Tackle and techniques for Ponds Thick with Weeds

[Leon162]

My In-laws have a cabin off a 125 acre pond.  Located in the Berkshires, the pond has crystal clear water, but it has areas that are heavily populated with Eurasian milfoil and/or curly-leaf pond weed. In the past I have stuck with poppers and shallow running cranks.  When visiting, I fish from the dock or off to the side of beach.  Are there baits that that will slide through the weeds.

 

I do have access to kayaks that would allow me to reach more of the pond.  However, I have balance challenges and difficulty getting in and out of them. 

 

Usually, my favorite baits are Fat Ikas and various top water baits (in the morning).  I also like weightless T-rigged Senkos.

 

Thanks!

[RRocket]

If you're throwing a Texas rigged Senko, that's already one of the best weedless presentations there is

[rgasr63]

Have you tried a grass jig? Another jig to think about is a Trashmaster jig. The plastic covers the hook point. 1/2 oz or more  may be needed  for thick grass.

[FishTax]

You can texas rig any soft plastic and present in a number of different ways. weightless on top for topwater, swimming senko or fluke for mid column, heavy weight for punching, etc. 

 

I fish a pond that's got heavy weeds and mats, and all I throw is texas rig, or frogs. I start with frogs, because they're fun  

[AlabamaSpothunter]

@ol'crickety could give you some great options, and she fished in a similar part of the country.   

[scaleface]

A weightless Texas rigged worm twitched on top of the vegetation is a proven technique . Make sure it weighs enough to cast. I like to use a heavy flipping hook to add weight. Yum Dingers have some mass to them.

[Swamp Girl]

I'd chuck a Keitech swimbait on an Owner underspin. I don't even bury the hook for better hook-setting and am still able to pull it through heavy cover. I fish them through the water column, from slow rolling on the bottom to even landing them on lily pads like a frog. It's amazing how weed-resistant they are. I like the 3.8" and 4.3" Keitechs and I favor the ones that are white and gray. The link below will take you to mostly Keitech fish, all caught while fishing in the salad bar:

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

13 hours ago, Leon162 said:

My In-laws have a cabin off a 125 acre pond.  Located in the Berkshires

 

BTW, congrats! That's quite a dowry. I love, love, LOVE the Berkshires. I saw that you have balance challenges. Is the challenge stepping into the boat? Once you're aboard, are you okay? If so, I'd enter on land and then simply slide the boat into the water. Wear a PFD, of course. 

[Leon162]

2 hours ago, scaleface said:

A weightless Texas rigged worm twitched on top of the vegetation is a proven technique . Make sure it weighs enough to cast. I like to use a heavy flipping hook to add weight. Yum Dingers have some mass to them.

So, basically a floating worm presentation?  I've used floating white Zoom worms, but not at the the cabin.

[Leon162]

11 hours ago, rgasr63 said:

Have you tried a grass jig? Another jig to think about is a Trashmaster jig. The plastic covers the hook point. 1/2 oz or more  may be needed  for thick grass.

I'm aware of swimming jigs, but I have to google grass jigs.

[Leon162]

2 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 

BTW, congrats! That's quite a dowry. I love, love, LOVE the Berkshires. I saw that you have balance challenges. Is the challenge stepping into the boat? Once you're aboard, are you okay? If so, I'd enter on land and then simply slide the boat into the water. Wear a PFD, of course. 

Center Pond in Becket.  The challenge for me is standing up.  My brain has difficulty adjusting my feet and balancing at the same time.  Storing a Jon boat would be a problem.  Kayaks are stored in the basement, and we walk them the few hundred yards down to the beach.  I'm debating a sit on top kayak-my concern is losing my tackle if I do flip.

 

PFD is a given

 

Cheers!

 

Leon

[scaleface]

1 hour ago, Leon162 said:

So, basically a floating worm presentation?  I've used floating white Zoom worms, but not at the the cabin.

Vegetation, for me, requires stout tackle. So there has to be enough weight to cast. This doesnt float but sinks slowly . I use it on top of emergent vegetation with pauses , especially in openings and thin spots. Caught a lot of big bass this way . .

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, Leon162 said:

Center Pond in Becket.  The challenge for me is standing up.  My brain has difficulty adjusting my feet and balancing at the same time.  Storing a Jon boat would be a problem.  Kayaks are stored in the basement, and we walk them the few hundred yards down to the beach.  I'm debating a sit on top kayak-my concern is losing my tackle if I do flip.

 

PFD is a given

 

Cheers!

 

Leon

 

You don't have to stand to catch bass, Leon. I'm an old woman and whereas I could once stand in a canoe, I no longer do. I fish from my seat and catch quite a few.

 

Sit one-top kayaks are pretty hard to flip. Glad to read you wear a PFD. Me too! 

