Fishing Wood Cover

[rtwvumtneer6]

Admittedly I spend most of my time fishing in and around grass.  Sure I'll run a buzzbait along a lay down or pitch into it, but I'm trying to make an effort to fish more wood cover and become better and more confident with it.  

 

I have to think that most of my apprehension comes from the fear or snagging up all day and ruining high percentage areas, but I know I'm missing out on bites by not fishing it more thoroughly.

 

So, could you help me out with how you attack different types of wood cover?

 

And is this an area where fluoro gets the nod over braid?

[LCG]

My go to is a Texas rigged worm or creature bait with a 1/8-1/4oz bullet weight pegged. Use 30lb braid to a 14 lb mono leader. Periodically checking the line for frays, usually not an issue until a few good sized fish are caught. 

[scaleface]

I like to fish the outside first then work  my way in . Texas rigs , spinnerbaits and buzzbaits are my top three lures . If there are not to many small  branches I'll use squarebills to .   Fresh brush , I'll just hang a squarebill in it .Old wood and old standing timber Squarebills work extremely well . I use 17 lb Triene XL on Texas rigs . Usually 12 lb Big Game on the others .

[BigAngus752]

3 hours ago, rtwvumtneer6 said:

most of my apprehension comes from the fear or snagging up all day and ruining high percentage areas

Peg small weight on a T-rig with any plastic you like on a worm hook or EWG.  If you like braid, put a leader on it so you can break off easier.  Start throwing it into the tightest, messiest, gnarliest tangles of brush/wood/leaves/branches that you find in a foot of water (or deeper).  You will snag and you will break off.  You will also catch fish.  Once you start catching fish you will find that the hooks/plastics you lose to snags are WELL worth it for the fish you catch.  

[waymont]

No one mentioned a jig yet, but they are great around wood. You will have to learn how to dance them through the branches, but it's worth the learning curve.

[Hower08]

A jig is my go to no matter the time of year. Each day will be different but the bass will position a certain way on the wood. Beside it under it sparse beaches thick nasty branches on the deep end or at the back near the bank. Sunny or shady side. Each bite is a piece of the puzzle . After a few bites you should start to see a pattern develop

[Hawkeye21]

16 hours ago, LCG said:

My go to is a Texas rigged worm or creature bait with a 1/8-1/4oz bullet weight pegged. Use 30lb braid to a 14 lb mono leader. Periodically checking the line for frays, usually not an issue until a few good sized fish are caught. 

I'm curious why you use a mono leader for that type of fishing?

[Hook2Jaw]

Attack the laydowns from the top of the tree to avoid wedging baits.  Learn to bow and arrow to get out of tight spots, if you don't know how to already.  I avoid Texposing when I target wood cover and prefer the hook just under the plastic.

 

Everything else I wanted to say has already been stated.  Excellent information, guys.

[LCG]

Some of the areas I fish are fairly clear water so I use the leader for lack of visibility, add some stretch as a shock absorber because I prefer xf action rods, and I find mono holds a knot better than flouro for me. Also easier to break off if needed. 

[RHuff]

A great Jacob Wheeler tip is don't just flip the bait, jig it up and down, and reel it straight back in.. Always swim it or slow roll it back to the boat. Sometimes it can cause a reaction bite that may have passed on the bait on the vertical fall. 

[N Florida Mike]

I skip creature baits up into cover. Learn to skip into cover -it really pays off . I also try to fish parallel with the structure. In others words, if you see an exposed tree limb fish into it vertically instead of horizontally. In other words, straight down a branch, not across one.