Fishing dense weed beds?

[Whatever]

I am seeking some general advise on fishing dense weed beds. In northern waters, the weed beds frequently extend vertically from about 15' depth to the surface. In places, it is near impossible to get your bait beyond the surface flotsam to access the deeper water below, where fish are moving. When I attempt this with heavy jigs or worms, I usually give up after 15 minutes because of snags, tangles, and constantly puling weeds off my hook and line. In low light (am,pm) I  fish on the surface w/ weedless surface baits, but during the day the fish (smallmouth, largemouth and pike) go deeper, and I cannot get to them because the weeds are constantly fouling my gear. They are thick enough I cannot run my boat through because the propeller loads up with weeds, and frequently cover 5 - 10 acres of water.

Any suggestions?

[papajoe222]

Even using a punch rig in deep weeds can be frustrating as the line between the surface and bottom can tangle in the weeds and not only catch them, but deaden the feel of any bites.

I don't know what type of lake you're talking about, but it sounds like it may harbor an off shore population. It may not be as big a population as the one that exists shallow, but at least you'll be able to present a lure to them. Don't make the mistake of only looking for fish on your electronics as there are often times they don't show up. Look for a break line, or a bottom composition transition that  extends for some distance. Any type of cover, or quick change in depth or bottom can be fish magnets in deeper water. The other thing to look for is baitfish near those structural elements.

  Don't give up on those fish in the weeds after the sun comes up. The top water bite there will likely be productive a lot longer that you would think as light penetration is reduced by the thick weeds.

[NorthernBasser]

Have you tried punching gear? If so, are you using a heavy enough weight? 

[Whatever]

Guys, I don't have electronics. (yeah, I know) I am working on that. Mostly, I use flies (floating hopper and frog patterns), or heavy streamers (5") and big nymphs (3") along the edges of the cover, trying to entice the fish into coming out. It works sometimes. When I fish the weeds, I use spinning gear with 1/4 oz jigheads and a variety of plastics. I just got my first baitcaster, and spooled it w/ 50# braid. I read that braids "cuts ' the weeds better, and I can go to 1/2 oz or 5/8 oz jig heads. I am leaving in a few days to try it out.

We have almost nothing for minnow forage, almost exclusively punkinseeds and yellow perch. The bass love the local trout. The trout resent this, and keep their distance. The lakes have crawdads, but not an overabundance. We get leeches as well, and some frogs. We have unlimited painted turtles. I have to assume the fish will take the smaller ones. For the last two years my best pattern has been a 3" Bunny leech (rabbit strips tied on a weighted hook). But it won't work in heavy weeds. And I can only fish the top 15 - 20 feet or water. I get some decent fish, but am usually shut down in the middle of the day.

In the spring and early, the weeds are not so bad. By now, they have 4 months growth. In oct they will start to die off again for winter.

Edited August 8, 2020 by Whatever
more info

[Hammer 4]

In dense weeds/vegetation it's time to punch, meaning 1 to 2 oz. tungsten weights on 50 to 65 lb braid, baits would something along the lines of a sweetbeaver to a good sized worms/senko's..You need the weight to get through the thick stuff to where the bass should be, under it. 

 

Also, look for shade lines along the weeds.  

[JediAmoeba]

Jigs and worms will snag and catch weeds on the fall.  You need to go with compact creature baits with 1oz+ weights.  It can be very slow, tedious fishing with short pitches into holes and pockets. Angles are your friends - the higher up you are the less angle your line has to get snagged - so a long heavy rod works well.  You need heavy line and stay away from leaders because the knot can hang up on the weeds.  

[Captain Phil]

Here in Florida we have dense topped out hydrilla beds normally no deeper than six feet.  In the summer heat, fishing these beds can be the only way to catch quality bass.  I flip these beds with a pegged 3/4 oz. bullet weight and a worm. I coat the bait with attractant to make it slippery.  I don't like to use a weight heavier than 1 oz. because I get less strikes. I do not use braid for this fishing.  I use 25 pound Trilene Big game mono because the surface of braid is rough which impedes the fall of the bait.  The fall is what triggers a strike when flipping.

 

What you should do is target small holes in the grass.  You may need to shake the lure slightly to get it to fall through.  Let the lure fall under it's own weight.  When it hits the bottom, always check the lure to see if a bass has it in it's mouth.   Do not fail to do this every time.  A bass can inhale your lure and you won't know it until it's too late.  I have caught some huge bass this way.  It's one of my favorite ways to fish Lake Toho.

[FryDog62]

5 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

Here in Florida we have dense topped out hydrilla beds normally no deeper than six feet.  In the summer heat, fishing these beds can be the only way to catch quality bass.  I flip these beds with a pegged 3/4 oz. bullet weight and a worm. I coat the bait with attractant to make it slippery.  I don't like to use a weight heavier than 1 oz. because I get less strikes. I do not use braid for this fishing.  I use 25 pound Trilene Big game mono because the surface of braid is rough which impedes the fall of the bait.  The fall is what triggers a strike when flipping.

