Most effective way to fish this cover?

[GoneFishingLTN]

Shallow water 1-8 foot of water with 1-4 foot of that water having some dead grass spots along with rock/some light timber

How would you go about fishing this?

 

 

[Functional]

I'd hit the spots with hard cover and live grass. First pass would be with a swim jig or weightless fluke twitched over the top of the grass, possibly a spinnerbait/chatterbait. Second pass would be a trig/jig to get down into the stuff. 

 

If I get fish on swim jig/fluke around the cover I'll go back and rip the swim jig through ALL the live grass.

 

If its a bit overcast or early morning, dusk I'll throw a popper. 

 

I have never pulled a fish out of dead grass. 

[Mobasser]

Sounds like a good spot for a t rig plastic worm.

[casts_by_fly]

I tend to start with moving baits until I see what the bass are doing.  Cover some water, figure them out for the day, and then slow down and pick things apart (or don't if they are hammering moving baits).  Depending on how much weed and how much timber, I'd be looking at a spinnerbait/chatterbait/lipless (or squarebill) depending on how thick and type of day.  I like a light breeze to fish a spinnerbait, less necessary for the others.  Early mornings I'd be throwing a buzzbait across the shallower half (or all of it with decent water clarity) because I love a good morning buzzbait bite.  If the fish aren't hitting moving stuff, then its a texas rig.  If you're talking about a big flat of this then moving quickly through it with the texas rig (or I've picked up a carolina rig recently) until you find where they are. If you have a good read on them or just want to focus on high priority targets, then pick all of the cover intersections where two or three of the things meet.  Find the structure under it (is there a creek drain somewhere or a little dropoff?) and fish that.

[Mike L]

I’d pitch a soft plastic of your choice in and around the areas of visible growing grasses, especially every isolated pocket avoiding all the dead spots. 
 

When pitching to the rock/timber spots I would constantly change the angle of each pitch as you work your way around it. 
 

Before you leave cover water with a moving bait starting a few yards out working your way in. 
 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 

[GaryH]

☝️☝️☝️I agree with Mike

[Susky River Rat]

I would rip a square bill through there. Sure you’ll get grass on it sure you’ll get hung up but it will help you at least locate fish faster. Also wouldn’t shy away from a top water. Just make effect casts and read the water. 

[Catt]

I don't understand why people think a Texas Rig can only be fished slow. 

 

With a 1/4 oz or larger weight I can pitch or roll cast & cover water quickly.

[GoneFishingLTN]

Do you just roll cast or pitch to your target hop it then reel it back or do you drag all the way to the boat?

[Catt]

26 minutes ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

Do you just roll cast or pitch to your target hop it then reel it back or do you drag all the way to the boat?

 

Both & swim the plastic 

[Pat Brown]

45 minutes ago, Catt said:

I don't understand why people think a Texas Rig can only be fished slow. 

 

With a 1/4 oz or larger weight I can pitch or roll cast & cover water quickly.

 

 

I pretty much only throw 3/8 or 7/16 most of the time these days.  Ain't got time for all that slow falling and the fish don't seem particularly eager to bite slow falls here so everyone wins.

 

I'd fish a frog.   🐸🐸🐸🎣🎣🎣

[Jig Man]

I would be there at the crack of dawn and start with top waters.

[Bird]

Swim jigs and keitech easy shiner have done well in the minimal grass lakes I fish.

[casts_by_fly]

2 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

Do you just roll cast or pitch to your target hop it then reel it back or do you drag all the way to the boat?

 

if there are isolated targets then yes.  if you're on a bigger flat with spread out cover, I've come to making long casts and after it settles to the bottom for a sec (sometimes fish will hit it on the fall, on the bottom, or wait a second) I'll start the 10-12 rod motion.  But I'm not slow dragging it that- its a steady lift.  Pause a half second to make sure its hit the bottom again, and do it again.  I'm moving the bait a solid 3-4' each lift.  Fishing a texas rig fast is doing two things.  Fishing big areas you're still looking for active feeding fish that are just feeding down instead of up.  Casting to targets it might be active feeders but you're also looking for reaction bites on neutral fish that you just happen to put it in front of.  You can get a feel for the fish from that.  The actives will grab it and just keep swimming (sometimes to get away from more fish).  You know you're on for a good day when they are like that.  Neutral fish will often just suck it in and sit there.  Catt's swimming is an even faster way to cover water and something I should do more often.

[Catt]

4 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

Shallow water 1-8 foot of water with 1-4 foot of that water having some dead grass spots along with rock/some light timber

How would you go about fishing this?

 

 

 

How long y'all think it would take for a 1/4 to hit bottom?

[jbrew73]

22 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

How long y'all think it would take for a 1/4 to hit bottom?

1.2fps with 15lb flouro and a 7” zoom worm.   If using mono or a Berkley worm your fall rate will have to be recalculated.     🤣

[casts_by_fly]

55 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

How long y'all think it would take for a 1/4 to hit bottom?

 

Sir that surely depends on which plastic is on the back.  A lobster and a senko will be a little different.

[fishballer06]

Not a single suggestion to throw a frog. Shame on all of you.

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, fishballer06 said:

Not a single suggestion to throw a frog. Shame on all of you.

with only sporadic grass I’ll throw a buzz bait over a frog any day. 

[Pat Brown]

2 hours ago, fishballer06 said:

Not a single suggestion to throw a frog. Shame on all of you.

 

 

Check again 🐸🐸🐸 

 

I'd fish a frog til my arm fell off mainly because I know it'll get the big smart ones to lose it.

[Functional]

2 hours ago, fishballer06 said:

Not a single suggestion to throw a frog. Shame on all of you.

I read it as 1-4" tall grass leaving a lot of open water above. Personally I havent had luck throwing frogs unless veg reached the surface or was within a few inches of surface. If I read it wrong I completely agree with it. 

[JackstrawIII]

Topwater toad-style bait is #1 by a mile for me. 
Then I'd try swimming a spinnerbait/chatterbait/etc. around the open areas. 

 

If that didn't work, I'd try flipping the brush. 

[Jar11591]

Sparse grass with rock and light timber in 1-8’ of water? Easy choice. Jig. 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

A swimjig (or chatterbait if cover and weather allows) with a T rig with a different profile and sink rate as the swimjig.