River Lily Pad Fishing

[tje0705]

Hey guys I have a tournament coming up on the Roanoke River in Plymouth NC. We went and prefished yesterday and didnt have the best luck. We hooked up with a few decent fish early in the morning on topwater but it was very slow after that. The river has so much cover that looks good its kind of hard to figure out where to start. There are tons of lily pads which I think are going to play a big factor. Yesterday There was very heavy cloud cover so I think the fish were roaming quiet a bit, but in the last hr of the day the sun came out and was very bright no clouds. I caught a nice fish flipping a green pumpkin red Dbomb with a 3/8th oz weight along the edges of the pads. I think if the weather holds out on tournament day and its sunny Its just going to be a total grind fest to see who can keep their head in the game and flip the most pads. 

Now that I think I know how I will be fishing on tournament day I was wondering if you guys had any tips for fishing like this. I was thinking most of the day I will be flipping a dbomb and a senko around the edge and in holes in the pads, fishing a swim jig around the edges, and maybe fishing a frog over the top of pads. We fished a frog a little while yesterday but only had a blowup or two, but that was while it was very clowdy. But I assume if the suns out they will be more congregated under the pads. 

Thanks for all the help guys, Ill let you guys know how the tournament goes. 

[Master Bait'r]

Punch punch punch.  The smallest rig you can run and still get through- those aren't lily pads they're beach umbrellas for vacationing smallies!  

[An Outdoor Guy]

I would start the day out with top water till the water warms up then hit the cover spots like your lilly pads with frogs and jigs. (one person use frogs and one use jigs) then see if there are any underwater brush piles or any laydowns and fish those really good with a square bill or jig. then if all else fails go to a T rig or drop shot. best of luck to you man!

[bigbassin']

I've always liked senkos and just a regular ribbon tail worm when punching pads.

[RAMBLER]

A slim body, pointy nosed, tough swimbait, like a naked swimmer or skinny dipper pulled through and over the lily pads right through the thickest part of them.

 

[iabass8]

I fish a lot of river pads. Get in the them and start punching when the sun gets high. Current is your best friend. Look for any vegetation that has a mixture and some current.