david vito

Hey folks,

There's a lake you've all heard Randy mention called the 'Big Lake'. A nice
lake with 5 seperate sections and many contour changes, stunk fields,
laydowns, etc. A well rounded fishing experience.

There is a cove on the lake that has always been thick with Hydrilla grass
and has some submerged brush, sticks grass clumps. You get the idea. This
area has always been a speedworm, horney toad area but this season, we have
a whole new ballgame.

It seems almost 2/3 of the lake is getting choked out by the grass (and it's
spreading like wildfire). The flats, drop-offs, stump fields, along rip-rap,
etc. I have even witnessed the grass in clumps in the open water deeper
areas.

What would be the best way to locate bass in this situation? Should I fish
it as I would without grass and work the structure and depth changes
accordingly, or will the grass make the bass behave differently?

Dave V

richz

I HATE to hear the phrase choked used with regards to aquatic
vegetation. Talk like that too often eventually leads to weed control
efforts that NEVER help the fishing.

Anyway that's why there's such a thing as a Texas rig, son. Get you a
flippin' stick, some nice, thin braid or Fireline, ad bunch of pretty
heavy slip sinkers and as many green pumpkin creature baits as your boat
will float, and go fishin'.

joe haubenreich

I'd recommend you peg your sinker when you Texsas rig, too. Fishing thick
vegetation was the inspiration for the Florida-style screw-on slip sinker,
and keeping your weight tight up against your hook makes it easier to manage
the bait as you hop, crawl, slither it back to you and on the fall.

Joe
----------


<snip>

david vito

I didn't mean to offend you Rich.

I guess my question was misunderstood.

What I was asking is, will the bass react the same as far as drop offs,
migration channels, spawn and post spawn staging areas, just as if the
grass wasn't so thick. Or, will they use the grasslines as cover, migration
and staging areas?

As far as baits to use and techniques are concerned, I was going to leave
that for a new thread.

Dave V

richz

In lakes blessed with lush aquatic vegetation, the inside and outside
weed edges are the most important breaklines in the lake, next to the
shoreline. You can't ignore the veggies. They are too important to the
bass. But always keep in mind that bass a creatures of the edge. Find an
edge to get an edge.

ndy

back to speaking about the lines for , do you put a mono leader - a
vanishing line for instance - of any type on the braided or fire lines,
or have you found it doesn't make that much of difference and so not
worth the trouble - unless maybe the lake is crystal clear, a trait Lake
Champlain for instance seldom exhibits.

david vito

If I am using braid, I never use a leader. I wacky rig with braid and I
guess it doesn't make a diffrence.

Back on topic:

I fished that lake for 4 1/2 hours this morning. The lake was like glass. I
fished drop shot off a point with a nice drop off with a watermelonseed 4"
worm with no luck. Fished the slop in the back with snag-proof frogs,
speedworms and a t-rigged watermelon wild thang.
Had a couple of blow ups on the frog but no hook ups. I waited on one,
nearly pulled the rod out of my hands but on the hookset, I had to duck the
speeding frog.

I finally took 1 on a spinnerbait just before I hit the launch in thick but
submerged vegitation.
There was so much more grass this time out. The canal leading to the back
section of the lake was really thick, usually no grass at all in there.

I worked the edges, shoreline and secondary edges with whatever I had tied
on (see above), with no luck.

Just one of those days?

Dave V

warren wolk

I always prefer to find the points where two or more edges meet. That's
where my boat will be parked!

WW

calif bill

In the Sacramento delta, we throw a Speed Trap, that just nips the top s the
weeds.

jbkbub

Locating Bass in grass

Group: rec.outdoors.fishing.bass Date: Sat, Jun 3, 2006, 5:45pm (CDT+1)
From: vitodave@adelphia.net (David*Vito)
Hey folks,
There's a lake you've all heard Randy mention called the 'Big Lake'. A
nice lake with 5 seperate sections and many contour changes, stunk
fields, laydowns, etc. A well rounded fishing experience.
There is a cove on the lake that has always been thick with Hydrilla
grass and has some submerged brush, sticks grass clumps. You get the
idea. This area has always been a speedworm, horney toad area but this
season, we have a whole new ballgame.
It seems almost 2/3 of the lake is getting choked out by the grass (and
it's spreading like wildfire). The flats, drop-offs, stump fields, along
rip-rap, etc. I have even witnessed the grass in clumps in the open
water deeper areas.
What would be the best way to locate bass in this situation? Should I
fish it as I would without grass and work the structure and depth
changes accordingly, or will the grass make the bass behave differently?
Dave V
========
Fish the grass! Don't be afraid to throw it a few feet into the
"mess"...especially around any "holes" you see. Catching one big "gal",
is worth all the "goop" cleaning that you'll do! Just my not so humble
opinion....

JK