problem with lily pads

[Matthys]

Yesterday I went fishing, its summer here and it was overcast, I went fishing after it has rained in a small man made lake.It was about a hectar.The shore was literly packed with weeds and lily pads.I decided to use a chartreuse pepper plastic worm with texas rig.The fish can't see it cause it was above the pads.Would someone please give me my mistakes

[Guest avid]

Yesterday I went fishing, its summer here and it was overcast, I went fishing after it has rained in a small man made lake.It was about a hectar.The shore was literly packed with weeds and lily pads.I decided to use a chartreuse pepper plastic worm with texas rig.The fish can't see it cause it was above the pads.Would someone please give me my mistakes

why would you fish something the bass can't see?

Get down into the pads with a pegged sinker of sufficient weight to get through the canopy.  OR  use a brightly colored worm.

Or a hollow body frog.

good luck.   Remember, bass are primarily sight feeders.  If they can't see it they probably won't eat it.

[Wayne P.]

Fishing on top of a canopy of vegetation is quite common. If a bass is in the area no matter what type bait it is, they can find it. Just move your lure slowly and pause frequently. Usually a sunny day is better for that presentation. The use of hollow surface lures like a frog or mouse is the usual method, but just about anything that disturbs the vegetation will work.

[John J.]

If there's any pockets or any break in the lily pad canopy, I would cast there. Otherwise like Wayne said just cast a frog or weedless topwater lure on top of the pad and slightly move it.

Otherwise cast to the edge of the pad line and work that. Good luck!

[bocabasser]

like avid said: use a hollow body frog and slowly "hop" it through the pads. i would use a braided line if possible, because if you hook a big one, you are gonna need all the help you can get!

[maxke01]

The place i usually fish is loaded with lilly, i throw a pumpkinseed senko t-rig and kill them

[Sam]

Remember the structure of the lilly pad.

It is formed by a very strong stem that forms a "V" at the base.  

Fish like to hang out in the "V" formations so it is imperative that the fish 1) see your bait; 2) can follow it or get to it from down in the pads roots; and 3) be able to strike your bait.

All of the responses are excellent so give them all a try.

You may want to try a different rig to get your bait into the pads. When the bait is in the pads you want to JIGGLE it with your rod tip to make it bounce up and down a little so the bass will see it.

Use a weedless plastic and a one ounce weight on some strong line, such as 20 pound test or braid.

You can fish it Texas or Drop Shot style just as long as it is weedless.

Pitch it into the pads and let it fall as far as it can go.

Then, using the rod tip, bounce the bait, every so slightly, up and down.

You can always use a brass bullet weight and a glass bead to make some noise, too.

If no hits, then fish the outside of the pads.

Have fun experimenting.

[Matthys]

Remember the structure of the lilly pad.

It is formed by a very strong stem that forms a "V" at the base.  

Fish like to hang out in the "V" formations so it is imperative that the fish 1) see your bait; 2) can follow it or get to it from down in the pads roots; and 3) be able to strike your bait.

All of the responses are excellent so give them all a try.

You may want to try a different rig to get your bait into the pads. When the bait is in the pads you want to JIGGLE it with your rod tip to make it bounce up and down a little so the bass will see it.

Use a weedless plastic and a one ounce weight on some strong line, such as 20 pound test or braid.

You can fish it Texas or Drop Shot style just as long as it is weedless.

Pitch it into the pads and let it fall as far as it can go.

Then, using the rod tip, bounce the bait, every so slightly, up and down.

You can always use a brass bullet weight and a glass bead to make some noise, too.

If no hits, then fish the outside of the pads.

Have fun experimenting.

Thanks, only problem is I have only 12 lb line, what is braid?

[.dsaavedra.]

braid is a type of line that uses special fibers (usually spectrex) and they are braided together to form a "super line". braid is unique because of its strength to diameter ratio. 50lb braid only has the diameter of 10 or 12lb monofilament (nylon line).

hope that helped.

ps. some brands of braid are: powerpro, suffix performance braid, and spider wire.

[fishnaddiction]

well first off if it was overcast i wouldnt fish pads mostly because they use the pads for shade and wouldnt be in them i would fish close to them maybe in a cheek channel or open water try a heavyier line, rod and a real heavy tungsten weight to bury that bait under the pads and if you still cant get under them  try using something that dispaces more water like a topwater buzzbait, buzz frog or mouse   the fish will do the rest

[farmpond1]

This technique only works if there are small pockets or breaks in the lilly pads and it's especially helpful if you are confident the fish are there:  Cast a weedless soft plastic onto the tops of the pads, shake and bounce the plastic so that it creates a lot of commotion on the pad(s), then, when you think you've sufficiently caught the bass' attention, creep the plastic over to the edge of the pads and drop it down into the water.  It helps if there is just enough weight (pegged to the bait) for it to fall but not too quickly.  Anwyay, a lot of times, a bass will grab it on the way down.  Set the hook hard and try to pull the bass out of the thick stuff before the fish can weave in and out of the pads.  You'll need some pretty stout line (braided is a good choice) to horse a bass out of the pads.