lily pad lunkers

[bassmatt]

i know a local lake that has some lily pads and there has GOT to be a monster bass in there. what techniques/tackle should i use? btw i'm a bank fisherman.

[roadwarrior]

Slug-Go or frog on a heavy rod spooled with braid.

[Clayton]

Right on the money.  You can also roll a swimbait around the outside edges.

[T-rig]

T-rigged beaver!  

[Sam]

Drag a worm over the pads and let it sink in the holes.

Try a buzzbait in the morning if the water temperature is in the high 50s or 60s.

Try a frog.

Try a Kreature bait and drag it over the pads and let it fall in the holes.

Be sure to let your bait "sit awhile" on the pad.

It is amazing to see the bass jump clear out of the water and hit your bait on the way down.

The guys will have other suggestions so do what they say, too.

Good luck.

[=Matt 5.0=]

MMMMMMM My favorite cover! <<<<< See avatar

I like any soft plastic T-rigged, especially tubes or worms. My best technique is to cast about 2-3 feet onto the pads, then pull the bait to the edge and let it drop. Then hang on  

[Peter E.]

I think that one of the most over looked lures in this situation is an old johnson weedless spoon tipped with either a spinner bait pork rind of a curly tail grub. The spoon allows you to go over the surface of the pads without hanging up and it will also let it tumble into the holes you will skim across. The reason I think that alot of bass anglers do not like it is that it is so archaic. Another factor is that when a fish hits the spoon it is important to give the fish a minute with it in his mouth before setting the hook. That being said once you learn to keep that important fact in mind I think it is an extremely effective lure in those circumstances.

I also like to throw a big ugly critter bait with a heavy weight to punch through the weeds. Also if you don't want our bait to just punch through the weed the weight will help it to land on the bottom closer to the intended area and not close to the edge og the pads closest to you.

I like a good long rod even if I am not using a heavy line. It helps to act like a crain to hoist the fish out.

Try the spoon it is a real go getter!

[gatrboy53]

i,ve been fishing a lake for 2 mths. now.ever since the pre-spawn.this lake (little orange)has a lot of pads from 2' out to 6'.the bass has used these pad fields for stagibg areas ,spawning areas and post spawn transition areas.about the only difference has been where they will be holding according to the time of month.the one pattern that has held up every time i go is where they'll be in relation to the pads.for the most part they will be at the base of clumps of pads.time and time again i can go into a pad field and pick out clumps whose stems go down to the same root system and pull a bass from them.sometimes they hold in the shallower clumps and at other times in the deeper clumps.i fish buzz baits,and frogs early and late and spinner baits and speed worms at times w/ some success but i can almost always take a trick worm a senko or a jig and pull it up to the clump and let it settle to the base and keep it there and get bit.more times than not if i dont hit the root system w/ the bait i wont get bit.

there are draw backs ...you'll get hung up alot,either in the root system or the v in the pad itself, and a big bass will wrap you in a heart beat but for me its the been the most consistent pattern this spring.

[senile1]

Maybe the question should be what techniques/tackle should you not use in lilly pads?  

[Jimzee]

If this local lake is like Plum Orchard Lake that you speak of, I have done well there with Flukes and Senkos right at the edge of the pads. It has always been late of an evening though.

[bassmatt]

If this local lake is like Plum Orchard Lake that you speak of, I have done well there with Flukes and Senkos right at the edge of the pads. It has always been late of an evening though.

actually, it's Lake Stephens, any specific pointers?

[Jimzee]

If this local lake is like Plum Orchard Lake that you speak of, I have done well there with Flukes and Senkos right at the edge of the pads. It has always been late of an evening though.

actually, it's Lake Stephens, any specific pointers?

I haven't fished Lake Stephens since I lived in Beckley almost 15 years ago. If memory serves me right, we always done well on spinnerbaits, black to be exact. Where are the lilly pads on Stephens? :-? I don't remember any the last time I fished there. It sounds like everyone has given you quite a few things to try out and keep you busy for a while.

[TravisLovett]

Also you may want to try a topwater mouse.  Something the bass dont see every day.  

[cakes]

As RW said early on it's not so much what you throw it's to use heavy gear.  Once you lose a lunk in the pads you will wish you had.  The heavy braid can cut into the pads.

[Shakes]

I go to a local lake that has lillies in every cove. I've got the technique that kills all when it comes to lilly pads. Check it out.

