How do you Southern boys do it?

[Skunkmaster-k]

Untangling the prop on a woppee ploppee  all day would drive me to drinking . I’m impressed by your tenacity . Congrats on an awesome day!

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

I'll continue to use the Whopper Plopper where there's open water.

Or where the weed don't quite reach the surface. I've had good luck running one over submerged weeds.

 

3 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

But first, I have to heal my bass thumb. It feels like sandpaper.

Fishing gloves...never go on the water without them.

[Swamp Girl]

I actually own a pair, but left them at home the last two times. Dang it!

[Basser2021]

 

On 8/11/2022 at 7:50 PM, TnRiver46 said:

Soft plastics like fluke and toads are great in weeds 

What he said. Also if the whopper plopper is working in open water then I would stick with that. 

[thediscochef]

I take what I can get. The heat plus pressure on the reservoirs here make bank angling successfully a matter of persistence this time of year.

Winter will be better. But not those kinds of numbers. Always jealous of those catch raters up there, but we do grow bigger bass down here. It's tradeoffs, always.

[txchaser]

If you find a deep spot spend a little extra time throwing texas rig and mid-column swimmering baits deep into it.

Sounds like there's very little pressure there, which sure makes for a fun fishing experience.

[Swamp Girl]

19 hours ago, Big Rick said:

That fishing hole is in dire need of a Z-Man GOAT Toadz! Rig it on a 5/0 EWG hook and fish it with straight braid of at least 30 lb test. It floats so you can pause the retrieve if desired. Don't forget to separate the feet for the best action. 

 

I mostly fish it with a steady retrieve. It gurgles and leaves a bubble trail. It'll come through grass like a pro. Strikes are vicious and my hook up rate is near perfect. Set the hook as soon as you see the boil. No need to wait. 

 

 

And it is capable of producing these:

 

 

Whoa! That sounds like a great frog. I'll get it too.

17 hours ago, thediscochef said:

I take what I can get. The heat plus pressure on the reservoirs here make bank angling successfully a matter of persistence this time of year.

Winter will be better. But not those kinds of numbers. Always jealous of those catch raters up there, but we do grow bigger bass down here. It's tradeoffs, always.

Trade-offs for sure. I see you southern boys catch bass that could swallow my biggest fish. 

[Big Rick]

Just now, ol'crickety said:

Whoa! That sounds like a great frog. I'll get it too.

I suggest the Mustad KVD Grip Pin Hook as well. It does well keeping the toad head in place fish after fish. I started using a dab of super glue as well and the frog seldom rides up the line. 

 

[Swamp Girl]

So, there's a dam at the end of the swampy pond I fished. Below that dam is more pond, which I could see with Google Earth. Well, I cased that pond this morning and found a narrow, bumpy, dirt road to it. It looks amazing, just the right mix of open water and weeds. I'll be fishing it Monday morning, rising at 4:15. So excited! I won't return to the swamp until my new frogs arrive. I did dig out my baitcasting outfit and need to put some braid on it.

1 minute ago, Big Rick said:

I suggest the Mustad KVD Grip Pin Hook as well. It does well keeping the toad head in place fish after fish. I started using a dab of super glue as well and the frog seldom rides up the line. 

 

The lure and hook manufacturers must love you guys, since you keep sending me to the Internet to buy, buy, buy!

17 hours ago, txchaser said:

If you find a deep spot spend a little extra time throwing texas rig and mid-column swimmering baits deep into it.

Sounds like there's very little pressure there, which sure makes for a fun fishing experience.

Will do. I've also had really good luck this year trolling my Mepps #3 brass spinner through the open stretches. The bass love that little lure and I love to fish while paddling to the next spot.

[Koz]

It was probably 4 years ago during the spring and summer when I caught tons of bass on a Whopper Plopper. I mean, it was a ridiculous amount. And then it's like all of the bass in the lagoons and lakes where I fish got together and said, "Never again!" It's been years since I've caught anything on a WP.

[the reel ess]

Well, weeds won't grow deeper than sunlight can penetrate around here. Thankfully, the water here is mostly at least a bit permanently stained, especially where cypresses are present. Thus, weeds won't grow much deeper than 7-8' deep. So anywhere that has some clear water. 

