Gunk

[Lobster Monster]

I've discovered a new lake/pond by my girlfriends house that seems to be filled with fish. In just only three trips I've caught three 5 pounders and multiple 3 pounders. Only problem is there is gooey algae/gunk on top of a lot of the water, and the bottom of it is just coated in varying levels of the stuff. This means I pretty much can't fish a jig, weighted worm, or crankbait. I can rip a red-eye shad, but half to a quarter of my casts will have me pulling gunk off after the retrieve.

I've had the most some success with senkos, soft jerkbaits, and weightless brush hogs but I can't think of much else to use besides topwater lures which I don't seem to have much luck on. Any more ideas?

[D4u2s0t]

if you're catching fish, keep doing what you're doing.  Sometimes to get to the fish you have to go through the slop, which unfortunately means pulling the slop off the bait sometimes.  If you're rigged weedless, that's probably about the best it will get, and make sure the bait is pulled over the know and the eye of the hook.

[Kingbass43]

Get some of that stuff to kill tha gunk! haha http://www.bassresource.com/fishing-forum/Smilies/2vrolijk_08.gif

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

Your going to have to focus mainly on using topwaters and weightless or lightly weightd plastics.Trickworms and senkos are king. I like to put a nail in the rear of the senko and fish it sort of like a fluke. use the trickworms to twitch across the top of the matted areas and drop into holes and let it sink after it reaches the edges.If the fish are active keep walking it on the top. A weightless yamamoto kut tail worm is also very effective for the scenario. Of course there is the mandatory buzz frogs too. They won't hit them on top? Try letting it sink. I also like 10 inch worms either unweighted or with a 1/16 oz unpegged weight. Use a popping retrieve to keep it out of the crap on the bottom

Try to get a good idea of the water depth and where the dropoffs or any humps are. You can then use shallow to medium crankbaits,but as you know, the second it touches bottom its cashed.You have to keep the bait just above bottom either by using a lot of pauses or shortening your cast and keeping your rod tip up if need be. It is a lot of trial and error and the scum is hell to clean of the hooks,but it is effective.

Spinnerbaits are an obvious choice as well since you can easily change the depth and speed. Concentrate on the scum edges and any windblown side.

After you visit a few times you will notice the scum goes through phases. If it is hot and sunny a lot it will be thickly matted,also the stuff on the bottom will tend to rise and will grab you even worse than before. After a cool rain you may notice a lot it sinks below the surface.Also after several days of coool weather in the winter you may notice it will disappear from the top altogether.

One of my little honey holes is just like this.If you want any more info or have a specific question just PM me.I'll try to help you out.

[.dsaavedra.]

do what the pond dictates.

[LooksLikeSinbad]

FROGS!!

[fishizzle]

thats a good problem to have.

no one else likes to fish that stuff, so its all yours.

it takes so long to clean gunk from your worm and even still it doesn't all come off.

stick with the weedless tx rigged unweighted senko with the eye buried in the worm.  it can be fished universally in all water columns effectively

[Lobster Monster]

Are there any good creature baits out there that are big enough to be fished weightless so i can cast pretty far? Something really chunky?

[Fishing Rhino]

I've discovered a new lake/pond by my girlfriends house that seems to be filled with fish. In just only three trips I've caught three 5 pounders and multiple 3 pounders. Only problem is there is gooey algae/gunk on top of a lot of the water, and the bottom of it is just coated in varying levels of the stuff. This means I pretty much can't fish a jig, weighted worm, or crankbait. I can rip a red-eye shad, but half to a quarter of my casts will have me pulling gunk off after the retrieve.

I've had the most some success with senkos, soft jerkbaits, and weightless brush hogs but I can't think of much else to use besides topwater lures which I don't seem to have much luck on. Any more ideas?

Sounds like what I call "muck" in my home pond.  If it's a dark color from nearly black to brown, maroon or purplish, its probably filamentous algae.

Mats of it on the bottom will actually trap gasses beneath and float to the surface.  At times, the gas accumulates in a small pocket, when enough forms, it will lift a bit of it from the bottom, and the gas bubble will protrude above the surface of the water, looking like a small cypress knee.

Try a fluke type of bait rigged weedless.  I've been using the Strike King Caffein Shad, and it goes through the stuff cleanly, most of the time.  It casts well too.  

Forget about anything with treble hooks, or most bottom fishing baits.  

You will likely find that stuff in the same area every year.  About 30% of the bottom I fish has filamentous algae.  It's even there, on the bottom, in the winter.  Though the mid and top water stuff settles.  At least that's how it works around here.

[Clark Stewart]

Are there any good creature baits out there that are big enough to be fished weightless so i can cast pretty far? Something really chunky?

