Maybe I have been approaching it all wrong

[airborne_angler]

Title of subject says it all and I need some opinions. I tend to shy away from fishing weeds and like to fish open water on the edge of them where I wont run the risk of pulling in weeds on every cast. Whether it be Hydrilla  or Milfoil or whatever. Is this method of fishing causing me to potentially miss some quaility fish hiding in the weeds?

Is there a possibilty that there are fish just hanging out in the thick of the weeds I speak of?

Ive heard of people just "tipping" the tops of weeds with a lipless crankbait or Spinnerbait,but Im mostly a soft plastics fisherman Think it would pay off to throw a T-Rigged worm or Brush hog into the "Abyss"  of weeds?

When I say "Abyss" I mean the water is at least 10-15 feet deep and the weeds are only about 3 feet under the surface,and as you look into the weeds theres just darkness.

[Sam]

Airborne,

You will receive some great advice about fishing weeds.  

I have never fished weeds that deep but I do have some suggestions for you to consider.

Use a heavy bullet sinker (3.4 ounce or 1 ounce) , pegged, and fish the weeds Texas rigged using your favorite worm, lizzard, creature bait or brush hog.

You may consider using a heavy 3/0 hook on braided line (30, 40 or 50 pound) and "jigging" the bait up and down through the weeds.

Have you considered throwing a frog on top of the weeds?  Horney Toad, Ribbit, Scum Frog, etc.?

Thrown any topwaters like the Chuggbug, RICO, Pop-R, Spook?

Give 'em a try plus what the other guys on this site suggest.

You can't go wrong.

[Marty]

Is there a possibilty that there are fish just hanging out in the thick of the weeds I speak of?

Absolutely. Maybe "probability" would be a more appropriate word than "possibility."

[Catt]

I fish thick grass 95% of the time and while most people believe in fishing the outer edges or over the top the majority of the big bass are on the bottom.

My tools of choice are Texas rigged plastics or a Jig-N-Craw  

[roadwarrior]

WARNING!

DO NOT FISH A GYCB KREATURE T-RIGGED IN THE WEEDS, YOUR ARM WILL GET BROKEN!

[frogtog]

Never broke a arm, but I have destoryed a few rods with a 3/4oz weight and a

sweet beaver in the middle of thick mats of grass

[Fishing Buds]

Airborne,

You will receive some great advice about fishing weeds.

I have never fished weeds that deep but I do have some suggestions for you to consider.

Use a heavy bullet sinker (3.4 ounce or 1 ounce) , pegged, and fish the weeds Texas rigged using your favorite worm, lizzard, creature bait or brush hog.

You may consider using a heavy 3/0 hook on braided line (30, 40 or 50 pound) and "jigging" the bait up and down through the weeds.

Have you considered throwing a frog on top of the weeds? Horney Toad, Ribbit, Scum Frog, etc.?

Thrown any topwaters like the Chuggbug, RICO, Pop-R, Spook?

Give 'em a try plus what the other guys on this site suggest.

You can't go wrong.

Sam the way you explained it had me fishin right in my seat, I could feel the hits

[grimlin]

90% of my bigger fish are coming out of those nasty weeds....*turns on a light bulb in head*.

[RoLo]

Largemouth bass and weeds go together like smallmouth bass and rocks.

As long as you stick to the weedbeds, you're fishing in the high-percentage area.

Bass may be found along the weed-line, above the weed-bed and deep inside the weeds.

Bass that make a habit of living deep within dense vegetation stand the best chance

of reaching a ripe old age. When you fish the heaviest weeds you can find

it's like fishing in a private lake within a public lake.

Roger

[Spnrbait_]

If you were an ambush preditor where would you be?

Look for holes or irregularities in the weeds.  Target those spots first.  Don't be affraid to lose a lure or throw where the other guy won't.  One of my favorite ways to fish is flippin' heavy matts with 1 ounce weights.  Grass=Bass.

[Sam]

OK, here is another suggestion.

Using a push pole, go about 5 yards into the weeds and using the pole make a hole.

In fact, make a few holes in the weeds about 10 yards apart.

Wait one hour.

Go back and pitch your bait into the holes.

See what happens.

[gatrboy53]

fishin grass is like any other technique.once you learn it ,it wont be a hinderance.you'll get adepth to not pullin weeds on every cast(or pitch).

you are describing a perfect scenario.10' depth w/ grass up to within 3' of the top.you can fish that w/ any baits you want,but be sure to get down in the thick stuff .you gotta go into its bedroom to get em out sometimes,not just knock at the door.

