Posted
by BassMiesterNJ on
Weed line options ?
I fish some weedy lakes
and have had mixed results with different tackle. I've thrown lightly wieghted T-rigged Senkos,
weightless Senkos, light C-rig just outside the weed
line. I've thrown Jig/Pig. None of these really hammer em
when they are hanging at the bottom. One idea is to dropshot,
I didn't try this yet near weeds.
What do you guys throw in this scenario:
Between 8' to 12' of water with a definate weed line
(milfold ?) no lilly pads
just thick stuff.
I'm not talking about getting down in there, I'm
looking more for something right along the edges (but down deep).
Posted
by bigredfishing on
depending on how well defined the weed edge is, you could try a bladebait, deep diving crankbait, or try slow-rolling a spinnerbait
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Posted
by HugeFish4 on
I t-rig powerworms, brushhogs, grubs and tubes and just work parallel tight to the weedline. In only 8-12 feet and light wind conditions I would use no more than a 1/8oz bullet weight. I actually prefer the slower fall of a 1/16oz when I can get away with it. I am sure than are tons of other productive techniques that others use.
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Posted
by BassMiesterNJ on
quote:
Originally
posted by HugeFish4
I t-rig powerworms, brushhogs,
grubs and tubes and just work parallel tight to the weedline.
In only 8-12 feet and light wind conditions I would use no more than a 1/8oz
bullet weight. I actually prefer the slower fall of a 1/16oz when I can get
away with it. I am sure than are tons of other productive techniques that
others use.
Yeah, I was noticing someone from a distance having a fairly successful time of
it, unfortunately I had to move on. I know he wasn't
throwing anything chunky. It was probably along the lines of what you
suggested. I was throwing a pretty heavy jig/pig at the time and it wasn't what
they wanted.
Posted
by Gregg on
quote:
I'm not talking about getting down in there, I'm looking more for something right along the edges (but down deep).
Sounds like your looking for a Brewers grub swam
slowly along the bottom.
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Posted
by joe p on
I like this
Not a lot of guys do this.
But on a well defined weededge, a jig worm is one of
my go to baits.
1/8th mushroom head with a 4 inch Powerworm, 8 lb
mono.
Yes, Ill hang up with the open hook, but thats
whole point. Most of the time, if not on the fall, the bites come after you
pull free from the weeds.
Classic In-Fisherman technique....
Joe
Posted
by dominic on
3/16 Slider Spider Head
w/ a 4" straight tail worm on 8 lb line.
Dom
Posted
by joe p on
hey, dom...
get sum sleep...you got a long drive
ahead of you....LOL...hope to see you there....where the hell is Pat?????
joe
Posted
by dominic on
Joe, your
going to Champlain??? Thought you were fishing Mahopac on Wed.
Dom
Posted
by JOHN G on
try paralleling those weed edges to give your lure more exposure time to the target area, instead of just the traditional perpendicular to the edge boat position.....
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Posted
by Bink on
I like a crankbait or a slow rolled Spinnerbait,they get caught up just snap them free.
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Posted
by earthworm77 on
What are the noticable forage species around the weeds? Can you see dragonflies, what color? I like to throw very light jig n pigs 1/16oz in colors that match dragon flies in these areas. Might make a huge difference. I also like soft jerks.
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Posted
by BassMiesterNJ on
quote:
Originally
posted by earthworm77
What are the noticable forage species around the
weeds? Can you see dragonflies, what color? I like to throw very light jig n
pigs 1/16oz in colors that match dragon flies in these areas. Might make a huge difference. I also like soft jerks.
Once the bugs (black) are on top I do pretty good (starting late this year it
seems). I can even throw weightless Senkos and nail em along the edge.
The problem is when the Bass are not actively coming up but are buried deep
towards the bottom of the weeds (some on the egde,
some further in). I just haven't found a solid working pattern to get a bite.
Of course this could all be moot since we are now getting 90 degree summer
weather and when I was fishing it was rainy, cloudy and or cold.
Posted
by Mark G on
BassMiesterNJ --
I think your goals may be in conflict. I say this because from the conventional
wisdom I have picked up, bass usually fall into one of two categories when
relating to weeds.
- Agressive. In this case they tend to be up in the water colums and/or out along the edges, sometimes looking above the weeds.
- Negative/Neutral. In this case they tend to be closer to the bottom and often backed up in the weeds.
If you buy into these scenarios, it would seem to me that you are looking at #2,
and in #2 I expect the fish to be mostly backed up into the weeds. I may be way
off on this, but I would expect fewer fish to be on the bottom at the weed
edge.
Anyway, in the case of #2 I would try the following patterns:
- Senkos parallel to the weedline. The key here is to run the bait parallel to the weed edge, maximizing its time in productive water.
- Jig/trailer along the edge of the weedline. Better when crawfish is 'on the menu.'
- Soft jerkbait weighted to get down to the bottom third of the water column. Again, I'd fish it slow, shaking it off the bottom and letting it settle.
- Tesas rigged plastic worm along the edge of the weedline. Again, slow and parallel to the edge.
- Brewer's Grub along the edge of the weedline. Slow and just off the bottom, again parallel to the edge.
If that didn't work I'd assume the fish were backed up further into the weeds.