My first choice would be a rage tail shad which is topwater or the space monkey - not a big bait but it sails through the air - I think it compacts itself in flight. Second choice (or third?) would be a big bite baits kriet krieture in 6inch size - it's like a ringworm and a brush hog had a baby. More action than a brush hog and with a 1/4 oz sinker it will sail through the air - even weightless it works pretty well.

[Stagerlee]

Are there any good creature baits out there that are big enough to be fished weightless so i can cast pretty far? Something really chunky?

I like coffee tubes.

[steezy]

I fish a pond with that muck on the top a lot and while its a pain to have to clean the lure so much but I catch a lot of fish. The big ones love to hide under that slop sitting on top of the water. As you have probably discovered, the bigger fish are in the worst of the muck and thats why they are so big! They just lay under there and eat themselves into oblivion. This morning I had a big one jump almost completely out of the water trying to grab a buzzbait that I was throwing along the edge of the muck, had to clean my lure after almost every cast. I just kept throwing closer and closer and eventually he took it and by the time I got the bass out of the water it was covered in gunk but worth all the effort. Nice 4#'der.

[Shane J]

Although I agree with the Rage Shad, I'd also try a Green Pumpkin Rage Anacaonda rigged Tx, weightless on a 1/16oz keel weighted 3/0 Owner twistlock. All set with that rig, just dip it in Chart. JJ's, and slather in Megastrike! Bounce that baby real slow across the bottom, and report the 7.5lber you catch out of there back to us!

[bigtimfish]

Look at Big Bite Baits fighting frogs on tackle warehouse.Look in the creatures section. Everyone overlooks this bait and buys the spacemonkey

[twitchfish]

In the same position.

Luck lately with the large BrushHog. Weightless or with an unpegged 1/4 oz bullet weight, gotta let em know dinner is ready. I make as much commotion entering thewater as possible and then just kill it, for as long as I can stand it. The other thing I do to the BrushHog is remove thos little arms immediately distal to the head and also the longer tentacles, it seems to not gather as much gnuk on the way back.

Dark colored, weightless *** Sticks Texas weedless have always produced well in the slop too. Have recently tried the Trick Worms too, but not much to report from those.

Frogs on really hot mornings have worked well too, no matter where you throw them.

Let us know,

Twitch

[Lynx]

Did someone say FROGS!

[Lobster Monster]

Oh man, tonight I went there with a frog.  I casted as far as I could straight out into the middle and, BAM! a four pounder slams it after 3 or 4 pops.  Fought him all the way in from 30 yards out and ripped him through the gunk.  It was a THICK bass.

Didn't get a bite the rest of the night.  I just don't know what to do.  Whenever I fish here I'll usually only catch one, but it'll be at least 4 pounds.  I know there are more fish and bigger fish but I just can't get the rest to hit.

[Lynx]

Oh man, tonight I went there with a frog. I casted as far as I could straight out into the middle and, BAM! a four pounder slams it after 3 or 4 pops. Fought him all the way in from 30 yards out and ripped him through the gunk. It was a THICK bass.

Didn't get a bite the rest of the night. I just don't know what to do. Whenever I fish here I'll usually only catch one, but it'll be at least 4 pounds. I know there are more fish and bigger fish but I just can't get the rest to hit.

Take your time. Taking up to two minutes to retrieve your lures. Also maybe try working on your technique, presentation is everything. I am sure Glenn has an article posted somewhere that may give you more information, then what I have time to write.

Good lucks to you in catching the "BIG KAHUNA!"

[ABLE2DISABLE1]

Simple take a Bait net or Mullet net,make a day of it and through it tell you drop.Cleaning out the scum.I,ve done this on several different ponds and some big lake areas as well.Then go back 3days to a week later.I even had parties, cook outs with the guys after cleaning your target area.

[Lobster Monster]

Oh man.  I've found the trick.  Last night I started throwing a white Terminator spinnerbait with a gold willow blade and had a 4 pounder on the first cast.  Within 15 minutes, I caught 5 bass that were 4 to 5 pounds.  Then I guess it got too dark and I didn't catch any more.

Going back tonight and spinnerbaiting the whole d**n lake.

[Catt]

Zoom Trick Worm Texas rigged with 2/0 hook, no bullet weight but insert a 1 paneling nail into the tail. This will allow the Trick Worm to fall horizontally like the Senko but with a much smaller profile

Have a look a Gene Larew's HooDaddy, the 4.5 is thick and the 6 is really thick; check out the Biffle-O Series.

http://www.genelarewlures.com/HooDaddy/hoodaddyindex.html