Weeds

[first_timer]

Ok so this is going to sound a bit retarded. but how do i avoid loosing my spinner baits and what nots when fishing for bass. bass like the weeds and stuff but around here weeds like lures. i dont want to spend a couple bucks on a lure and the loose it in the water. is this common for people or am i just barking up the wrong tree? im curious and dont fish a whole lot but am getting back into it.

thanks for the help.

[1nstinct]

I learned when i cant use a spinner bait because of weeds and branches and such i use a jig. Since most of the lakes/ponds i fish are really weedy(i fish from shore) im using jigs more often, try jigs the weed guards help a lot, or try weedless rigs on plastics. I personally feel that if i run the risk of loosing a $3-$5 lure with the chances of getting a nice size bass its worth it. Talk to some of the locals that fish the same waters you fish and see what there using, i just asked about a set of ponds i want to try and a BR member(marty) helped a lot. Ask the locals they help a lot

[Captin Obvious]

1. Get Heavy Braided line

2. Swimming Jigs

3. Tie good knots

4. Lipless cranks are another good option

5. Heavy weeds means heavy rods, reels, and lines

6.Try a fluke

7. Never Avoid The Weeds

Random List but it should get you started and I'm sure the other members will pick up where I left off.

Good Luck

Capt.O

[first_timer]

1. Get Heavy Braided line

2. Swimming Jigs

3. Tie good knots

4. Lipless cranks are another good option

5. Heavy weeds means heavy rods, reels, and lines

6.Try a fluke

7. Never Avoid The Weeds

Random List but it should get you started and I'm sure the other members will pick up where I left off.

Good Luck

Capt.O

i need to research some of this stuff like a fluke? haha but i have a ok rod and reel fairly heavy. but im running 4lb line. was trolling for trout, should i use something heavier? and how much heavier? i have some 10lb in my box. i believe the cranks i have have treble hooks on them will they be ok at not getting hung up?

[Catt]

Quality pair of sunglasses

#1 Guide your spinner bait through the grass with your rod tip

#2 Raise & lower the spinner bait in the water column with your rod tip & the speed of retrieval

[BASS fisherman]

Ok so this is going to sound a bit retarded. but how do i avoid loosing my spinner baits and what nots when fishing for bass. bass like the weeds and stuff but around here weeds like lures. i dont want to spend a couple bucks on a lure and the loose it in the water. is this common for people or am i just barking up the wrong tree? im curious and dont fish a whole lot but am getting back into it.

thanks for the help.

Not retarded at all. There are no stupid questions.

First though it should be noted that in bass fishing just like war there are going to be casualties. In order to learn how to guide a spinnerbait through a bunch of weeds, your going to have to loose some spinnerbaits. Same with every other lure there is.

Your finding out why you see all these bass anglers with multiple rods and reels-setups.

The setup you have is good for trout. What you need is something for bass.

Rod: A 6' 6" med hvy action rod is a decent all around rod. You can use it for fishing plastics, to fishing cranks and spinners through that grass. (With practice)

Reel: In my experience a baitcaster is ideal for weedy waters. Think of the BC as a winch. When you hook a bass and she dives into those weeds, you literaly have to winch that girl out of there. The added power is key.

Line: Different strokes for different folks here.

Here are my personal line preferences:

Mono: I like mono for crankbaits because it stretches a little bit. I think the little bit of stretch helps sink those hooks in better. Mono also sinks and is not so good around weeds. I usually use 10# or 12# mono.

Flourocarbon: I like flouro for plastics and jigs because the techniques require the bass to get close to the lure. Flourocarbon is said to be less visable underwater. Flourocarbon line floats. I like mono for all my treble baits, but some people like flouro for topwaters because it floats. Flourocarbon line is ok around weeds. I prefer using 12#, or 15# around weeds.

Briad: Braided line is tough! Braided line has no stretch. Braid is great for fishing around tricky bass hangouts such as laydowns, and weeds. If you use braided line you will be able to pull out a tree if your snagged on it. Provided you dont straighten the hook or break your rod first.

