20+ feet of water. First, would you throw a heavier or lighter jig? Second, if my fish finder was showing a barren/flat bottom with no weeds on the bottom, would you still pitch a jig? Or should I start as far away from the matt where there is some growth on the bottom?

Thx.

[Catt]

Lard_Bass,

First I rarely throw a jig lighter than 1/2 oz

Second, if my "deep" finder is showing a barren/flat bottom with no weeds my boat aint stopping. 

Start at the "outer" weed/grass line where ever that maybe, find it with your electronics.

[Lard_Bass]

Thx Catt.

To keep the presentation as vertical as possible, would you cast about 5-10 feet?. How many bounces off the bottom would you do before you reeled the jig up to cast again? I am trying to understand how fast I should be casting / reeling.  It seems like your approach is semi-search bait like.

I really stink at jigs and this has been helpful. Thanks for your insights.

[Catt]

To keep the presentation as vertical as possible, would you cast about 5-10 feet?.

We must approach each type of grass and each grass bed individually, so there is no predetermined distance. The distance we cast to maintain a vertical presentation is determined by the height and thickness of the grass. The reason for maintaining a "near" vertical presentation is to reduce the amount of grass you will be forced to pull the bass through. If we are casting into grass that is well below the surface then a less than vertical presentation is required because we can gain control of the bass by bringing above the grass. But as we approach the "matted" grass the more difficult becomes to get the bass above the grass so we are better served going more vertical and less horizontal.

How many bounces off the bottom would you do before you reeled the jig up to cast again?

Again there is no predetermined number; if we feel we have given the bass ample time to locate and strike our lure then reel in and cast again.

I am trying to understand how fast I should be casting / reeling. It seems like your approach is semi-search bait like.

How fast I fish any lure in any situation is determined by how aggressive the bass are; I my minds eye all lures are search baits. I keep a couple buoy markers on the deck of my boat and once I catch a bass in goes a buoy; I then circle that area in an ever widen circle.