I would expect this, as mentioned before. When I expect the fish to be negative
or neutral, I expect them back off the weed edge. In this case I'd try:
- Pitching/flipping a jig into noticable holes in the weed clumps.
- Pitching/flipping a 4"
wacky rigged senko in the same holes in the
weeds. Obviously it helps to be able to see the holes in the weeds for
this technique
. - Fish a texas rigged Yammy 7X cut-tail worm right through the weeds. It does get hung up, but the slimmer tapered profile snakes through the weeds better than the 5" model. I have had a lot of success with this technique at Croton Reservoir this year. It has the thickest milfoil clumps I've ever fished.
Hope that helps!
Mark
Posted
by Lpbassman on
The baits I rely on the
most in this kind of situation would be:
A 4" slider worm on a SPIDER SLIDER HEAD in either 1/8 or 1/4oz. I would
not drag the worm but HOP it so it can be seen darting up and down / in and out
of the weeds.
A tex-posed tube wit hthe
weight rigged internally so it wont hang in the weeds.
I also like to fill the tube with some kind of scent.
A Hula Grub on a football or rocker jig head. It will hang up a bit more than the afore mentioned baits but works well to catch fish.
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Posted
by BassMiesterNJ on
This is looking good.
Some excellent ideas. You guys have hit on a few
things I was considering.
I would say these fish were in the neutral/negative mode last time out.
Next time out on the water, I'll see what gives and let you know.
Thanks.
Posted
by JOHN G on
Mark, your reply was just
EXCELLENT!!! tremendous fishing logic...
now , I will throw one more monkey wrench into the equation:
sometimes, instead of nestling into the weeds at the bottom...they move out
away from the weeds and either stay at the bottom or suspend at the same depth
they moved away from.....
meaning: they are at the bottom in 12 feet of water,
they move back into 25 but stay suspended at the same 12 foot depth....
When they are on the bottom but beyond the weedline,
they might still be easy to catch, however, in the suspended mode it can be a
little tougher......this is where electronics do come in.....
I love these fishing logic threads, they are the best!
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Posted
by JOHN G on
by the way, these are options we do
NOT have when we fish our local "mudholes"
LOL....
that is why it is always a great idea to get away from our "safe"
havens, like Wampus Pond to me for example, and get
out there on bigger waters, so that you can test out some of these theories and
observations.
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Posted
by BassMiesterNJ on
quote:
Originally
posted by JOHN G
When they are on the bottom but beyond the weedline,
they might still be easy to catch, however, in the suspended mode it can be a
little tougher......this is where electronics do come in.....
Ahh, good
point.
The guys that were nailing them had electronics and were using them well
apparently.
Posted
by Charlie on
Nobody has mentioned top
water?
Drag a frog or a rat/mouse along the edges, over the top, off the shoreline
onto the weeds, etc,etc.
T rig a large 10" plus worm and slowly drag that
over the top of the weeds, allowing it to dip under the edges just to teease the bass to the surface!
My only other big fish in weed beds "go to" is a 3/4oz rattlin
Tigth Lines!
Charlie
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Posted
by Gregg on
quote:
The problem is when the Bass are not actively coming up but are buried deep towards the bottom of the weeds (some on the egde, some further in). I just haven't found a solid working pattern to get a bite.
During the times of really tough bites when you have to fish slow
and you ask yourself I'm I fishing this to fast? To late you are!
When you think you have dead sticked enough leave it
longer.
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Posted
by bassinbilly on
I was going to ask this question about fishing weed lines to. As you may or may not know I use live bait all the time. But I am going to try some senkos or spinner baits this sunday. I have one question, What is the best hook to use for senkos? I read Rob J's artical on it so I hope it helps. The Amawalk has milfoil up the kazoo and it is in deep water somtimes 15 feet.
Posted
by Mark G on
Billy--
Gamagatsu EWG hooks are best for Senkos
if you plan to t-rig. I use the 1/0 for 4" senkos
and 3/0 for 5".
Mark
Posted
by Gregg on
2/0 for
the 4" & 3/0 for the 5's but to each his own. 
Really if the weed line is
at 15' I'd use a full texas rigged worm by that I
mean bullet weight and bead threaded on the line. I also use a swivel about 12
to 18 inches up the line.
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Posted
by bassinbilly on
Thanks
Thanks guys,
I copied everything. I will definitly use your
suggestions on sunday.
Posted
by BassMiesterNJ on
quote:
Originally
posted by Mark G
[*]Negative/Neutral. In this case they tend to be
closer to the bottom and often backed up in the weeds.
[/list=1]
If you buy into these scenarios, it would seem to me that you are looking at
#2, and in #2 I expect the fish to be mostly backed up into the weeds.
When I expect the fish to be negative or neutral, I expect them back off the
weed edge. In this case I'd try:
[list]
[*]Pitching/flipping a jig into noticable holes in
the weed clumps.
Hope that helps!
Mark
That worked.
All I had to do was change my Jig and trailer. As soon as I did that I got immedaite hits. I found em about
10' in from the edge of the weeds on the deep side.
Note: dipping the jig trailer in Pink Smelly Jelly didn't hurt either, lol.
It was awesome 
Thanks !!!
PS: the Top Water tip also worked, in a slightly less weedy area
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