Fishing the thick stuff with a heavy plastic?

bassin butch · Post by **bassin butch** » Mon Feb 03, 2003 5:11 pm

I have noticed that several PRO's have either won of placed high in recent tourney's using the following. Using a tube, craw, or creaure bait, with a 3/4 to 1 once weight. The weight allows the bait to plunge through surface vegetation to get the bait well under it. Q; Are any of you guys doing this? Is it more benefical than a scum frog style bait. And if you can: When do you go to this style of fishing? ie; weather, fishing pressure and/or current? :rolleyes:

catt951 · Post by **catt951** » Mon Feb 03, 2003 6:01 pm

We use this Technique very regularly on Toledo Bend, is is very effective in the summer months. I would highly suggest you get a copy of "Deep Grass Jigging" by Tommy Martin since he invented this Technique. You can obtain a copy from Bass Pro Shops for $19.95.

johnnie crain outdoors · Tue Feb 04, 2003 3:05 am

Bassin Butch, good post.
I would go to pitchin' plastics in weeds when there is bright sunshine. The fish utilize the weeds as an ambush point, they blend in perfectly with the coloring of the weeds. I have had best success using straight tail worms for this type fishing and I use a lot of fish formula to make the worm even slicker so it doesn't cling to the weeds disturbing the bed or fish. I look for small open pockets to flip or pitch to and use nearly a vertical presentation when possible, let the bait fall straight down into the hole, jiggle the bait a little, pull it out and find more holes. Sometimes, an added rattle will help draw fish to the bait, if the water is very clear I don't add the rattle. When I feel I need to use a tube jig, I add the tube first, by punching a hole in the head with a hook, thread the line through the tube, then add the weight, then the hook, this keeps the weight from snagging on the weeds and spooking fish. I really don't care for weed fishing, but at times, that's all we've got. I do like fishing sparce weeds in the Mississippi river backwaters, the fish concentrate in these weeds. Johnnie Crain

johnnie crain outdoors · Tue Feb 04, 2003 3:10 am

Butch, I forgot to mention the scum frog type baits. While these are great fun to use, I try to avoid them during tournaments, just tooooo nerve racking, miss toooo many fish. The Creature baits are good , but too many legs may create problems in thick weeds. If you need a heavy weight to reach the fish, be careful of splashdown, this can spook a bass. I suggest tossing the bait on top of the thicker vegetation and crawling it into an open water pocket. JC

Roger Spaulding · Post by **Roger Spaulding** » Tue Feb 04, 2003 4:15 pm

BB - I have had some success with this technique. I have had the most success with it during the hot months of July and Aug. It has worked for me here in Indiana as well as in Minnesota on vacation. The hotter the better. I have found that some fish will not go to deep water no matter how hot it gets. If they have oxygen, food, and cover, they will stay fairly shallow and just get into the really thick stuff. Some of my best success has come where lilly pads and this real thick grass come together. At this time of year, sometimes the pads are sticking out of the water 3-4 inches and if the wind blows at all, the pads start to flip up. This is when I get away from the frog and go to this technique.

The water tends to be fairly clear, so I stay with the natural colors like watermelon or smoke. If I can get away with 5/16 I do. It seems to be a weight that works best for me, but I will go up to 1 oz if needed. Always peg the weight to the bait and shake it if it won't go through on your first flip.

I mainly use soft plastics with small tails, or no tails. Craws, tubes, and french fries have all worked at one point. Tails tend to hang up going down through the thick stuff. And as Johnnie said, keep it coated with fish attractant. It really does help in sliding through the nasty stuff.

Also, pay attention to the time of day you catch your fish. It has been my experience that once you find a productive area, you can go back at the same time, under the same conditions and the fish respond. I've got one area that is just ok early and late, but around high noon these fish seem to turn on in this thick stuff. It has happened to many times to be chance. So keep track of when and where, it can be real important.

Most of all, don't get frustrated. This is a hard technique to stay with all day. Experiment with getting the bait at different depths under the cover. Shake it some and dead stick it some. Everyday it seems to be different. Also, look for birds on the pads and keep aware of pads moving when they shouldn't be. Bass will go nuts if they think they can get a bird for lunch.

I have really fell in love with this technique over the years and really feel it gives me an advantage in tournaments over others because I have confidence it will produce. Hope this helps.

Roger Spaulding
ProStaff Indiana

Don House · Post by **Don House** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 12:17 am

BB... This was a nice post, alot of good information. Must be nice to even have grass in your lakes to fish, we have to leave Missouri and hit Texas if we want grass...

I hate to admit but I have only fished grass when I was at Lake Fork in Texas, and it was totaly different from what you guys are talking about. I think this was pepper grass were it started on the bottom and grew upwards and stopped about foot below the water line.

The fish we caught were using this grass as cover and would swim out in these rows in the grass and attack these 3/4 ounce Rattle Traps as we ripped them by.. Key word (ripped) once the Rattle Traps would touch the top of this grass we would rip the bait out the grass. Drove them crazy!!!

Good Fishing

EAT SLEEP FISH

bassin butch · Post by **bassin butch** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 12:39 am

Don, I fish weed filled lakes in south east WI and Northern Il pretty much 100% of the time. I fish one lake in Il with so many weeds that you could almost walk on top of the water if you fell out of the boat. I have had great luck with frog baits but as Johnny said you also miss some. I thought the idea of plunging a heavy plastic was interesting and thats why I started the post. I am very thankful for all the great replys from the PRO's. I will surely give it a try this summer, and use it in tourneys when I have confidence in the technique.
Thanks
Butch

Eric · Post by **Eric** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 7:04 am

This seems like a fun topic.

I have to assume that the tournaments you have seen recently where the pros are flippin grass with heavy weights and doing well have been the latest tournaments in Florida on the big O?
This pattern has always been very productive on this lake, and for any lake with such abundant vegetation. The reason it was more productive than say a " rat " bite was because during these tournaments there had been a major cold front, and that brings me how to answer this question.

No matter what type of water or cover you are fishing you must look at the variables such as weather, water color, water temp, etc. By putting together these clues you can make a reasonable choice in how to present a bait to the bass. If there is a major cold front and the bass arer not aggressive they probably will not expend the energy needed to bust through the matted veg. to attack a bait. However, by placing a bait under the mat, right in their face you may entice or anger them into striking.

It really just boils down to basics. Although I will be the first to admit, when sitting here at home and having all the info in front of me it seems much easier than proccessing all the info on the water and making the right choices. Thats what seperates good anglers from great anglers, applying knowledge gained from experiance and then making it pay off. Thats why there are the Rick Clunns of the world.

midwest · Post by **midwest** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 9:03 pm

My suggestion to fishing the weeds with heavy weights is to use the Gambler Florida Rig Weights. These weights have a screw lock design that will hold the plastic to the weight. I have had great success using the weight for all types of structure.

JT_BAGWELL · Post by **JT_BAGWELL** » Thu Feb 06, 2003 1:17 am

If you want a great big weight for flippin in weeds, use a penetrater weight. My friend Sam Aversa makes them down in florida. They have a unique shape as well as a special coating that enables them to slide through the thick stuff. If you don't believe me, just watch BassMasters this saturday.

You can email sam if you want to order any weights. [email protected]

JT Bagwell