[Swamp Girl]

14 hours ago, Koz said:

It was probably 4 years ago during the spring and summer when I caught tons of bass on a Whopper Plopper. I mean, it was a ridiculous amount. And then it's like all of the bass in the lagoons and lakes where I fish got together and said, "Never again!" It's been years since I've caught anything on a WP.

Heh. I fear that this is my fate. Oh, well, they'll hit other lures if that happens.

[Fishingintheweeds]

On 8/11/2022 at 12:35 PM, TnRiver46 said:

Well florida and south Alabama and eastern South Carolina are weedy. Georgia, TN, eastern SC, and N Alabama lakes are mostly deep and clear without weeds. 
 

everything I’ve ever laid eyes on up north is weedy except the middle of the Great Lakes. The marshes flowing into Erie look like bass heaven, pads and weeds galore. Michigan is weeds on top of weeds and I would assume Wisconsin is similar. Pennsylvania has a whole lot of choked out ponds. I haven’t been much of anywhere else 

 

as a kid, I always wanted to go north to fish weeds like I saw on TV that we don’t have 

Most lakes up here in Michigan, an awful lot of them, have somewhat mucky bottoms and pretty thick vegetation. I used to kinda hate it before I knew any better. Some of them are so full, it can be a little challenging but a lot of your luck catching them has to do with how you think about the conditions.  

[Fishingintheweeds]

On 8/11/2022 at 7:33 PM, ol'crickety said:

The problem is that more than half of my casts were ruined by weeds. I removed more weeds from my lures than bass. At this point, I'm sorry I asked. I do appreciate MN Fisher's suggestions. 

Ha, ha, ha, I'm not mad at ya but yeah, you might get a little beat up over the humble brag of catching one every 7-8 minutes for three hours... Even IF half of your casts were "ruined"...ha, ha, ha, ha...if that's a problem for you, what are your good days like?! What did you THINK was gonna happen? Sorry man! ???

[Fishingintheweeds]

On 8/13/2022 at 5:33 PM, Koz said:

It was probably 4 years ago during the spring and summer when I caught tons of bass on a Whopper Plopper. I mean, it was a ridiculous amount. And then it's like all of the bass in the lagoons and lakes where I fish got together and said, "Never again!" It's been years since I've caught anything on a WP.

These things happen?

[Bankc]

On 8/11/2022 at 9:20 AM, JS Patterson said:

I am really jealous of the catching that you have up there.  Where I am at in the south, there is not much aquatic vegetation.  That is all removed through chemicals and/or triploid carp.  There are shallow areas completely covered by pads but that is about it.  The tough part about summer fishing in the south is the lack of participation from the bass.  With water temperatures exceeding 90 degrees, we are much more likely to go 8 hours without a bite than catch the numbers you were able to get.  That will all change around November, when I expect the bite to get better as the water cools and the thermocline disappears. I honestly wish that we had more grass fishing opportunities.  

Yup.  In this heat wave, I won't even go fishing.  Not because I can't handle the heat.  It doesn't bother me to fish in 100°+ weather as fishing isn't a strenuous activity.  But the fish just will not bite in that 90° water.  It's pretty much identical to fishing in 35° water.  The fish are deep and lethargic.  

 

As for grass, when you fish grass, you just have to stick to lures that will pull cleanly through the grass.  If I'm getting grass caught on my Whopper Plopper, I'll switch to a frog or toad.  If I can't pull a crankbait through, I'll switch to a swim jig or soft swimbait rigged weedless.  Sometimes it can be so dense and loose that it's hard to pull anything through.  In those situations, I'll fish the edges.  It's all about problem solving.  Though, if you're catching a bunch regardless, I probably would just deal with all of the weed removal.  Yeah, it's a pain, but eventually you get used to it and don't mind.  

[TnRiver46]

4 hours ago, Bankc said:

Yup.  In this heat wave, I won't even go fishing.  Not because I can't handle the heat.  It doesn't bother me to fish in 100°+ weather as fishing isn't a strenuous activity.  But the fish just will not bite in that 90° water.  It's pretty much identical to fishing in 35° water.  The fish are deep and lethargic.  