Braid can be used for pretty much all lures and baits however a certain care is needed with certain lures. Crankbaits and braid can be tricky because the braid has no give to it. When you set the hook on a crankbait fish and braided line the crankbait can rip out of the fishes mouth. The positive side of that is when your fishing a crank through weeds on braid, and you get stuck in the weeds, you can rip the bait out of the grass. This usually illicits a response. You can not do that with mono, and its hard to do with flouro.

About the only techniques I use braid for is frog fishing over weeds, and jig fishing in heavy thick weeds.

It is up to you what line you prefer, however I would suggest Trilene 12# flourocarbon. If your fishing lakes that have huge bass you may want to jump it up to 15# or 17# line.

Again you will loose lures. Thats just the name of the game.

Also get used to pulling weeds off your lures every cast. 99.9 % of bass will not hit a lure with weeds hanging off it.

Remember this: If your not loosing lures your not throwing them where the bass hide. The trick is learning how NOT to loose lures. It just takes practice once you have the proper gear. Its a neat feeling when you can dance a crankbait through a laydown tree and not get hung up.

[first_timer]

sounds like a plan. looks like i should just invest in some extra lures for when some go missing. im interested in trying this braided line. the combo i have is a cabelas special. its a cabelas gold label pole it is 6'6" i dont know the stiffness of it it doesnt really say. what it does say is line wt 8-17 test lure wt 1/4-1 oz and h10 at the end. its a baitcasting reel which im still trying to learn how to use. getting pretty good at pulling out birds nests. im used to spinner reels but never really done much bass fishing.

[first_timer]

also on the baitcasting reel with the heavier line will it be less likely to birds nest? got any tips on the casting reel?

[BASS fisherman]

sounds like a plan. looks like i should just invest in some extra lures for when some go missing. im interested in trying this braided line. the combo i have is a cabelas special. its a cabelas gold label pole it is 6'6" i dont know the stiffness of it it doesnt really say. what it does say is line wt 8-17 test lure wt 1/4-1 oz and h10 at the end. its a baitcasting reel which im still trying to learn how to use. getting pretty good at pulling out birds nests. im used to spinner reels but never really done much bass fishing.

That is a good bass setup. The rod has a Heavy action. Thats what the H stands for. It is just a sturdier rod with less bend or give to it. This setup would best be suited for fishing plastics or jigs in those weeds. If you want to spinnerbait or crank, a heavy rod is liable to rip the lure right out of the fishes mouth. You want a rod that has some give to it.

For the reel, check this link out. It is another post I made about a Diawa megaforce BC reel. I am not familiar with the reel you have, but you can check this post out anyway. It will still give you a good idea of what you want to know. I do believe heavier line is less likely to birdsnest, however you may be sacrificing bites with a heavier line than needed.

[first_timer]

thanks for all the help i really appreciate it getting me a little 10ft jon this weekend from a buddy so i plan to do lots more fishing come summer time.

[ROCbass]

Line: Different strokes for different folks here.

Here are my personal line preferences:

Mono: I like mono for crankbaits because it stretches a little bit. I think the little bit of stretch helps sink those hooks in better. Mono also sinks and is not so good around weeds. I usually use 10# or 12# mono.

Flourocarbon: I like flouro for plastics and jigs because the techniques require the bass to get close to the lure. Flourocarbon is said to be less visable underwater. Flourocarbon line floats. I like mono for all my treble baits, but some people like flouro for topwaters because it floats. Flourocarbon line is ok around weeds. I prefer using 12#, or 15# around weeds.

I'm pretty sure you have that backwards. Mono floats, fluoro sinks.

[BASS fisherman]

yup, I do. mono floats, flouro sinks. thx

[J Francho]

Wat I see mos beginners do is either throw the wrong baits into weeds, or they don't "feel" their baits through the weeds. For the most part, you aren't trying to rip them through the weeds, but sort feel them through. Instead of yanking, try popping the tip a a bit when you initially feel the weeds. There are exceptions, like ripping jigs or rattletraps of the tops of the weeds, but for the most part, you are gently hopping the baits through.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

If you do go with the braided line remember the line diameter is different than mono and flouro. For instance 65# braid is the same diameter as 14# mono. 15# braid is the same diameter as 4# mono.

Another thing with braid is if you pull really hard on the rod if you get hung up. It will bury itself into the spool. When this happens i try to pay out line until i reach the indentation and then reel the line back on. It will cut down on backlashs down the road.

Personally i use between 20 and 30# braid on most of my reels.

[bassin is addicting]

since you are fishing from the bank...

i would recommend starting out with a variety of texas rigged weightless (or 1/8 oz weight)plastics jmho

these are very weedless and you can throw in to some pretty nasty stuff and not get hung up

when i do most my fishing from the bank i use my spinner set up and work soft plactics mainly. i still can throw smaller spinnerbaits with good results too. i find jigs and crankbaits are tough to throw without getting hung up from the bank... then you have no way of getting them.

if there are a lot of weeds...try a top water weedless frog... a scum frog is pretty cheap to start out... just remember to wait 3-4 seconds after the blow-up to set the hook.

there are no dumb questions..... and you will get a good variety of answers here...a bunch of great guys..

good luck

[Catt]

It aint about the line

It aint about the rod

It aint about the reel

It's about ones ability to navigate a spinner bait through vegetation with the rod tip & retrieval rate

[Captin Obvious]

It aint about the line

It aint about the rod

It aint about the reel

It's about ones ability to navigate a spinner bait through vegetation with the rod tip & retrieval rate

And that my friends is the word of a Jedi Master

[BASS fisherman]

And that my friends is the word of a Jedi Master

x2

[Jigfishn10]

Don't try and rip a spinnerbait thru weeds. They're not totally weedless, but they aren't all that bad. What I do is reel thru the weeds. You'll see you rod tip bend down a bit, but eventually it will come free. Single spins with a willow leaf blade is best, but you can make it thru on a tandem. The problem with tandems and weeds, the front blade tends to fowl, thus killing your whole retrieve. I fish a single blade about 90% of the time just for that reason. Plus it will give you added action to the bait. You'll notice that right after you reeled thru the weeds, there will be Mr. Bucket Mouth waiting for it.

JF is dead on with like jigs and such. Feel the weeds and pop your rod tip. Lighter pops are always better followed by a slack line to let it fall a bit. Try lighter pops until it's time for heavier pops or rip it out.

As stated above, your equipment is crucial. No need to expand on what has already been said.

[J Francho]

Stanley Weedless Wedge is my favorite for sling shotting off weeds.

[lynyrdsky1]

Ok so this is going to sound a bit retarded. but how do i avoid loosing my spinner baits and what nots when fishing for bass. bass like the weeds and stuff but around here weeds like lures. i dont want to spend a couple bucks on a lure and the loose it in the water. is this common for people or am i just barking up the wrong tree? im curious and dont fish a whole lot but am getting back into it.

thanks for the help.

Man, you just got to be careful sometimes. Some hints would be if you hit a log or something pop it over the log if you can see it, let it drop for a sec then start reeling again you will get a strike this way.. If you can't, you can probably feel for it and just stop the bait, lift your rod up and crank it over. Weeds, I would just reel the bait through. I've caught so many fish on spinnerbaits in the grass it is unreal. What I would do is, when you through it in to the grass, reel it through and once it comes out let it stop for a second and then start cranking again and most of the time you should get a bite.

[Jigfishn10]

lynyrdsky1 makes a great point, once you do make it thru, kill the retrieve. I failed to mention that and I'm glad lynyrdsky1 picked that up. It's a very effective presentation IMO.

Good going lynyrdsky1!

[first_timer]

so i am very impressed with the forum everyone has thrown there two cents in and helped greatly. especially with the line choice and descriptions that was super helpful. i threw the lures in the water today. took my new 10 ft jon out on the water to test it out make sure it floats. had just a few minor leaks i need to repair but all in all going to be a great boat for myself and possibly my little brother.

i ALMOST lost a lure today but mostly to my mistake casting. all i caught today was a fence( from over casting) a tree ( from not paying attention) a floating stick. and a few other odds and ends. but all in all it was great fun. i didnt catch anything at all even while trolling for trout. my buddy caught a little crappie but thats it.

im going to respool my baitcaster and put some 10 lb line i have onto it and see if i cant get the casting part down. was fooling around in the yard a bit and had a few successful cast but all the information ive gotten from you guys is great glad i came here. i will take all feed back and keep you posted when i catch my first bass.