[Bankc]

It all depends on the type of weeds and how thick they are and whatnot.  But I often opt for hardbaits that can go over them, or soft plastic baits where you can hide the hook into the plastic.  So maybe topwaters or wakebaits, depending on how high up the weeds reach.  And sometimes you can get a jig through the weeds.  Sometimes a chatterbait will work as well.  Especially the ones with a weed guard.  But sometimes you need something even more weedless, like a Texas Rigged worm or craw.  You can also try a swimbait or fluke with the hook tip buried in the body.  I'll often also throw a shaky head.  And I've got these ned rig heads with weed guards that work alright in some situations.  Often times, if the weeds are really thick, I'll use an EWG hook to texas rig my worms and stuff.  I'll pick one where the point of the hook is in line with the eye.  You're hook up ratio will drop, but your chances of getting through cleanly increase.  

 

A lot of it is just trial and error.  Throw something you think might work and see if you can get it back cleanly.  Sometimes the weeds are so thick and soft, it's not the hook that catches them, but the nose of the bait.  In those cases, there's usually not much you can do besides go over or around the weeds.   

[padlin]

Narrow plastics t rigged, sometimes weightless, some times up to 3/16 bullet weight, small ones are pegged.

 

If not too thick spinnerbaits and under spins w/trailers, weedless jigs.

[WRB]

Weedless spoon works good swimming across the weed mate ,open water pockets and edges.

TW has Bagley weedless spoon on clearance. Attach soft plastic using Owner CPS spring.

Tom

[Swamp Girl]

I bought some of Tom's(@WRB) suggested weedless spoons and am looking forward to using them in 2024. I've got a stretch of river flanked by gnarly swamp and I'm going to pitch my Tom spoons into that thicket.

[GrumpyOlPhartte]

@Leon162:  I fish Cheshire Reservoir, Buckley Dutton, Onota, and a few other local lakes.  At 75, balance and flexibility aren’t great.  I added stabilizers to my kayak.  They ain’t pretty but they allowed me to add a raised swivel seat so I can get in and out without mishaps. Also great for casting at different angles without having to reposition the yak.  Just a thought.

 

I use swim jigs, Texas-rigged critters and worms, and a lot of flukes because Cheshire in particular is a weed-infested salad bowl.

 

[Bankbeater]

I like to fish with light, compact, jigs.  Around 1/8, or at most 3/16 size.  I'll put on a trailer like a UV speed craw, or a cut down Rage Craw.  Something big enough so that if the jig starts to sink in the vegetation the trailer will catch it. 

[Leon162]

9 hours ago, scaleface said:

A weightless Texas rigged worm twitched on top of the vegetation is a proven technique . Make sure it weighs enough to cast. I like to use a heavy flipping hook to add weight. Yum Dingers have some mass to them.

So, basically a floating worm presentation?  I've used floating white Zoom worms, but not at the the cabin.

[Swamp Girl]

I like @GrumpyOlPhartte's rig. The position of your pontoons wouldn't keep you from netting bass, plus the swivel seat is clever. My problem is that after five hours of paddling and casting, I'm so stiff that I half stumble ashore. 

[Leon162]

Thanks everyone, there are a lot of great weedless rig suggestions here.

 

Regarding kayaks, I am most anxious about getting in and out and maybe getting  cramps as I contort my body to manage my tackle.

[RRocket]

14 hours ago, Leon162 said:

Center Pond in Becket.  The challenge for me is standing up.  My brain has difficulty adjusting my feet and balancing at the same time.  Storing a Jon boat would be a problem.  Kayaks are stored in the basement, and we walk them the few hundred yards down to the beach.  I'm debating a sit on top kayak-my concern is losing my tackle if I do flip.

 

PFD is a given

 

Cheers!

 

Leon

I had some of those concerns prior to my purchase. I needed something easily stored, exceedingly stable..and able to stand.

 

I settled on a Scout 365 and couldn't be happier! Sets up in 15 minutes and packs down into a single bag. 60lbs. I run a 2.5 Suzuki, so all in weight is 100lbs. Fits in the hatch of my car, too. It runs 10MPH and sips the fuel.

 

The casting bar is an excellent grab rail..and you lean into it (facing front or back) to fish. Absolutely stable.

 

Thus far, extremely durable too. This isn't a toy and is a "real" boat.

 

Just thought I'd share.

[Ski]

In no particular order, these with only a seconds thoughts.

1. Weightless stickbait

2. Fluke

3. Frog

4. Toad

5. Definitely a swimming worm.

6. Buzz bait

7. Pop-R

[Swamp Girl]

@RRocket: That is a cool setup. You're Canadian, so you could reach some amazing bush lakes with that rig.

 

12 hours ago, Leon162 said:

Regarding kayaks, I am most anxious about getting in and out and maybe getting  cramps as I contort my body to manage my tackle.

 

Remember that you have property on that pond, so you don't have to fish from a light boat. When you visit, you'll only have to haul the boat to the water once and back to storage once. I think I'd fish from something like this, where you can sit and it's stable and cheap too. This one weighs 100 lbs. from Tractor Supply: