Bottom Contact Confidence?

[Quarry Man]

I never really fish a true jig or texas rig much. A lot of the ponds and lakes around me have weeds on the bottom. This makes dragging stuff on the bottom difficult. In order for me to really up my game, I need to make this a strength of mine. I always fall back to catching them on the drop shot. I guess its because the bait stays out of the weeds. Being a visual person most of the time, I guess it also makes me feel like a suspended bait is more appealing than one on the bottom being picked up by a bass. I would like some advice on how to fish these lures. Im also terrible at the hook set. I know the best thing to do is only use that until I'm good at it, but i do t see that happening any time soon. I use mostly 3/8 and 1/2 oz jigs and 3/8 oz tungsten worm weights. thanks.

[NiX]

Try hopping your baits instead of dragging them through the weeds. One pop, maybe two pops, sometimes three pops. It all really depends on what they want. Personally I like to do two pops to start. If I don't get bit I start to switch it up.

[CroakHunter]

Use as light of weights as possible so it doesn't bury down in the weeds. 

[Quarry Man]

49 minutes ago, NiX said:

Try hopping your baits instead of dragging them through the weeds. One pop, maybe two pops, sometimes three pops. It all really depends on what they want. Personally I like to do two pops to start. If I don't get bit I start to switch it up.

 

I did that this spring with hair jigs and last night with a finesse texas rig. maybe thats a key! thanks!

[Catt]

Most anglers try forcing a jig/t-rig through grass which is all wrong, you gotta finesse the jig/t-rig through grass!

 

When you feel it starting to load up in the grass...stop. Release pressure, pull up until you feel heaviness again but apply slightly more pressure, then release, continue until it breaks free.

 

You want the motion to be similar to & as fast as working a shaky head, you're just applying more pressure.

[Quarry Man]

8 minutes ago, Catt said:

Most anglers try forcing a jig/t-rig through grass which is all wrong, you gotta finesse the jig/t-rig through grass!

 

When you feel it starting to load up in the grass...stop. Release pressure, pull up until you feel heaviness again but apply slightly more pressure, then release, continue until it breaks free.

 

You want the motion to be similar to & as fast as working a shaky head, you're just applying more pressure.

 

Will bass eat a jig even if it has some grass on it? Also, speaking of shakey heads, i can't get them to stand upright when I'm dragging them, only when I'm hopping it.

[Sword of the Lord]

I never drag a Texas Rig. I always pop and twitch it; not because I have to, but because that has always produced more strikes for me.

[MichaelCopeland]

Go weightless with your Texas rigs. There's lots of grass amongst other stuff to get hung up on in the ponds I fish too. The weightless Texas rigged worms go through it or over the top of it very well and hardly ever have to pull any grass or moss or whatever else off of my bait. Instead of dragging or hopping them, I slowly reel them in giving them a swimming type presentation to the bass. I mainly Texas rig u tail worms, speed worms and Ol' Monsters so the slow reeling of them is pretty effective. I do Texas rig Senko type worms too. Those I drag the bottom or twitch or jerk them pause reel slack and repeat varying the twitch/jerk/pause retrieve as needed. Hope this helps. Good luck and tight lines! ?

[Catt]

2 hours ago, Quarry Man said:

 

Will bass eat a jig even if it has some grass on it? 

 

Can't tell ya!

 

But I've many times reeled in grass-n-bass!

 

Depending on how tall the grass is weightless is an option but there will be times ya gotta got to the bottom to get bit!

[TOXIC]

Spinnerbait, Chatterbait, Crankbait can all be worked in the area just above the weeds by varying your retrieve speed.  Cranks you will have to get an idea how deep you can run them and match the depth of the crank to the water column you have to work with.  

Weightless Texas rigged Senko will tear them up!!  Slow fall through the strike zone and weedless.  

[Quarry Man]

How do I. Fish a senko

[moguy1973]

38 minutes ago, Quarry Man said:

How do I. Fish a senko

I don't think there is a wrong way to fish a senko.

[Troy85]

Its interesting that you don't have any confidence in  TX rig but full confidence in drop shotting.  I am the complete opposite, I love TX rig but I have no confidence in my ability to drop shot......I need to start practicing I guess.

 

I'll fish a TX rig in heavy grass, I just use the lightest weight I need to get to the bottom.  I tend to bounce it slow and gentle thru the grass, and I don't usually have trouble with it getting hung up in the grass.  If it does, a little finesse will usually get it free without having to yank it out of the area.

 

 

[TOXIC]

1 hour ago, Quarry Man said:

How do I. Fish a senko

There is a pinned thread on it.  If you have any questions after reading, come back and ask.  

[Quarry Man]

6 hours ago, TOXIC said:

There is a pinned thread on it.  If you have any questions after reading, come back and ask.  

Its how i learned to fish, now i can't use it to save my life...

 

7 hours ago, Troy1985s said:

Its interesting that you don't have any confidence in  TX rig but full confidence in drop shotting.  I am the complete opposite, I love TX rig but I have no confidence in my ability to drop shot......I need to start practicing I guess.

 

I'll fish a TX rig in heavy grass, I just use the lightest weight I need to get to the bottom.  I tend to bounce it slow and gentle thru the grass, and I don't usually have trouble with it getting hung up in the grass.  If it does, a little finesse will usually get it free without having to yank it out of the area.

 

 

 

You live in LA, and likely don't fish gin clear rock quarries, highland reservoirs, the great lakes, and crystal clear lakes with 30' of visibility and all rock. That is what works up here. just a location thing i guess. I don't have the type of lakes like you do. Its amazing how different fishing in certain regions can be.

[Troy85]

13 hours ago, Quarry Man said:

Its how i learned to fish, now i can't use it to save my life...

 

 

You live in LA, and likely don't fish gin clear rock quarries, highland reservoirs, the great lakes, and crystal clear lakes with 30' of visibility and all rock. That is what works up here. just a location thing i guess. I don't have the type of lakes like you do. Its amazing how different fishing in certain regions can be.

Yeah, I don't, for me clear water is 1-1.5' visibility, crystal clear water is anything more than that.   I wish I could fish some lakes like that at some point.  I did some research after reading this topic, I think I'm going to rig up a drop shot on my spinning rod and give it a go.

[Catt]

Wouldn't a drop shot weight still be in the grass?

[WRB]

You need to learn how to fish where the bass are located to consistantly catch them.

If you only use lures you are comfortable with and those lure are inafective where the bass are located then you will not catch those bass.

Tom

[Fishin' Fool]

On 9/17/2017 at 7:52 PM, Quarry Man said:

I never really fish a true jig or texas rig much. A lot of the ponds and lakes around me have weeds on the bottom. This makes dragging stuff on the bottom difficult. In order for me to really up my game, I need to make this a strength of mine. I always fall back to catching them on the drop shot. I guess its because the bait stays out of the weeds. Being a visual person most of the time, I guess it also makes me feel like a suspended bait is more appealing than one on the bottom being picked up by a bass. I would like some advice on how to fish these lures. Im also terrible at the hook set. I know the best thing to do is only use that until I'm good at it, but i do t see that happening any time soon. I use mostly 3/8 and 1/2 oz jigs and 3/8 oz tungsten worm weights. thanks.

 

I drop shot a ton too but try this rig. Tie up a drop shot but instead of using a weight on the bottom put a TRD worm or a Zman tube. I've caught a lot of fish on this rig lately.

[Tw3ak]

I found that often in weedy lakes that i find myself fishing more vertical hop a time or two. Then retrieve and short pitch again. Taking care to line watch and countdown to the bottom. This works from the deep lakes of the north to the shallow weed choked lakes of the south. Smallmouth, largemouth or spot.

[Quarry Man]

10 hours ago, Catt said:

Wouldn't a drop shot weight still be in the grass?

yes, but the worm isn't.

7 hours ago, Fishin' Fool said:

 

I drop shot a ton too but try this rig. Tie up a drop shot but instead of using a weight on the bottom put a TRD worm or a Zman tube. I've caught a lot of fish on this rig lately.

Innovative, i like it. ever try the vmc spinshot hooks? tie two or three for better chances.

[papajoe222]

Two quick suggestions for the baits you mentioned. First; Peg the sinker on your T-Rig and second; Go lighter with the bullet/jig weight. The pegged sinker won't separate from your plastic bait and catch the weeds between and a lighter weight won't bog down as you drag it along a soft bottom. Opt for a straight  or paddle tail vs. a ribbon or G-tail worm and a swim jig works much better through vegetation than a football or Arkie head does.  Oh yea, adding an oil based 'attractant' to the bait will help it slide through the grass.

[Catt]

@Quarry Man everything I fish down here has some type of vegetation, either on the bottom a few inches tall, matted to the surface, or floating on the surface.

 

Even with a drop shot having only the weight in the grass ya still gonna have to finesse it through.

 

Pick your plastics wisely, a ribbon tail is fine for fishing over grass, not so much for fishing through it.

 

Even weightless plastics are gonna hang something & that weedless wonder called a Texas Rig aint so weedless.

 

Ya gonna hung up, ya gonna pull in snot balled up on you weight/jig, ya gonna get ticked off, but ya gonna catch Hawgs!

 

It's a mindset...grass = bass ?

[Quarry Man]

6 hours ago, Catt said:

@Quarry Man everything I fish down here has some type of vegetation, either on the bottom a few inches tall, matted to the surface, or floating on the surface.

 

Even with a drop shot having only the weight in the grass ya still gonna have to finesse it through.

 

Pick your plastics wisely, a ribbon tail is fine for fishing over grass, not so much for fishing through it.

 

Even weightless plastics are gonna hang something & that weedless wonder called a Texas Rig aint so weedless.

 

Ya gonna hung up, ya gonna pull in snot balled up on you weight/jig, ya gonna get ticked off, but ya gonna catch Hawgs!

 

It's a mindset...grass = bass ?

So it's worth the frustration and getting a lot of weeds?

[Catt]