Spinnerbaits. Spinnerbaits are the golden ticket when it comes to these lillies. Other baits have their perks, and do catch fish in lillies, I'm not sayin they don't. Its just been my experience that if you use the right technique, its almost automatic that if there's a fish there, you're gonna catch it. You have to get the perfect combination of colors and blades based on water clarity, and when you do... you can't stop them from biting it. Red on the bait is only a plus. Always have a red 1/0 trailer hook on the back. Always.

As soon as you get the lake drop your lure in the water. If it goes down 2 feet or more, its clear water. 18 inches, lightly stained. A foot, heavily stained. And 6 inches or less, dirty.

Clear Water - White or translucent skirt. Double willow silver blades. Silver provides a very natural flash.

Lightly Stained - White or white/chartruese skirt. Gold large blade, silver small blade. Tandem willow, or double willow.

Heavily Stained - White/chartruese or chartruese skirt. Double gold blades. I prefer a #6 Indiana, and a #3 colorado.

Dirty - Firetiger Skirt. Most visible colors to bass in dirty water besides black. Green, chartruese, and orange. Double gold blades. Again, prefer #6 Indiana, and #3 colorado. Double colorados is a good choice also.

Crash the spinnerbait into the reeds of the lilly pads. Won't hang up if you do it with enough speed, it doesn't take much. But that small bump of the reed shakes "the whole house." They feel it. They hate it. Looks like a dumb little fish. Think I'll eat it.

Trust me buddy, if you know whats good for you, you'll take my advice on this. Try it. You'll understand what I'm talking about.

- Aaron

[jomatty]

i fish a lake that is entirely lined with lillies and had a tough time adjusting.  here are the things i do that have worked.

the frog that everyone has suggested is a big producer i use a bronzeye as well as ribbits

a fat ika or senko around the edges is very productive  

spinnerbaits around edges are very productive

heavy jigs pitched into any slight difference or hole in the pads

a beaver or straight tailed worm  with a 1/2 to 1 oz tungsten weight pegged and then pitched in any small hole in the pads

if there are slightly larger holes in the pads you can jiggle an ika through them and yo yo it letting it fall on a slack line

other tips...this is one of the situations where i think line is absoluetly crucial.  make sure you have braid tied on.  try to get em to the top and water ski em on in but if you cant you will be very glad you have the braid tied on.

also key in on any difference in the pads.  if there is a lot of them, like in the lake i fish they can be kinda overwhelming as it can all start to look the same.  look for small holes (can indicate a rocky bottom)and gaps,indentations, and other differences

pads are not my favorite type of vegetation but it can be a lot of fun to fish.  this post is making me want to head there right now.

[Banor]

Maybe the question should be what techniques/tackle should you not use in lilly pads?

Exactly!

My first choice would be a toad though!

B

[extreme1018]

junebug magnum lizard ;D

[ww2farmer]

My best lilly pad pattern have been a hollow bodied frog over the top, or a green pumpkin jig and craw swam over the pads and dropped in the holes. Kinda new to the pad game, my ponds do not have any, and last year was my first year as a boater on my home lake and the pads have always been impossable to reach from shore. But now I love them, it seems like they always produce fish..........quality fish at that. I can't wait for this season, now that I have a bigger boat, I will be able to hit all my favorite pad "fields" in one outing.

[FIN-S-R]

Ill expound on the previously mentioned spinner bait technique. First thing as everyone else has said USE BRAID. 2nd, I like a 3/4 to 1 oz spinnerbait with a single colorado or indiana blade. Unlike the fellow before had mentioned, I slow roll it without a trailer so I can feel every little bump and with the big blade you can move it slow and keep it up. I keep from getting hung by letting the bait drop when I feel that bump. Also with a heavy spinner bait you can bounce it around real easily to get it loose if you do get hung up...since your fishing from the bank. Besides that, most of the bites will be on the fall after you make contact with a pad. Dont get me wrong, burnin a spinnerbait through the pads will catch fish, I just cant seem to do it without hangin up alot. My second choice would be a tie btw a solid frog, and rippin a vibe through em. Braid is a must with the vibe, and very heavy braid at that. I swap out the hooks on the vibe and go to the wider gapped thin wire gamakatsu trebbles. This way you can straighten 1 if you need to.

[Davefromwarwick]

cast a texas rigged lizard onto the pads and skitter it across the pads untill you gat to a hole, then let it drop. if you dont get one on the drop let it sit for a lil bit and then reel in varying the speed as you go. this always works for me in the pads.

dave