[Raul]

If you ain 't fishin where your baits are going to hang up, you ain 't fishing where bass are.

[airborne_angler]

My girlfriend describes these weedy areas as "Creepy". Always thinking someone or something scary will just swim up out of the "Abyss". Just an overactive imagination. Guess she sees "Dead people"

in there. ;D

[Del from philly]

although you are definately missing out on fish in the weeds, you can survive by fishing what you feel comfortable fishing.......

their are definately fish in spots where most people would think as a "terrible" spot

example- at french creek scotts run lake, many people fish in cover spots, ect, including myself, and it was a pretty slow day, i caught a few, but nobody else did.....

anyway,

after a while, i started casting where the little kids fish, right off the shoire where their is NO cover, and the water is shallow and landed 2 right off the bat, my friend with me fished the same spot and caught the biggest bass of the day (nothing too special, but still a nice fish....)

just goes to show, if youd dont feel like fishing in a weedy spot with lots of cover, you can still catch fish anywhere.....

[surfer]

So how do you avid getting hung up in the thick weeds?  My Texas rigs can't do it.  Would more weight help?   What other rigs / baits will come back out after you throw them in?  

[Del from philly]

So how do you avid getting hung up in the thick weeds? My Texas rigs can't do it. Would more weight help? What other rigs / baits will come back out after you throw them in?

iv heard wiehgt helps, but in my experience, adding weight can just make it worse.....

iv been fishign senkos/worms weightless all season, and i think iv finally mastered it.....

try texposed and tuck the end of the hook back into the flesh of the worm....

whenever i get hung up too much, i just tuck the tip a little deeper....

[Catt]

Use a vertical approach instead of horizontal  

[RoLo]

iv heard wiehgt helps, but in my experience, adding weight can just make it worse.....

That's the first time I ever seen that in print, but you make a moot point.

It's very rare indeed that I'll ever need more than a 1/2 oz T-Rig Jig, but the proper lure must be properly presented.

Okay, Here's The Deal:

You are not trying to "rip" through weeds, on the contrary, you are allowing your lure to find its own path.

This is done by pumping the rod slowly and gently, all the while giving the lure its own head.

The lure I like best for mining dense vegees is the the "1/2 oz Owner Sled Head" which uses a 4/0 Owner hook.

USAngler is the only vendor that I know. If you know of others, I'd be glad to hear about it. The screw-on retainer is a nuisance,

but the trailer is not going to move. Common sense tells us that the most streamlined trailer (without appendages)

will get down the farthest in dense vegetation. You also need tough, slippery plastic (forget about the Senko).

My favorite by far, which my wife & I call our weed probe, is the "Gambler 5" Flapp'n Tail Worm".

I prefer a Black paddletail worm, because its very dark down there, even on a sunny day.

Roger

[Guest avid]

To answer your first question.

Yes, you are WITHOUT A DOUBT missing quality fish.

Florida lakes are famous for being shallow, weedy, and holding big bass.

The "Florida rig" is a bullet shaped sinker that is pegged directly to the plastic.  Gambler, tru tungsten and others make weights specific to this application.

It eliminates weeds gathering between the sinker and the plastic.

Sharp bend offset hooks will pick up weeds,  Use straight shank hooks or hooks like the owner "riggin" hook which is an offset by the bend is curved and much better at going through the weeds.  Even switching from EWG hooks to regular offsets will help.

Avoid plastics with appendages.  The Yammy Kreature is an outstanding bait, but untill you get a feel for fishing thick weedy cover, the senko will come through much cleaner.

Then the "RoLo" technique of letting the lure find it's way through the weeds.

A sensative rod and braided line are extremely helpful here.  If you feel contanct with a weed stem, let the worm settle then with gently twitches, see if you can't work it through.  contrary to popular belief, weeds are not just knots of matted vegetation.  Down at the bottom there are definite pockets, and areas that are relatively clean.  This is where the bigguns are.  If you can patiently work a soft plastic into those pockets your catch rate of quality bass will definitly improve.

The additional advice, such as looking for surface openings etc. is also important.

As for your girlfriends fear, well you'll just have to assure her that she is no danger with a big strong hero like yourself  

[Gorgebassman]

My favorite way to fish cover like that is with a big tube weighted with a gambler florida rig. I pitch it into holes in the weeds and give it slack line so it will fall as vertical as I can make it. When the tube hits the bottom I let it sit and then shake it now and again. I than rip it out of the weeds and pitch it to another working the weeds as methodically as I can.

[surfer]

Thank you guys for spelling it out for me / us.  The hook, sinker, apendages, twitch, tips are apreciated.