Weeds On Lures

[hatrix]

So I have kind of always wondered when and how much does it matter. Like say you just have a piece stuck on the side of a lipless for example. Would you say the cast is ruined? Or say some junk on a jig when fishing grass. How much does it really matter when it is buried in the crap on the bottom?

I know I have caught plenty of fish with weeds on my baits so it makes me wonder when is the point that they won't it it.

[ClackerBuzz]

sounds like ur in the right location. i'd be far more inclined to change from reaction lures to slow moving baits b/c of not getting bites than to blame it on weeds hanging off my trebles.

 

i love vibrant green weeds coming back on my hooks b/c it tells me i'm fishing in the right area.

vs i hate slimy half dead weeds b/c there isn't growth, oxygen, water flow, bait fish ie bass in the area.

 

i just rip/stroke my rattletrap really hard to clear the fowled weeds. that alone gets tons of bites.  a chatterbait is my other golden weed area reaction lure b/c that blade just vibrates weeds right off (vs a spinnerbait being a weed magnet).

 

if no takers on reaction i'm slowing down to pitching jigs and slow dragging weedless senkos (putting a glass bead in front of senko allows it to slide thur weeds much easier).

[Lund Explorer]

So I have kind of always wondered when and how much does it matter. Like say you just have a piece stuck on the side of a lipless for example. Would you say the cast is ruined? Or say some junk on a jig when fishing grass. How much does it really matter when it is buried in the crap on the bottom?

I know I have caught plenty of fish with weeds on my baits so it makes me wonder when is the point that they won't it it.

 

Were the weeds there before the bite, or just when you got the fish to the boat?

 

Ripping a lipless crankbait off of a weed is a great triggering tactic, but I'd never make a fresh cast with any part of a weed hanging on my lure. 

[RAMBLER]

I like the more sophisticated bass that like a little salad with their meal.

 

Sorry, the devil made me do it.

[Sam]

Your presentation was engineered to be used without weeds, bottom gunk, etc. on the bait.

 

If you do have foreign material on the lure some guys swear that the bass will ignore it. Other guys say it does not make any difference, depending on the amount of material attached to the bait.

 

Personally, I will remove all foreign material from my baits between casts.

[Grizzn N Bassin]

I remove everything from my baits. Except for hooks and trailers

[Smokinal]

I never cast a bait with grass on it.

[papajoe222]

With the majority of baits I use, I can tell when they pick up a weed or some moss. A quick rip of the rod tip will normally clear all but the most clinging of them. The reason I want to clear the bait of weeds is that the action of the bait is altered and if I can feel the difference,  the bait isn't running true.  To me and likely to the fish, a 'shad' zipping by with a weed trailing along looks out of place and unnatural.

With plastic worms, etc. it's much more difficult. Not only to detect the fact that I've picked up a weed, but to clear it.  In those cases I don't feel a strand of weed clinging to my worm makes a lot of difference to the fish as I'm fishing in the weeds for a reason. The fish, hopefully, are focusing on my bait not the weeds around it, or clinging to it.

I have caught bass with a strand of weed in their mouth along with my worm or tube, but I guarantee you I've caught a bunch more that didn't.

[hatrix]

I guess my post was misunderstood for the most part except by papajoe22. I am pretty sure no one on here is casting with junk on the baits. I was basically asking if depending on the situation if people consider the cast ruined if they can't clear there bait and to what extent.

[bigbill]

I keep my hooks free of all the weeds that hitch a free ride on them. Sometimes I will jerk the lure when I see weeds on it to get them off my lure during the presentation when I can see them.

When I first was serious about bass fishing I started in the springtime when the weeds weren't growing yet. Before the weeds started growing my bass fishing was awesome. As the submerged weeds and surface weeds came up my fishing hit a stone wall.

Then it was time to get into the weedless lures to continue bass fishing. I use the weedless hooks on my plastics too. There is so much weedless options available it's tough we're to start.

Here's a few,

Mister Twister Top Prop

Mepps Timber Doodle

Weedless frogs

Weedless mice

Weedless rats

Eagle Claw weedless hooks(for C-Riggs for senkos, worms, brushogs)

[Catt]

I guess my post was misunderstood for the most part except by papajoe22. I am pretty sure no one on here is casting with junk on the baits. I was basically asking if depending on the situation if people consider the cast ruined if they can't clear there bait and to what extent.

Yes! I quickly reel in, remove any & all junk!

[Mike L]

Imho, yes the cast is ruined.

I would guess the only exception would be if a piece of grass was hung up on any area of the bait that didnt key the fish to bite.

Example...Small piece caught around the hook eye of a 10" worm.

But I guess we'll never know.

Mike

[tatertester]

The biggest problem with weeds on your lure is that it ruins the action, on the other hand if your picking up weeds your in the right area.

[Bassfishing375]

I love ripping crankbaits out of grass, I get a bunch of reaction strike.

[AK-Jax86]

I'm not sure how much of a factor it has but I always clean off my lures. When ishing cranks and stiff like that I feel it takes away from the action but that being said if a bass wants the lure it's gonna take it regardless of how it looks

[Bankbeater]

If I bring in weeds, I always make sure to remove them before the next cast.

[Salamander12]

A guy I fish with constantly splashes his bait on the water when he gets weeds stuck on it. He will splash until all the weeds are off, It annoys the crap out of me but I was wondering if it scares the fish near the bank?

[tatertester]

You can bet the fish are alerted by that bad habit.....My son does the same thing, and I get after him about it....I catch mainly smallmouth with these type lures, often suspended over deeper water.

[BigKev77]

I guess my post was misunderstood for the most part except by papajoe22. I am pretty sure no one on here is casting with junk on the baits. I was basically asking if depending on the situation if people consider the cast ruined if they can't clear there bait and to what extent.

If I can't rip the bait free of the weeds, yes I will reel it in to clear it. I have never caught a fish with weeds on my hooks. Of course that doesn't mean they won't hit it. It just hasn't happened to me.

[Catt]

A guy I fish with constantly splashes his bait on the water when he gets weeds stuck on it. He will splash until all the weeds are off, It annoys the crap out of me but I was wondering if it scares the fish near the bank?

I've caught bass while doing that...scared the crap out of me!

[Salamander12]

I've caught bass while doing that...scared the crap out of me!

A fish hit your bait on top of the water while splashing the weeds free?