Accessing the Situation: The Pads

[.dsaavedra.]

Dean, in your original post, you described my favorite lake in the summer time. the conditions are almost EXACTLY the same, except for the water clarity. my water is pretty well stained.

anyway, hands down my favorite technique for fishing this lake with the pads is flipping a wacky worm into pockets using spinning gear. GOTTA LOVE IT!!!!!!!

great thread by the way, there should be more like this. they are both fun and informative.

[Joel W]

A very interesting piece of water. Since I'm dealing with Sunny skies and a little chop on the water, I'm tieing on a 3/8 oz spinnerbait and working the Lilly pad line. Then I'm switching to a DT-10 Crank so I can keep it right on the bottom of the weed line. If I found active fish, I'd then switch to a 3/4 oz jig with a trailer or more likely a Tx rigged Ugly Otter with a 3/8 oz bullet wt. and work any holes. I'd finish up by working a frog over the top.

[garry77]

I'd try what everybody else said in the pads and then I would go to the trees on the other side and fish the shade there as well.Oh and don't forget the cypress roots on the right just behind the pads.I just know there's one in there waiting on a worm or jig.

[flippin]

flip a beaver in the pockets

[619bassman]

I'd have to say id throw a nice meaty t-rigged 5"senko in the pockets. i wish we had cover like that out here in southern cali, but hey i guess we make up for it with the 20+lbs fish we got roaming our lakes.

[Big-O]

Use fast or quick retrieve baits til you find if there is a pattern to it. If not slow down with med retrieve styles, frogs etc. Find the water depth and grass weed lines in conjunction with pads and flipp'em.  

[bassnleo]

Johnson Silver Minnow w/ pork trailer worked over the pads. If that didn't work I'd leave, I hate fishing pads

[senile1]

Plan of attrack

1.  Throw a spinnerbait right along the weedline. Catches feeding bass.

2.  Flip a jig or a tube into any pockets.

3.  Pull a frog, trick worm or a Zoom finesse worm across the top of the pads, allowing it to fall in any open areas within the pads.

May consider a buzzbait over the top of the pads early in the AM or along the pad line.

The active bass will be on the pad line, feeding or looking for a nice meal.

And I would look for any wood within the pads.  There should be an opeing adjacent to the wood and you can drop your bait into that opening.

Sam, you and I would fish this in very similar fashion with minor variations.  

1) I would throw the spinnerbait, but I would also try a Rat'l'trap on the weedline before I try number 2.

2)Flip or pitch a jig, tube, or t-rigged craw or worm into the pockets and variations in terrain beneath the pads.  

3)Drag a frog or worm across the tops of pads allowing it to fall into open areas.  

[RoLo]

1) I would throw the spinnerbait, but I would also try a Rat'l'trap on the weedline before I try number 2.

2)Flip or pitch a jig, tube, or t-rigged craw or worm into the pockets and variations in terrain beneath the pads.

3)Drag a frog or worm across the tops of pads allowing it to fall into open areas.

Senile1, I noticed that you've elected to work the shallowest bass, last.

I have a question: If you catch a bass or two along the outside weedline, do you think it's possible

that the commotion might alarm the bass among the pads near the surface?

On the flipside, do you believe that taking a bass or two off the surface would frighten the bass lying in deeper water along the weedline?

Roger

[jrhennecke]

I'd throw the buzzbait and then work the pockets with some sort of t-rigged plastic or jig.

[senile1]

1) I would throw the spinnerbait, but I would also try a Rat'l'trap on the weedline before I try number 2.

2)Flip or pitch a jig, tube, or t-rigged craw or worm into the pockets and variations in terrain beneath the pads.  

3)Drag a frog or worm across the tops of pads allowing it to fall into open areas.  

Senile1, I noticed that you've elected to work the shallowest bass, last.

I have a question: If you catch a bass or two along the outside weedline, do you think it's possible

that the commotion might alarm the bass among the pads near the surface?

On the flipside, do you believe that taking a bass or two off the surface would frighten the bass lying in deeper water along the weedline?

