hyacinth techniques?

[brushhoggin]

    There was a topic a few days ago discussing people's techniques and opinions when fishing hydrilla. What about fishing water hyacinth? Anyone got some proper techniques fishing this stuff? tons of it where i fish. how deep does it go down from the surface? are there tunnels and caves under it like the hydrilla? should people apply the same techniques with it as hydrilla?

[RoLo]

Working submergent hydrilla beds is completely different than fishing rafts of floating hyacinths.

Hydrilla is firmly rooted in the bottom, usually in water between 4 and 18 feet deep,

which depends on many variables such as water clarity. Hydrilla is foliated down the stem,

and in many cases close to the lake floor. The same bed of stems however, may also form

a dense mat on the surface, as a result, hydrilla needs to be worked from top to bottom.

On the other hand, "water hyacinth" is a free-floating emergent plant

that never takes root in the bottom. Consequently, water hyacinth has no depth constraints

but simply piles up in leeward coves and bays. The location of hyacinth rafts can change

from day-to-day based on current wind direction but usually stays fairly put until a storm.

Hyacinth roots produce a labyrinth of underwater vegetation, but the bulk of the root system

usually lies one to three feet below the water surface, but can hang down much lower.

Roger

[brushhoggin]

so basically thick beds are unfishable?

[Catt]

I target mats that have blown up against something so it hasn't moved for some period of time and the longer the better; mats that blow around are usually not as productive.

Because of the thickness of the actual hyacinth plant and the denseness of the mat there is only one technique I use for hyacinth, Flipping/Punching with a heavy 1 1/2 oz lure, Extra Heavy Rod, & no less than 50# braid.

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

I target mats that have blown up against something so it hasn't moved for some period of time and the longer the better; mats that blow around are usually not as productive.

Because of the thickness of the actual hyacinth plant and the denseness of the mat there is only one technique I use for hyacinth, Flipping/Punching with a heavy 1 1/2 oz lure, Extra Heavy Rod, & no less than 50# braid.

x2, and the bass are twice as hard to wrassle out of this stuff than hydrilla or pads. Sometimes you actually have to chuck the bait straight up in the air and make it crash down through.

[salmicropterus]

I target mats that have blown up against something so it hasn't moved for some period of time and the longer the better; mats that blow around are usually not as productive.

Because of the thickness of the actual hyacinth plant and the denseness of the mat there is only one technique I use for hyacinth, Flipping/Punching with a heavy 1 1/2 oz lure, Extra Heavy Rod, & no less than 50# braid.

X3. You can also target little irregularities on the edge like indentations in the hyacinth and little points of the hyacinth. Also, within the mat look for little holes-also edges of the mat where it buts up against other vegetation

[sockey]

So do y'all actually do well fishing hydrilla? There's quite a bit around where I live but besides fishing the edges, I've stayed away. Now that I think about it, I don't know why I've done that, so I'd love it if I found out that people do indeed catch fish off of the stuff(like I said, it's plentiful here).

[Raul]

So do y'all actually do well fishing hydrilla?

If there 's hydrilla I 'll fish it because I know the fish will be there, if there 's hyacinth I 'll fish it because I know the fish will be under it, if there 's bullrushes I 'll fish it because I know the fish will be there.

You can 't and must not run away from vegetation because the fish are there.

[salmicropterus]

So do y'all actually do well fishing hydrilla? There's quite a bit around where I live but besides fishing the edges, I've stayed away. Now that I think about it, I don't know why I've done that, so I'd love it if I found out that people do indeed catch fish off of the stuff(like I said, it's plentiful here).

To a bass, hydrilla and hyacinth and other vegetation is like a living room with a big screen TV, a Lazy Boy recliner and a continous run of snacks coming by. It gives them everything they need: shade, cover and ambush points for unsuspecting baitfish.

It can be a pain to fish but if you have grass you must learn to love to fish it

[Catt]

Grass = Bass 

[sockey]

Yeah, I meant hyacinth :

I've just had too much trouble trying to fish through the hyacinth mats, a lot like some other folks: I end up setting the hook into the stuff trying to rip my worm out, and it's so incredibly tough where I am. I definitely fish the edges though, and I've caught some fish off of it.

Hydrilla's a totally other story--I love the stuff

[gobig]

Brushhoggin,

  Here is a link on how to set up a punching rig. Works like a charm. You need to have a rod with some muscle. I use Phenix Super Flipper 711MH-5X with a Shimano Cardiff 300 and 65lb Power Pro braid. With the wrong set up you will find yourself loosing fish and tackle and that can be expensive using tungston weights.

