Lily Pads

[RHuff]

My local lake has a bunch of grass beds and most of the lake is covered with Lily Pads in the shallows and along the banks for about 30 yards out. I had a lot of success last year throwing spinnerbaits and crank baits parallel to the Lily edges during the night and day and throwing a buzzbait through the lanes of the Lillies at dark and at early morning. I have fished a frog slowly over the tops but have never seemed to have much luck. In fact I don't think I've ever gotten a bite doing so. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get more bites in 2016? 

[scaleface]

The lake I fish the most use to have pads , then the grass carp cleaned them out . I fished them with Texas rigged worms the most and would sometimes catch fish on Bill Plummers Super Frog . I have never used the new hollow bodied frogs on pads , because there are no pads where I fish .

[junyer357]

Ive done well working it over with a wacky senko, dropping it in between pads.  

 Often i will try a faster topwater lure through them and if one blows up i will follow back in same spot with the senko. 

[Nitrofreak]

1 hour ago, RHuff said:

My local lake has a bunch of grass beds and most of the lake is covered with Lily Pads in the shallows and along the banks for about 30 yards out. I had a lot of success last year throwing spinnerbaits and crank baits parallel to the Lily edges during the night and day and throwing a buzzbait through the lanes of the Lillies at dark and at early morning. I have fished a frog slowly over the tops but have never seemed to have much luck. In fact I don't think I've ever gotten a bite doing so. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get more bites in 2016? 

Your going about it the right way, the only things I would add are to work the frog with a little more speed, work it more like you would a jerk bait in the summertime, you want the frog to look like it's walking if you hit the open pockets of water, if you fish the pads during a time of high pressure then flip a worm or a craw in the really small nooks and cranny's but be stealthy about it, if they are tucked up in there tight they can spook easily.

[RHuff]

I should have included a picture. Here is a picture to give you an idea of what the Pads look like.

[scaleface]

cool picture .

 

[gardnerjigman]

53 minutes ago, RHuff said:

I should have included a picture. Here is a picture to give you an idea of what the Pads look like.

When I die, this is what I want the path the the pearly gates to look like... beautiful picture

[Catt]

Stanley Ribbit or Rage Tail Toad, fish em like a buzz bait!

[Scarborough817]

start flipping into the pads and slow down if your moving baits aren't triggering fish to bite

[RichF]

I have better luck fishing a hollow body frog in pads slowly.  Making the frog walk in place without any forward movement is key for me.  I do that over openings in the pads.  The majority of my bites come when the frog is still.  I also have pretty good luck with swimjigs and paddletail swimbaits in pads.

Def an awesome pic too!

[BassinLou]

2 hours ago, RHuff said:

I should have included a picture. Here is a picture to give you an idea of what the Pads look like.

I completely blanked on what this thread is about because this picture is absolutely gorgeous!!

[GonzoFishing]

23 minutes ago, BassinLou said:

I completely blanked on what this thread is about because this picture is absolutely gorgeous!!

Ha-ha....same here! Immediately imagined casting a line. Awesome lake and pic!

Oh and I second the Stanley Ribbit idea

[primetime]

Find the hard bottom....and you are in business....Using a toad or swimbait over the pads should cause them to at least show themselves...Nice pic as well.

[Jaderose]

Beeeautiful.  Go out on the platform and throw a hollow body frog onto the bank over there to the right and start working it back towards with a stop and go twitchy retrieve.  Get that frog to raise a ruckus.  If you don't get hit, there ain't nothing there.  I'd still go there, though.  Looks awful nice

["hamma"]

try using a 1/4 oz jig and pig, Crazy you say? start reeling before the lure hits the water/pads, and keep it moving, when a fish strikes at it just let it drop if he misses it. it takes a while to get the hang of it, but it works wonders

[N Florida Mike]

I personally do much better with frogs in the summer when bullfrogs are out.It almost seems like the bass know a frog shouldn't be out in the cooler months and don't seem to bite them very good then.In the summer,the bullfrogs start croaking near dusk and they'll be in different groups all over the lake.I just go from one group to another and fish with a Zoom z- hog,gambler cane toad or Zoom horny toad and the bass will be there waiting to pick off the frogs.Its a great summer pattern.

[N Florida Mike]

This is my home lake

[RHuff]

Thanks for the kind words on the pic. That lake is Plum Orchard, a 200 acre small lake in southern West Virginia. Now you know why it's called "Almost Heaven" West Virginia. 

[Big C]

8 hours ago, RHuff said:

I should have included a picture. Here is a picture to give you an idea of what the Pads look like.

 

Awesome picture!

Don't give up on the frog.  I'd have to say mix it up with frogs between buzz/hollow body.

[N Florida Mike]

That is beautiful.Got some kin from southern wv and sw va.

[tander]

6 hours ago, RichF said:

I have better luck fishing a hollow body frog in pads slowly.  Making the frog walk in place without any forward movement is key for me.  I do that over openings in the pads.  The majority of my bites come when the frog is still.  I also have pretty good luck with swimjigs and paddletail swimbaits in pads.

Def an awesome pic too!

Our reservoir is full of pads. You can't go anywhere in 33,000 acres and not find pads. The above post is exactly how I fish them. A Super Fluke can be deadly if the pads have some small openings.

[SwampLife]

13 hours ago, Catt said:

Stanley Ribbit or Rage Tail Toad, fish em like a buzz bait!

Stanley ribbit!!!  When the sun gets up and top water slows down I would go with a cut-r worm with a 1/8 pegged tungsten bouncing it on top the Lilly's and then let it fall in the holes.. If that's not working I would go with a weightless super fluke or a 1/4oz swim jig 

[WIGuide]

There's some good advice here on pad fishing, don't give up on that frog though. Try to walk it through any open holes. I fish them through pads a lot a do very well with them. From the picture you posted that looks like frog fishing heaven to me.  

[Scarborough817]

i also wanted to share my home lake

[corn-on-the-rob]

My buddy lives near a private lake that sets up very similarly. The moving baits and frogs get a ton of action and some really solid fish, but the plus size girls almost always come off a jig or something similar.

My advice would be to work a jig or T-rig on the edges and thinner areas, then use a punch rig to go get them in the nasty stuff! Should give you another dimension in your approach and hopefully provide some additional/bigger bites!