Tips for fishing weeds?

[Boo]

Theyre arent alot of lakes of lots of weeds in my neck of the woods, except one. This lake is loaded with Coontail or Milofil weeds from 1ft to 8ft deep and Reeds along the shoreline. Anyone have some strategies to finding the most productive spots on this lake? Im not familiar with fishing weed that deep.

[Will]

Use braided line it will cut through vegetation easier, and since their won't be any stretch you can pull the fish right out.

[eyedabassman]

Try fishing soft jerk baits like flukes. A jig n pig, topwaters, and T rig worms and tubes.

[Chris]

(I call all vegetation grass) I look for grass that has a defined edge. I also look for places that have more than one kind of grass if available or two or more forms of cover. I also like to fish the holes in the grass. Sometimes the thickest stuff will hold fish over the thin stuff and sometimes a different color of grass will hold fish more than another. Depth changes and structure thats under the grass is what makes some grass better than others.

[Phishn_Phool]

Chris, being new to Florida, how do you fish the holes in the grass?  Do you get in the grass ??? Do you get to the edge and try to cast or flip to the hole ???What's your favorite bait for getting in the weeds ??? as always your help is appreciated..thanks

                         CPR ;D

[Curado]

I would also try a lipless crank and rip it through there and a spinnerbait to roll the spinnerbait over the top of the weeds and rip it off when it gets in there.

[Muddpuppy]

Different types of grass meeting together can be a good place to try, sometimes this indicates a change in structure. Like Chris said look for the edges on or very near structure changes drop offs, ect. I prefer creature style baits, but many use  jigs to flip into the pockets, worms work, flukes do a good job along the edges or in the tops. In vast areas you may have to pole your boat into the weeds to get to the holes. Most of ours are lily pads and they play heck on a trolling motor, poleing is quiter anyway. The frogs and weightless worms and creatures work good for me in these. I have had trouble with braided line (years ago) in cattails, it shreaded it badly. The newer lines may be better.

[Yankee_lake]

now i gotta practice the perfect hook set

[Chris]

Holes in grass is little openings, gaps, or pockets that you can pitch your bait to and the bait will fall through the grass to the bottom. Usually its a place where the grass can't grow because of a rock or stump. Use a tube,tube,tube, or paddle tail worm with a 1/4 oz or 3/8 oz worm weight. Did I mention to use a tube? :

[Brad_Coovert]

Grass will hold fish all year.  Somewhere in that grass will be fish.

The deeper grass with some water over it, you can fish a shallow running crankbait or lipless bait over it and rip from the grass when the bait catches on it.  Depending on the depth of the water over the grass, you may need to beef up your line to help the bait run more shallow.  I like to use 15 - 17 lb. mono when I'm fishing cranks over shallow grass.  The heavy line keeps the bait up, does not hinder the action and helps get foish out of the grass also.

That deeper grass will also be a good place for a Texas rigged plastic, weightless Senko bait or spinnerbait slow rolled in the grass or burned over the grass.  If the water is real clear, you can call fish up out of the submerged grass with topwaters also, especially if there is a slight chop on the water.

For the matted, thicker grass, you can drag plastics over the grass or a topater frog type bait - use heavy line or braided line and a long, powerful rod to help you get these fish out of the veggies.

The thick stuff can also be flipped - either to holes in the grass or using a heavy weight and punching through the grass to open areas underneath.  This can be a killer way to fish.  The water under the matted grass will be much cooler than the open water areas and will have a lot of shade.  The biggest bass in the lake will probably be in the thickest stuff this summer.

The cattails may be good spawning areas depending on the bottom composition and depth there.

Brad

[Shadow]

brads got it with the braided line. lol, what i use is weedles frogs, bass assassins weedless, and weedless topwater baits. works great!