Roger

Roger, this is a conundrum on this one, at least for me.  I thought about the things you mentioned before I made my post.  Theoretically, I think both are possibilities; however, I think the fish buried up in the vegetation would be less likely to be affected by commotion on the outside of the weedline.  When flipping we pull our boats right up to the mat with our trolling motors and still catch fish from only a few feet away.  The cover seems to make the fish less likely to spook.  This may be faulty thinking but it was why I chose to pick the weedline fish off first.  I do think that going after the shallowest bass first would spook the bass on the weedline because this weedline doesn't appear to be very deep to me, so when I'm reeling these fish in I will be pulling them through the fish on the weedline.

You always have some very intelligent answers to fishing questions so I would be interested in your thoughts on this.

[dougw82]

first jizz in my pants over excitement then wiggle a zoom worm

[RoLo]

Roger, this is a conundrum on this one, at least for me. I thought about the things you mentioned before I made my post. Theoretically, I think both are possibilities; however, I think the fish buried up in the vegetation would be less likely to be affected by commotion on the outside of the weedline. When flipping we pull our boats right up to the mat with our trolling motors and still catch fish from only a few feet away. The cover seems to make the fish less likely to spook. This may be faulty thinking but it was why I chose to pick the weedline fish off first. I do think that going after the shallowest bass first would spook the bass on the weedline because this weedline doesn't appear to be very deep to me, so when I'm reeling these fish in I will be pulling them through the fish on the weedline.

You always have some very intelligent answers to fishing questions so I would be interested in your thoughts on this.

You and I both know that there's no one way that is always best (No Goldie Locks scenario).

Since I normally target the shallowest bass first, I was wondering if I might be missing something.

If so, I wouldn't hesitate to reverse my sequence, because I love to experiment.

There are 3 reasons why I normally target the shallowest bass first:

1)Above all, the shallowest bass are typically the most aggressive bass and therefore they're usually the easiest & quickest to harvest.

There are two reasons why bass in shallower water are generally more catchable:

a) The water temperature of the upper water layer (epilimnion) is usually warmer than the water below.

More importantly, bass in a feeding mode tend to suspend higher up in the weed bed than less aggressive bass.

Oppositely, bass in a negative disposition, such as post-cold front conditions, will typically sulk on the bottom.

2) It would seem that bass in shallow water might be less insulated from topside commotion (fighting, landing & hook removal).

On the other hand, bass lying in deeper water might be a little more insulated from the world above the water surface.

If I fished for the deepest bass first, I'd be afraid that the commotion caused by a hookup

might spook the most catchable bass near the surface, before I ever got a shot at them.

3) Power fishing goes fast, so any catchable bass near the surface will either be non-existent or quickly harvested

(generally within the first few casts). With that out of the way, I'd now be in a better frame of mind to slow down and focus on finesse fishing.

That is to say, with power fishing behind me I'd have the patience and motivation to spoonfeed bass more diligently (last game in town).

Thanks for your indulgence Ed

Roger

[Catt]

Roger & Ed; very interesting  

[senile1]

Roger, thanks for the response.  Your points make sense and, as you stated, there is no "Goldie-Locks" scenario.  I am looking at this picture with a horizontal fishing mentality, rather than vertical.  

I am assuming that none of this water is very deep until after we proceed past the weedline and near the main river/creek channel.  I believe the spatterdock stalk generally doesn't exceed approximately six feet and, in the stained lakes that I fish, I don't see pad type vegetation beyond four to five feet.  

This line of thinking led me to the conclusion that, whether I'm fishing outside the weedline or in the vegetation, these fish are shallow fish.  Based on that, if I start fishing closer to the bank first, I will be disturbing any fish that are between those fish and my boat.  The area between the bank and the outside edge is small, however, so I would suspect that pulling fish off the weedline will spook a few fish as well, but hopefully not as many.  I will be catching these weedline fish in slightly deeper water and pulling them away from the vegetation where the shallowest fish lie.  Obviously, I'm making some depth assumptions that, if incorrect, could change my plan.

[bassmaster911]

a frog is probaly your best bet in the lily pads.