[Catt]

When fishing hyacinth try to keep your flips as near to vertical as possible, this will eliminate many mistakes.

In any flipping/punching situation you must get the bass headed towards the surface as quick as possible thus avoiding the chance of the bass wrapping you up. 

The more line you have out at a less than vertical angle the higher the odds of the bass wrapping you; keep your flips vertical which means short.

Worm Juice: I use it for two purposes first as a lubricant because I fish in grass a lot and it helps my plastic baits slide through easier. I use Fish Formula II or Baitmate (clear) with a ½ oz of pure anise oil added; this is to mast any odor my plastic may have pick up.

Keep your lures simple...lures with squiggle legs and tails will hang; while pegged Texas Rigs is the rage I prefer a Oldham's Lures Eye -Max Jig & a Gene Larew Salty Hawg Craws in 6 with 2½ cut off the tail.

[gobig]

Catt,

   Your getting through hyacinth with a jig? I have to fling the punching set up mentioned above with a 1.5 oz weight 10'-12' in the air to get it go through hyacinth. I can see getting through the hydrilla... but the hyacinth I am willing to pick up an oldhams and give it a try if you think it will go through.

[Catt]

Eye -Max Jigs are the most effective Grass Jig Made & come in 3/4, 1 oz, and 1 1/4 ounce

[brushhoggin]

Eye -Max Jigs are the most effective Grass Jig Made & come in 3/4, 1 oz, and 1 1/4 ounce

yeah but hyacinth is more like a matted weed not grass. and if i pitch into a hole in a big area of hyacinth, it stops just under the surface as it sits on the root system. 

[Catt]

Jigs like Lonnie Stanley's Original Flipping Jig and Terry Oldham's Jigs are designed specifically to penetrate vegetation of any kind.

You are most likely Flipping/punching to far off vertical and the drag caused by your line is slowing the descent. After making a flip/pitch/punch I will strip about 3 or 4 arms lengths of line letting the jig fall near straight down and then I will shake the jig to make sure it has not stop on any stems/roots.

[clipper]

When I was a kid(many years ago) we used to loop a hyacynth bulb on the line with a loop knot several feet above a  circle hook to serve as a float.  Sorry, but I don't remember how far up the line we put the float.  We then hooked an 8" shiner through both lips and tossed the rig right next to the hyacinth mat.  When the float disappeared we let out line until the fish stopped running.  When it started off we set the hook hard and started horsing.  The hyacynth bulb would be cut by the line so there was nothing to catch on the hyacynth roots but the fish and it usually did.  I don't remember what kind of line we were using but it was some kind of braid and had to be dried out when we got home or it would rot.  We put out several of these rigs and had our best luck where hyacynth mats were anchored over grass beds. 

St. Johns river, Lake Dexter, early 1950s.  The corps of engineers sprayed the hyacynth beds and ruined the fishing.  I can still remember the excitement of seeing those hyacynth bulbs start dancing and then disappear.  Caught my first 8 lb bass out from under a hyacynth bed near the Astor bridge on the St. Johns.  Bass love hyacynth beds! Please forgive my nostalgia.

[brushhoggin]

yeah my dad used to go out on a fan boat to treat this stuff, apparently its an incredible nuisence. he told me it cost 50k to treat one acre! i love that technique though i may have to experiment with that. thanks for the hints guys, catt i just picked up some stanley jigs and plan on using them. i fish jigs on a spinner reel so its easier to let out line when the lure hits the water.

[Raul]

It can be a nuisance or a blessing, as usual it depends, in the case of hyacinth, the line between one in the other depends on how much surface it can cover.

There 's a relatively small lake about 40 min drive from my home town called El Barrial, it used to be a good place until hyacinth overrun it and covered nearly all of the surface, the water became stagnant and the fish literally starved and choked to death. There 's another lake about two hours drive called El Salto ( not THAT El Salto which isn 't officially named El Salto, this one is officially named El Salto ), it did have hyacinth and used to be one heck of a lake for many years, then the Comisión Nacional del Agua had it removed with machinery and now it 's not worth the trip; so too much it 's bad, so if it is too little or none. Why did removing the weed turned the lake bad ? well it was the only weed that grew on the lake and provided cover for baitfish and baitfish fry, it also provided with shade and filtered the water.

The discomfort of fishing there had more to do with the fact that it drifts, there you were and suddenly you were surrounded by it.

[Catt]

The 5/0 Siwash Salmon Hook is a super stout round bend which is why I use Terry Oldham's Eye-Max Jig in extremely heavey cover.

[brushhoggin]

i'm on it. those look sweet Catt, muchos gracious.