Lure suggestion for a specific situation

[Swamp Girl]

You guys know I love bog/swamp fishing. Well, yesterday, I fished an area I'd always avoided in the past. It's about 3' deep and from a distance, looks like it would only permit frog fishing, but when I paddled into it, I saw it has open pockets and a few casts revealed that those open pockets held fish. Beneath the open water are THICK weeds. There's perhaps 18" of open water. The bass, when hooked, immediately sound. I can almost hear their klaxons and the cry, "Dive, dive, dive." So, I'm looking for something that floats and something with a HIGH HOOKUP ratio, i.e. not a frog. Suggestions?

[Functional]

If the weeds arent resting on the top of the water you might be able to snake in a wake bait. Ive tried the Mann's version but prefer the action of the Strike King 2.5 wake. You can fish it slow and have a nice wake action on the top of the water and it floats. If weeds are closer than 2 " from the surface it will likely pick up a lot of slop though. Same scenario you might be able to run a buzzbait.

 

Also depending on how thick the weeds are it sounds like a great spot to do a swim jig. 

[MickD]

Another similar option is do drag a super fluke across the weeds, or a more buoyant Z-too.  If you don't stop, it won't sink.  EWG hook with tip just enough into the lure to make it weedless.

[TnRiver46]

Ribbon tail worm weedless no sinker. 

[Bird]

3" keitech easy shiner on a 3/16 weedless head.

Navigates grass very well and can hold a desired depth with a very slow cadence.

[Darth-Baiter]

Think there is open water under the weeds?  I think I would prove the depths w a punch bait. 

[RRocket]

2 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

 If they want it more horizontal, do a Z Man GOAT fished like a buzz toad.

That would be my suggestion. I run a 3/0 EWG with a Goat. I cast it right into the weeds..then drag it across pockets or along the edge.

 

This is a spectacular presentation and the legs bubble the water and make a plopping sound.

 

And the narrow profile allows better hook up.

 

An absolutely superb topwater bait.

 

 

 

[Will Ketchum]

I don't think the problem is so much what to use but in getting them out of them d**n weeds. I'm thinking heavy line and a stiff rod. Good luck.

[Dwight Hottle]

Keel weighted hook with a (Strike King) or Rage toad. Cast it & slowly retrieve with the back legs buzzing the surface. They work better in the heavy stuff than a buzz bait. 

[WRB]

Small open water pockets with shallow depth is crying out for a Weedless spoon like 1/2 oz Johnson Silver Minnow.

Sharpen the hook! 4” Zoom chartuese spinnerbait soft plastics straight split tail trailers work good, attach with a Hitchhicker spring on the hook bend.

Hold the rod tip high to swim the spoon on the surface, the slow down and lower the rod tip to swim in the open pockets.

Tom

[Captain Phil]

The Gambler Flapp'n Shad is ideal for that situation.  Use a wide gap spring lock hook and fish it like a buzz bait. You can fish this bait over the heaviest weeds and it catches big bass.  You can use heavy line or braid for this type of fishing.  The bait is thin which makes the hookup ratio much better than with frogs.

[Bass Rutten]

I'd burn a chatterbait over them, occasionally dig in and rip out. The same approach with a swimjig might work too.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

U ever try a pitchin a lightly weighted tube?

[MickD]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

Small open water pockets with shallow depth is crying out for a Weedless spoon like 1/2 oz Johnson Silver Minnow.

Sharpen the hook! 4” Zoom chartuese spinnerbait soft plastics straight split tail trailers work good, attach with a Hitchhicker spring on the hook bend.

Hold the rod tip high to swim the spoon on the surface, the slow down and lower the rod tip to swim in the open pockets.

Tom

Great suggestion! We tend to forget the Silver Minnow, but it is so versatile and effective.

[Swamp Girl]

29 minutes ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

U ever try a pitchin a lightly weighted tube?

 

I've never used a tube, but I do own some. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

And thanks to the rest of you too! So much to try, but since it's 'Maine bog fishing, so many places try your suggestions. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Spankey]

3 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

U ever try a pitchin a lightly weighted tube?

Maybe even try a Fat Albert Grub, lightly weighted as said above. Slide it around on top and when you hit a pocket do the giggly giggly thing while letting it sink. Rig it weedless. 
 

Don’t underestimate a tube or grub anywhere. 

[PaulVE64]

5 hours ago, WRB said:

Small open water pockets with shallow depth is crying out for a Weedless spoon like 1/2 oz Johnson Silver Minnow.

Sharpen the hook! 4” Zoom chartuese spinnerbait soft plastics straight split tail trailers work good, attach with a Hitchhicker spring on the hook bend.

Hold the rod tip high to swim the spoon on the surface, the slow down and lower the rod tip to swim in the open pockets.

Tom

It's amazing what that silver minnow will go thru

[LrgmouthShad]

Keeping with your request for a floating lure, a popper maybe

 

Breaking that request and pending that the open holes are at least long enough to move a subsurface lure through a noticeable distance, I would use a swim jig probably. My hookup to land is good with those. Could be a good situation for a spinnerbait too, but I’d like to have a little more room than 18”

 

 

@Pat Brown I just noticed your recommendations. I see we agree on the popper, but great, great recommendation on the floating worm. Saltless trick worm with only a swivel about 18” up from the worm on a spinning rod, twitch and slow sink, deadly 

[JackstrawIII]

Some awesome recommendations here,

including the GOAT. 
 

I’d add a Keitech Swing Impact Fat fished on a weighted swimbait hook. Very weedless and can be fished just kissing off the top of the weeds. Killer. 

[bottom_dollar]

Z Man pop shadz if you want to fish slow or a gambler little EZ swimmer if you want something to wind.

[NorthernBasser]

Another vote for the GOAT. I like the largest version (Billy Goat) with a 4/0 Mustad KVD Grip-Pin hook. This hook holds the bait on better than regular EWG hooks. And as others have said, the GOAT floats, which is nice.

 

[RRocket]

Tip for Goat family:

 

Get the dual color Goats (The Deal for example). That way you can flip the bait over and have one side for sunny, clear days and the other side for lower light conditions.

[Swamp Girl]

I'm going to fish the GOAT and a couple others the next time I return to the bog, which might be tomorrow morning. I'm watching the wind forecast. If the surface is too rippled, I can't see where the openings are. Plus, the part of the swamp I want to fish is the most exposed to a westerly/northwesterly wind. If not tomorrow, then soon. 

[RRocket]

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

I'm going to fish the GOAT and a couple others the next time I return to the bog, which might be tomorrow morning. I'm watching the wind forecast. If the surface is too rippled, I can't see where the openings are. Plus, the part of the swamp I want to fish is the most exposed to a westerly/northwesterly wind. If not tomorrow, then soon. 

Please keep us posted! 

[Swamp Girl]

6 minutes ago, RRocket said:

Please keep us posted! 

 

Will do! Two tasks await me:

 

1. Hooking them.

 

2. WRASSLIN' 'EM OUT OF THE WEEDS!!!!!!!!!