 

As for grass, when you fish grass, you just have to stick to lures that will pull cleanly through the grass.  If I'm getting grass caught on my Whopper Plopper, I'll switch to a frog or toad.  If I can't pull a crankbait through, I'll switch to a swim jig or soft swimbait rigged weedless.  Sometimes it can be so dense and loose that it's hard to pull anything through.  In those situations, I'll fish the edges.  It's all about problem solving.  Though, if you're catching a bunch regardless, I probably would just deal with all of the weed removal.  Yeah, it's a pain, but eventually you get used to it and don't mind.  

It’s ok the weather people said we are in a cold front 

[Swamp Girl]

I fished for three hours this morning and landed 37. At least a dozen were yellow perch with bulging foreheads, i.e. eaters. I released them all, but now I know where to go for a yummy perch dinner. Here's a pic of the pond and one of the fish I caught. It's the ONLY fish I caught on a Whopper Plopper, as I was trying to branch out and be effective with other lures. I also hooked a bass that felt like a bowfin, peeling line, but it came unbuttoned. Double dang it!

 

This was the first time I've fished this pond, making six ponds I've fished this summer. My next pond will hold smallmouth and brown trout. It's so fun to keep fishing different water. 

 

Isn't the pond pretty? I heard an owl and saw eagles, a hawk, a heron, ducks, swallows, gulls, and beaver. 

[Swamp Girl]

BTW, I ordered everything you guys suggested and when they arrive, I'll let you know how they work. I'm also rigging a baitcasting outfit with braid for the new lures.

[Swamp Girl]

I caught my first bass on a frog last night and this morning. I also lost a lot. I was stunned by the number of bass in the pads. I'd coast quietly into the pads and stop dropping the frog into the openings. Then I'm clumsily bump something and I'd see five or six bass swirl and scoot all around my canoe, mere feet from me. Here's the best bass I caught on a frog. I love when they get that hump. I ordered some braid for my casting reel and am waiting for it to arrive. 

 

[roadwarrior]

 

 

                                                        

[Blue Raider Bob]

On 8/11/2022 at 8:09 PM, ol'crickety said:

Thanks for all the great advice. I'll have to do some googling to locate some of the baits you mentioned, but I wanna learn. I didn't know I had placed my fish backwards, so thanks for that too. 

 

I will quit the Whopper Plopper in weeds. I became addicted to that lure when I caught two bass at once four times in a ten-day period. Here was the best pair, a 19-inch fish and a 17-inch fish at once. To be frank, I'm not sure that the bigger one was 19 inches, as I didn't measure it, but it looks like it's that big.

 

 

Incredible!

I got a bunch myself....but mine were not exactly the size you are used too! I thought I might suggest a buzzbait for your weed situation. We have a lot of Spotted Bass down here and they just hate the buzzbaits. Caught twelve in an hour until my bait malfunctioned. I think I might try the Whopper Plopper! How do the little Spots think they can possible eat a buzzbait?

[new2BC4bass]

On 8/11/2022 at 1:00 PM, Zcoker said:

You might need to re-word this post to  "How do you northern boys do it?" Because you seem to have done very well, considering you used a whopper plopper at night in a weedy area to get most of your fish. All in all, where there's weeds, there be bass. And fishing a whopper plopper around any kind of weeds is going to need to be picked apart with every cast, especially in the dark! In any case, you seem to have done very well, aimed well, retrieved well enough to get into some decent fish. So spread the word on how you northern boys do it! lol 

I think you will find the OP may be a Northerner, but not a boy!

 

OP, I'll take that kind of fishing any day.  Heck of a lot better than around my area.  Sounds like a good time to me.

 

[Swamp Girl]

Update: I've fallen in love with bog fishing. Over the last month, I used my Whopper Plopper a lot in the bogs, casting between the pads and using my frog and wacky worms. I'll be bog fishing again tomorrow at two different bogs. My last outing, I only caught three bass and that was six or seven days ago. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, to see if I can crack autumnal bog bass. Someone suggested dropping a heavy fig with plastic into the pads, so I'm going to try that. I'm also going to try a wake bait. 

[Ski]

"Swim worm"