 

What you should do is target small holes in the grass.  You may need to shake the lure slightly to get it to fall through.  Let the lure fall under it's own weight.  When it hits the bottom, always check the lure to see if a bass has it in it's mouth.   Do not fail to do this every time.  A bass can inhale your lure and you won't know it until it's too late.  I have caught some huge bass this way.  It's one of my favorite ways to fish Lake Toho.

This is excellent advice... I think going too heavy can be counter productive... I stay at about 3/4 oz myself.  I use AT Grassmaster jigs, Slither Rigs and Trashmaster jigs.  Can’t stress enough that first lift after the lure hits the bottom - 90% of the strikes occur then. 

 

The only thing I would add for us northern water fishermen - is to drive around in the early spring and try to mark the hard bottom areas before the weeds grow up and form the canopy.  As vegetation fills in around it, that's the closest thing to a picnic spot for the bass to hang out in the summer.  Develop a milk run of a half dozen spots like this and it won't be so tedious.  

[Teal]

28 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

Develop a milk run of a half dozen spots like this and it won't be so tedious.  

Bingo

[Fishin Dad]

50 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

This is excellent advice... I think going too heavy can be counter productive... I stay at about 3/4 oz myself.  I use AT Grassmaster jigs, Slither Rigs and Trashmaster jigs.  

 

The only thing I would add for us northern water fishermen - is to drive around in the early spring and try to mark the hard bottom areas before the weeds grow up and form the canopy.  As vegetation fills in around it, that's the closest thing to a picnic spot for the bass to hang out in the summer.  Develop a milk run of a half dozen spots like this and it won't be so tedious.  

Hey Fry,

 

We drive around after ice out and drop way points on many things.   What exactly do you look for and define as “hard spots”.   I have watched Seth Feider say the same thing a number of times.   I assume you mean high spots, rock, etc.  Is there any special way you find them up north here.  We usually side scan and cover water.   Not sure if we are missing anything.   
 

Thanks

[Michigander]

I've had really good success this year pitching a Jackall Archelon on a straight shank flipping hook. It really goes in and out of the thick stuff better than other baits I've used previously. I feel like I can get through with a slightly lighter weight than other offerings. Ideally, I'm looking for a slower tumble through the weeds rather than it rocketing down. It also doesn't get torn up quickly by repeated abuse.

 

Weighing your line every time is important. I don't feel the initial strike very often, I think they just suck it in and sit there. It's a different kind of fishing but it works for me.

[FryDog62]

2 hours ago, Fishin Dad said:

Hey Fry,

 

We drive around after ice out and drop way points on many things.   What exactly do you look for and define as “hard spots”.   I have watched Seth Feider say the same thing a number of times.   I assume you mean high spots, rock, etc.  Is there any special way you find them up north here.  We usually side scan and cover water.   Not sure if we are missing anything.   
 

Thanks

I look for areas where the bottom is lighter - and then check visually if I can to see if it is hard-packed sandy/rock bottom (which you want) vs. darker soft/mud bottom.  

[Fishin Dad]

30 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

I look for areas where the bottom is lighter - and then check visually if I can to see if it is hard-packed sandy/rock bottom (which you want) vs. darker soft/mud bottom.  

By lighter and darker do you mean on sidescan images?

[FryDog62]

22 minutes ago, Fishin Dad said:

By lighter and darker do you mean on sidescan images?

Yes both side imaging and visually if you can.  Hard bottom return on the electronics is usually lighter colored.  Then I go inspect visually, in the early spring water is usually fairly clear.  I’ve used a long pole (not a fishing rod) in deeper water before to tap it and see if hard.  Sounds tedious, but on a sunny, calm April day in Minnesota before the season opens its an excuse to get outside! 

[Whatever]

The majority of lakes and reservoir's I fish are a deep silt bottom. It might be 12" to 18" thick. There are a very few areas with rocky bottoms, usually where the wave action blows the silt off the bottom. But generally, if I drop a weighted jig on  the bottom, it disappears into the silt. It just occurred to me to me to try a "Carolina rig" to get my plastics off the bottom? Maybe this "puff" of silt signals fish into paying attention, suspecting a possible meal? I am unsure on this. Water clarity in the lakes is rarely less than 10 feet of visibility. I have had good luck targeting the areas around Beaver houses. The largemouth seem to hang out around them. The bigger houses might be 20' diameter, but I don't find them like I used to.

I am working on getting on getting a fishfinder, to expand horizons. I am definitely handicapped without one.

[FryDog62]

1 hour ago, Whatever said:

The majority of lakes and reservoir's I fish are a deep silt bottom. It might be 12" to 18" thick. There are a very few areas with rocky bottoms, usually where the wave action blows the silt off the bottom. But generally, if I drop a weighted jig on  the bottom, it disappears into the silt. It just occurred to me to me to try a "Carolina rig" to get my plastics off the bottom? Maybe this "puff" of silt signals fish into paying attention, suspecting a possible meal? I am unsure on this. Water clarity in the lakes is rarely less than 10 feet of visibility. I have had good luck targeting the areas around Beaver houses. The largemouth seem to hang out around them. The bigger houses might be 20' diameter, but I don't find them like I used to.

I am working on getting on getting a fishfinder, to expand horizons. I am definitely handicapped without one.

C-Rig might work unless there is too much silt then probably drop-shot/Bubba-shot long enough to be above the puff..