How Would You Fish This Vegetation?

[Chris Butts]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the site and new to fishing. I bought a house with a nice little pond right behind me. So far I've caught bass, catfish, and perch but mostly just from luck. I can't seem to duplicate anything that really works again and again. It's an old gravel pit so there's not much cover except for all this nasty vegetation (see attachment) all the way around the bank. There's a rock pile that seems to be home to a ton of perch. I know there's bass in there though. I caught a huge one today that broke my line while hauling it in (Carolina rig with a 5 in. wavy tail worm), and he was right in the all the muck by the bank.

 

My question is, how do I fish this type of vegetation? Everything I try has me cleaning the lure after every cast. Texas rigs and Carolina rigs seem to just get covered completely most of the time. I tried a frog across the top of the stuff and haven't even got a bite. What is all this stuff and how do I fish it?

 

Thanks, 

 

Chris

 

 

[kingmotorboat]

Come out swinging for the k.o. That's how rocky

[Shanes7614]

Cast you trigs as parallel to the edge of the thickest stuff and work as much of those areas as you can.

[*Hank]

FROG TIME!

[MDBowHunter]

First thing in the morning with a Sammy or other top water

[Shanes7614]

First thing in the morning with a Sammy or other top water

How you gonna work a Sammy or other topwater through that nasty grass and slime?

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

I use wacky senko style a lot for that purpose. Senko(or preferred stik bait) will drag/hop easily across the top for any bites there and when you come to a little opening it will drop for potential bite in hole. I use weedless guard hook and it helps. With the exposed hook I feel I get better hook-ups.

 

This with 7" SK ocho

 

[Mike L]

All you can do is obviously throw any and everything you have that either is made weedless, or what you can make weedless skimming right across the top.

Or as Shane suggested, hit the edges of that stuff with either a weightless or t rig or one with a pegged small weight, paying special attention to any openings or holes.

By the way...Welcome

Mike

[BrianinMD]

T-rigged craw dropped into the holes.

[Chris Butts]

I use wacky senko style a lot for that purpose. Senko(or preferred stik bait) will drag/hop easily across the top for any bites there and when you come to a little opening it will drop for potential bite in hole. I use weedless guard hook and it helps. With the exposed hook I feel I get better hook-ups.

 

This with 7" SK ocho

 

Your pic looks about the same as the pond by me. I'm new to all this so I'll be looking into how to fish the setup your're talking about. On a wacky rig, do you just throw it out and let it sit?

[senile1]

Many ponds are like this around the edges.  Punch rigs, jigs and T-rigs dropped into the weeds are good.  T-rigged weightless Senko type worms are good.  If you can get an old tin boat and get out beyond the weeds you will probably have more success.  You can then fish the weed edge, up in the weeds, and over the top of submerged weeds providing more choices of techniques to try.  

 

If you hang a big one from the bank and you have to pull it through those weeds the probability of losing it rises.  If it isn't too deep on the edges, I would walk in and get a big one.  

[Felix77]

Rage Frog or Ribbit Frog.  If you need to slow down then a regular frog.  In slop like this I have also taken a Swim-n Caffeine Shad rigged it weightless and swam it like topwater.  Fun, Fun, Fun!

[Shanes7614]

Depending on location you can get some waders to get out in the water as well. Here in Florida though that's not much of an option unless you wanna become the bait.

[Dogmatic]

Punch rig or weedless rigged bait of choice, frog,shad,worm, whatever dragged slowly along top, dropped into holes, like others said. This fish caught through the slam slop around a dead fall on a plastic frog rigged weedless...

[MDBowHunter]

How you gonna work a Sammy or other topwater through that nasty grass and slime?

cast parallel to the edge of the mat and walk it back right along the edge of the mat.

[kayakamania]

Texas rig a 5" thin senko and drop it in the holes.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Your pic looks about the same as the pond by me. I'm new to all this so I'll be looking into how to fish the setup your're talking about. On a wacky rig, do you just throw it out and let it sit?

 

No, with any lure/style you choose you have to move it create a disturbance. I dont move too quickly or a bass trying to get through might have poor timing and miss. Try wiggling in place or short bounces to get water movement under the matt work back towards you. Find a hole let it drop and then sit for a few seconds if its shallow. Work nearly the whole slop area cause at times you have to be on top right over the bass for it to strike, just one foot away from a prior pass you make could be a bass waiting. Though I have seen slop being moved by the bass coming to strike thats exciting. Here it comes here it comes BAM!!

[Chris Butts]

No, with any lure/style you choose you have to move it create a disturbance. I dont move too quickly or a bass trying to get through might have poor timing and miss. Try wiggling in place or short bounces to get water movement under the matt work back towards you. Find a hole let it drop and then sit for a few seconds if its shallow. Work nearly the whole slop area cause at times you have to be on top right over the bass for it to strike, just one foot away from a prior pass you make could be a bass waiting. Though I have seen slop being moved by the bass coming to strike thats exciting. Here it comes here it comes BAM!!

Thanks, and thanks to all for the replies. I am going to try these suggestions in the morning.

[zeth]

Teckel Frog

Keitech Shad Impact

Punch Keitech Fat Impact or Salty Core Tube

Weedless Drop Shot Keitech Sexy Impact

Texas Keitech Salty Core Stick

Keitech Easy Shiner rigged on a Owner Flashy Swimmer

Lucky Craft Blade Cross

And a slew of other ways. 

[Bankbeater]

Weightless senko or fluke worked through the weeds.  If you can find some openings that are deep enough you can try to bring a wake bait through. 

[singlecoil]

Super fluke or trick worm rigged weightless is what I would try.

[Josh Smith]

I generally pick that stuff apart with a blue/black/sometimes bit of red jig with a craw trailer, usually with a bunch of rattles.  It works well.

 

Josh

[Mswen]

I fish a number of small ponds with exactly the same problem.  Unweighted plastics and CLU's Zero Gravity Jig work well, because they will settle down onto the weeds, without sinking in.  Topwaters in the evening, and shallow cranks where you can maneuver them through.

[papajoe222]

Welcome to the site.

Sounds like you have a nice spot to hone your skills on. I won't suggest how to fish it, but I will recommend using a stronger line.  As this is an old gravel pit, I'm assuming the water is fairly clear. Braid with a strong leader of 15lb.+ should get them to the bank without the leader spooking them.  If you don't horse them in and let them spend some energy, the chances of them wrapping you up in the weeds is reduced.

Attempting to duplicate anything is a good place to start, but don't stick with anything that doesn't work for any length of time.  That rock pile will likely produce some nice bass, but only when they're active.  If you don't find them there, the deepest water close to it will likely be their non-active holding area.