Soft Bottom Baits

[BrackishBassin]

I've done a lot of experimenting this year with different baits as I've tried to learn more about freshwater fishing. I'd see a new bait or hear about one and then go buy one to try it out. Quite a few of them have been duds. For example, I picked up some jigs thinking they'd work great, but I haven't caught a single fish on a jig yet.

 

In an attempt to avoid spending a bunch of money on stuff I don't need, I'd like to get some opinions from you guys regarding the baits you fish in soft bottomed lakes/ponds that have a lot of grass in them. There's relatively little cover that I can access (fishing from the bank and the trail around the lake is 7 miles long) so it's mostly open water stuff with an odd log or laydown here and there. 

 

So, if you guys could pick 3 baits to use in the situation I described above, what would they be and why? Thanks!

[burrows]

Spinnerbait to easily get threw the grass swim jig for the same reason and a wacky rig on a circle hook I find a circle hook to less likely get hung up in grass.

[scaleface]

My favorite grass bait are weightless soft plastics texas rigged .The thicker the slop the better .I use a heavy flipping hook to give a little extra casting weight and be strong enough to bring in   six lbs of bass and 6 lbs of grass .

[BrackishBassin]

44 minutes ago, Cheesefrank said:

Spinnerbait to easily get threw the grass swim jig for the same reason and a wacky rig on a circle hook I find a circle hook to less likely get hung up in grass.

So, I bought two of the Booyah Boo jigs and had no luck with them. Could I throw a swimbait trailer on them and fish them as a swim jig?

[S. Sass]

47 minutes ago, scaleface said:

My favorite grass bait are weightless soft plastics texas rigged .The thicker the slop the better .I use a heavy flipping hook to give a little extra casting weight and be strong enough to bring in   six lbs bass and 6 lbs of grass .

I agree I have some ponds that are almost solid covered with growth in the bottom and for me the texas rigged worm or almost any soft plastic works excellent. 

 

Small things like learning how to twitch the rod to keep the bait clean, how to rig the plastic, like making sure to keep the tip of the hook slightly buried into the bait, and patience will help a lot.

 

You could also go with just about any swim style bait like a spinnerbait, crankbait, jerkbait, and just about any swim or glide bait that you could control depth.  

 

14 minutes ago, BrackishBassin said:

Could I throw a swimbait trailer on them and fish them as a swim jig?

Yes that is a perfectly fine way to rig them up and fish them. Jigs are a great bass producer but soft bottoms or a lot of coverage sometimes does slow the production. A swim jig is a great option then.  

[burrows]

29 minutes ago, BrackishBassin said:

So, I bought two of the Booyah Boo jigs and had no luck with them. Could I throw a swimbait trailer on them and fish them as a swim jig?

Yes you can. You can swim any jig. Football jigs swim better in rocky situations and an arky style can swim threw grass.

[Mike L]

Try a swimmimg stick bait of your choice...Senko, Sluggo, Fluke, Cut R etc.

Or a creature bait of your choice...Rage Craw, Brush Hog, Rage Bug etc.

 

You can use all of them in, through and around anything you got. 

 

 

Mike

[roadwarrior]

"Just Getting Started"
Guaranteed To Catch Bass
I just cant catch bass
Learning to fish on your own

 

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

My favorite grass bait are weightless soft plastics texas rigged .The thicker the slop the better .I use a heavy flipping hook to give a little extra casting weight and be strong enough to bring in   six lbs of bass and 6 lbs of grass .

^^^what he said!!!!

[BrackishBassin]

34 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

"Just Getting Started"
Guaranteed To Catch Bass
I just cant catch bass
Learning to fish on your own

 

 

Appreciate the links, but I read over those and I'm looking for more specific information. Thanks!

58 minutes ago, Cheesefrank said:

Yes you can. You can swim any jig. Football jigs swim better in rocky situations and an arky style can swim threw grass.

 

Many thanks! I'll look at getting some swimbaits to use as trailers. 

[roadwarrior]

Okay.  Try a Rage Tail Menace rigged with a bullet weight weedless. Swim it just off the bottom and at various depths.  Pop the bait when you hit anything. The bait comes through grass very well.

 

[BrackishBassin]

23 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Okay.  Try a Rage Tail Menace rigged with a bullet weight weedless. Swim it just off the bottom and at various depths.  Pop the bait when you hit anything. The bait comes through grass very well.

 

 

Thanks!

[CTBassin860]

Throw a craw or a twin tail grub on the back of a swim jig.Bass hammer them.Once you start getting hit you'll get the confidence in them.

[BrackishBassin]

21 minutes ago, MassBassin508 said:

Throw a craw or a twin tail grub on the back of a swim jig.Bass hammer them.Once you start getting hit you'll get the confidence in them.

