Large Mouth Bass fishing in brush/bushes

[Bass Turd]

Early last year the drought ended for one of our local lakes and went from 20% full to 80% full literally overnight. During it's ten year drought lots of bushes and brush grew up that are now flooded and anywhere from 20 to 50 feet deep. I've always been a bank beater but the bass have left the shallow water and seem to be in deeper water. The water temp is 75 degrees on the surface so I suspect they are looking for cooler water. I'm looking for suggestions as to how to fish flooded bushes in 20-50 feet of water. Line type and diameter, lures and presentation. I can fish both spinning and bait casting. I would guess fishing vertically over the 50 foot stuff and casting to the 20 foot brush. The bass were crazy for a green pumpkin trick worm with chartreuse tail dipped in JJ's Magic early in the season so planning on trying that. What else? Thanks in advance.

[Sam]

1.  Flutter Spoon up and down directly under the boat.

2.  Spinnerbaits.

3.  Plastics, such as a baby brush hog or a lizard on a Texas rig or Shaky Head setup. Senkos can work, too. Any plastic you wish to throw can be the secret bait of the day.

4.  Jig and Pig. 1/2 ounce blue black with a blue trailer on a bait casting rig.

5.  Flukes and swim baits allowed to fall like an injured baitfish.

6.  Continue with the Zoom trick worms and try your luck by rigging them wacky.

Flip and Pitch to the bushes with your spinning rig and let the bait sink. Give it some twitches. Then pull it up and try again.

Good luck and let us know how you do.

Oh! How could I forget? Chatterbaits. Yes, try a Chatterbait going deep.

Crankbaits can work but with all of the bushes they could get snagged easily.

 

[Turtle135]

Let me just throw this out there, they may have moved off the bank but it would likely be for other reasons than 75 degree water being too warm. I have always read that given the option largemouth will swim towards 80 degree water (assuming that water is not oxygen deprived). With surface temperatures at 75 degrees in Texas I am guessing you are just into the post spawn but not into full summer patterns. The bass might be relating to cover in slightly deeper water than you found them earlier in the season and they may be moving to locations where the forage will be concentrated.

[riverbasser]

1 hour ago, Sam said:

1.  Flutter Spoon up and down directly under the boat.

2.  Spinnerbaits.

3.  Plastics, such as a baby brush hog or a lizard on a Texas rig or Shaky Head setup. Senkos can work, too. Any plastic you wish to throw can be the secret bait of the day.

4.  Jig and Pig. 1/2 ounce blue black with a blue trailer on a bait casting rig.

5.  Flukes and swim baits allowed to fall like an injured baitfish.

6.  Continue with the Zoom trick worms and try your luck by rigging them wacky.

Flip and Pitch to the bushes with your spinning rig and let the bait sink. Give it some twitches. Then pull it up and try again.

Good luck and let us know how you do.

Oh! How could I forget? Chatterbaits. Yes, try a Chatterbait going deep.

Crankbaits can work but with all of the bushes they could get snagged easily.

 

not sure I can add anything to this. jigs would be my go to

[Bass Turd]

Thanks Turtle135. I learn more everyday. Thanks Sam... I think that will keep me busy for several hours on the lake.. thank you.

[Turtle135]

1 hour ago, Bass Turd said:

Thanks Turtle135. I learn more everyday. Thanks Sam... I think that will keep me busy for several hours on the lake.. thank you.

If you find you do have to go deep, one presentation I have used successfully to fish 30 - 40 feet down is a 5" stickbait t-rigged with a pegged bullet weight. Even a 1/4 ounce sinker will get that bait down to the bottom fairly quickly (and it will go into and out of cover without snagging). I can cast that on a MH baitcasting outfit with heavy line if I have to horse one out of the cover.

 

[lo n slo]

i'm dragging a power worm thru all that brush in 20-25' fow with some 15 lb fluoro and a MH snatcher pole.