James RickardBass in the weeds
June 11th 2009 01:30
Although I've been lucky enough to surf fish or even catch an occasional musky or pike, living around here, the majority of fish I catch are bass so, I thought I'd better say a little something about bass since the season is heating up.
It's not uncommon for people to hook a minnow, cast out, and hope for the best. This method can work if you're in a spot holding bass and they're in a feeding mode. However, I like to increase my odds and fish structure and cover-- particularly weeds.
It helps to remember that weeds are the basis for the food chain in most waters. With that in mind, you'll often find ambush predators, like bass, relating to weed formations.
I'll have to admit, a lot of people don't like fishing weeds because of snags. I can't deny the possibility of hanging up. It's like I've said before, never get too attached to your lures!
Having said that, I want to mention right now that you're destined for headaches if you hook up a minnow or worm and toss it right into the middle of a weed bed. If you persist in using live bait with a float, your best bet is going to be fishing the edge of a weed bed. An ambush predator will still dart of the weeds to grab your bait but, be ready for him to try to return to cover.
Rather that using live bait around weeds, I prefer to use lures.
A floating crankbait is my first choice and it's often productive to run it along the edges. If you try this, you may fish too fast the first few times and get snagged because you're getting too close to the weeds. If you slow down, you'll feel each "tick" as the lure hits an obstruction. Stop when you feel this and, hopefully, the lure will float off of the hang up. If not, try a quick, sharp snap of your wrist and things may work out.
For a change up I like to use a popper or chugger if the weed tops are just below the surface of the water. Most companies manufacturing lures make these noisy top water baits and they're around at some really good prices. AND the nice thing is that I've never seen one that didn't work regardless of the price.
Another lure you may want to try if you're in similar conditions is a buzzbait. Again, skim it right across the water to coax the big boys out of hiding!
Although many people scoff at them, the lowly plastic worm really shines if you're fishing weeds. I like to use a Carolina rig and throw right into the middle of the weeds, let things settle a bit and advance the worm a few inches at a time until I'm through the area. If the growth isn't too heavy and I'm feeling brave that day, I'll even throw a Texas rig to make the worm sink deeper into the weeds. I've lost a few worms with that tactic but, plastic worms are cheap!
Try these suggestion to increase your hook-up rate. If you do, you'll see fishing isn't just a wait and see game.
It's not uncommon for people to hook a minnow, cast out, and hope for the best. This method can work if you're in a spot holding bass and they're in a feeding mode. However, I like to increase my odds and fish structure and cover-- particularly weeds.
It helps to remember that weeds are the basis for the food chain in most waters. With that in mind, you'll often find ambush predators, like bass, relating to weed formations.
I'll have to admit, a lot of people don't like fishing weeds because of snags. I can't deny the possibility of hanging up. It's like I've said before, never get too attached to your lures!
Having said that, I want to mention right now that you're destined for headaches if you hook up a minnow or worm and toss it right into the middle of a weed bed. If you persist in using live bait with a float, your best bet is going to be fishing the edge of a weed bed. An ambush predator will still dart of the weeds to grab your bait but, be ready for him to try to return to cover.
Rather that using live bait around weeds, I prefer to use lures.
A floating crankbait is my first choice and it's often productive to run it along the edges. If you try this, you may fish too fast the first few times and get snagged because you're getting too close to the weeds. If you slow down, you'll feel each "tick" as the lure hits an obstruction. Stop when you feel this and, hopefully, the lure will float off of the hang up. If not, try a quick, sharp snap of your wrist and things may work out.
For a change up I like to use a popper or chugger if the weed tops are just below the surface of the water. Most companies manufacturing lures make these noisy top water baits and they're around at some really good prices. AND the nice thing is that I've never seen one that didn't work regardless of the price.
Another lure you may want to try if you're in similar conditions is a buzzbait. Again, skim it right across the water to coax the big boys out of hiding!
Although many people scoff at them, the lowly plastic worm really shines if you're fishing weeds. I like to use a Carolina rig and throw right into the middle of the weeds, let things settle a bit and advance the worm a few inches at a time until I'm through the area. If the growth isn't too heavy and I'm feeling brave that day, I'll even throw a Texas rig to make the worm sink deeper into the weeds. I've lost a few worms with that tactic but, plastic worms are cheap!
Try these suggestion to increase your hook-up rate. If you do, you'll see fishing isn't just a wait and see game.
Until next time--watch your line and watch yourself!
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