Flippin'

[Catt]

Over the last 12 months a tremendous amount of articles have appeared concerning punching vegetation. Now I will agree hooking into a Hawg (8lbs + in Texas) in matted vegetation is challenging but this year on Toledo Bend I was re-acquainted with Buck Brush.

I recently came to the conclusion that no other type of cover is more difficult to pull a Hawg from than flippin' buck brush. First off no other type of vegetation is stronger than a buck brush limb of say 1/16" in diameter, really some one needs to make fishing line from this stuff.

Flippin' buck brush is Redneck Bubba Bass Fishing at it's max

[brushhoggin]

googled a few pictures, not sure i was looking at the right pics. white fowers? strong smell when in bloom, extremely drought/freeze tolerant? if s,o these things are like trees!i can't imagine fishing in that. i cant fathom fishing anything worse than hyacinth in its peak lushness here in mississippi. is this what you're talikng about?

[IwillChooseFreeWill]

Not sure he has seen this Florida vegetation that roots from the bottom fairly thin but then the top 2-3 feet of the water column is so thick it stops a moving boat and tangles any motor that gets into it. Even had some stop my canoe at a local lake the other weekend, had to use the paddle to lean forward and pull myself forward as if I was on grassy dry land... it was rough.

I do plan to get to those same areas in the heat of the summer, use my paddle to make a hole in it and use a jig or drop shot setup in the middle of it.

[.ghoti.]

Aw, you southern guys ain't seen nothin.

Just try punchin a jig through 12-14" of ice.

Takes a 22lb jig, tossed straight up in the air, at least 200 feet, to get any penentration.

[Catt]

Aw, you southern guys ain't seen nothin.

Just try punchin a jig through 12-14" of ice.

Takes a 22lb jig, tossed straight up in the air, at least 200 feet, to get any penentration.

That's funny right there

See the brush behind the lilies? That's buck brush!

[Taylor Fishin 4 life]

u can sometimes slingshot with a spinning rod under them just use about 20 lb braid

[The Bassinator]

Maybe you should ask the saltwater guys what they use for fishing mangroves  ;D

[bmadd]

I agree with that Catt. That's some of the better spring/early summer flipping cover on Kentucky Lake. You can wrap a fish around brush on the hook set if you're not careful!

[Triton21]

I also agree. This is some the best and most challenging cover to flip. If I am lucky I can land 3 out of 5 fish I hook.

Kelley

[Catt]

Please understand we aint fishing just the outer edge!

The distance from the outer edge to the actual bank is 15-20 yds & some areas the buck brush is isolated patches ranging in size from that of your living room to the size of your entire house.

I use the trolling motor to pull me as far into the brush as I can. Then with my partner and I standing on the bow we grab the branches and pull the boat forward.

Owning a smaller boat is an advantage but so is not worrying about scratching Gel-Coat

[fishfordollars]

Great example of why i like to target prespawn fish...

The roots will lay waste to a TM prop to.

[.ghoti.]

Catt, after seeing that picture all I can say is, I don't have any gear that would pull a bass out of there with any kind of consistency.

Except my muskie rods.

Looks like a real challenge.

[RoLo]

If I'm not mistaken, buck brush is another name for "buttonbush" (Cephalanthus occidentalis).

It gets its name from the button-like flowers that it sports on-and-off throughout the summer:

http://www.birdmom.net/WildflowersWhite/Buttonbush.jpg

The first time I ever encountered buttonbush was at Lake Marion in Santee Cooper Reservoir, SC.

I've fished lots of it since that time however, in fact, Lake Walk-In-Water, FL (my ex-home lake)

supports lots of buttonbush in the shallow zone (alongside water primrose & pickerelweed).

It's a good bass-holding plant, but rather than fish "in" the buttonbushes,

we fish "around" each bush, chipping the edges and occasionally hanging up >

Roger

[Catt]

It's one in the same Roger except some here in Texas will argue it aint

It is without a doubt the nastiest cover to pull a bass out of, I use a 7' rod with only 10' of 65# braid hanging off the end since most of my flips are within 1-3' from the boat. I drop the jig through any openings larger than the jig and then figure how to land the bass after I set hook.

I have been known to get out of the boat to land a Hawg!

[RoLo]

It's one in the same Roger except some here in Texas will argue it aint

It is without a doubt the nastiest cover to pull a bass out of, I use a 7' rod with only 10' of 65# braid hanging off the end since most of my flips are within 1-3' from the boat. I drop the jig through any openings larger than the jig and then figure how to land the bass after I set hook.

I have been known to get out of the boat to land a Hawg!

Wow!

If I were intentionally pitching INTO that nasty stuff, I'd probably don a pair of hip waders ;D

In any case, as soon as there's a pickup, it's Yank-and-Crank!

Roger

[bmadd]

The buckbrush I encounter here on Kentucky Lake is the exact same stuff Catt showed.