 

Thanks! I've added that to my list of things to try out this spring. I've already got two of the Booyah Boo jigs (one in green pumpkin and the other black and blue). Just going to have to pick up some swimbaits for them.

[jr231]

Don't give up on the jig... That'd be a big mistake.. spring through fall the rage chunk is a perfect fit for your booyah baby boo jigs.  Green/brown works everywhere. Also black. 

 

Try a Rapala original floater . And rip it down so it just barely ticks the top of the weeds. Or small twitches on the surface.. 

 

Get the GY double tail hula grub and fat ika. These are serious baits and catch fish all across this country. I like fishing the hula grub weightless the most.. but will also fish it t rigged or on a stripped weedgaurd jig if need be.  The fat ika rigged skirt up is probably my favorite soft plastic. Rarely gets hung up and every color works. Skirt up with a 4/0 extra wide gap . 

 

[BrackishBassin]

2 minutes ago, Yeajray231 said:

Don't give up on the jig... That'd be a big mistake.. spring through fall the rage chunk is a perfect fit for your booyah baby boo jigs.  Green/brown works everywhere. Also black. 

 

Try a Rapala original floater . And rip it down so it just barely ticks the top of the weeds. Or small twitches on the surface.. 

 

Get the GY double tail hula grub and fat ika. These are serious baits and catch fish all across this country. I like fishing the hula grub weightless the most.. but will also fish it t rigged or on a stripped weedgaurd jig if need be.  The fat ika rigged skirt up is probably my favorite soft plastic. Rarely gets hung up and every color works. Skirt up with a 4/0 extra wide gap . 

 

 

I just feel like the jig, when I fish it like I thought they should be fished (sitting on the bottom), is just sitting in the bottom of 4 feet of grass where nothing is going to see it. Is that not the case?

[CTBassin860]

Jigs are 50 percent of my arsenal.Pich up the 3.5 inch Havoc Pit Boss too.I can throw Black/blue with confidence any time of day spring through fall

[jr231]

Bass like to hangout in those weeds.. and ambush. The jig being pulled through the grass gives off vibrations to the bass's lateral line.. if its really thick I would use a more compact trailer like a beaver style bait. 

[CTBassin860]

I throw a 1/2 oz Terminator with the Pit boss both black and blue when I'm playing in the heavy stuff.Most of the time it's getting hit on the fall.

[BrackishBassin]

4 minutes ago, Yeajray231 said:

Bass like to hangout in those weeds.. and ambush. The jig being pulled through the grass gives off vibrations to the bass's lateral line.. if its really thick I would use a more compact trailer like a beaver style bait. 

 

Alright, thanks! I figured (incorrectly, apparently) that they'd have to be able to get their eyes on it to want to bother with hunting it down.

[CTBassin860]

Swim jigs Im throwing a kvd with rattles and a craw imitator.

[BrackishBassin]

So, so far I'm seeing...

 

Jigs with trailers (various suggested), fished on the bottom or swam

Soft plastics galore (primarily what I've been fishing)

Moving baits that allow me to control depth (crankbaits, spinnerbaits, etc.)

 

You guys including chatterbaits in with the general jigs? Been wanting to try fishing one of those too. Heard they're good for cold weather and murky water. Both of which I'll have an abundance of for a while.

 

[CTBassin860]

Just now, BrackishBassin said:

So, so far I'm seeing...

 

Jigs with trailers (various suggested), fished on the bottom or swam

Soft plastics galore (primarily what I've been fishing)

Moving baits that allow me to control depth (crankbaits, spinnerbaits, etc.)

 

You guys including chatterbaits in with the general jigs? Been wanting to try fishing one of those too. Heard they're good for cold weather and murky water. Both of which I'll have an abundance of for a while.

 

It is a bladed jig so I would.Its a topwater bait though.

[gmoney13]

3 hours ago, BrackishBassin said:

I've done a lot of experimenting this year with different baits as I've tried to learn more about freshwater fishing. I'd see a new bait or hear about one and then go buy one to try it out. Quite a few of them have been duds. For example, I picked up some jigs thinking they'd work great, but I haven't caught a single fish on a jig yet.

 

In an attempt to avoid spending a bunch of money on stuff I don't need, I'd like to get some opinions from you guys regarding the baits you fish in soft bottomed lakes/ponds that have a lot of grass in them. There's relatively little cover that I can access (fishing from the bank and the trail around the lake is 7 miles long) so it's mostly open water stuff with an odd log or laydown here and there. 

 

So, if you guys could pick 3 baits to use in the situation I described above, what would they be and why? Thanks!

Spinnerbaits, Jerkabaits, and Senkos. They are all around good baits. If water is not crystal clear, spinnerbait all the way.

[trick worms]

I'm a fan of trick worms