Bass help please.

[bwtucker83]

first of all, is there a bass tournament on cass lake this weekend? there were a ton of boats out tonight.

So here is my question. How do you fish weed beds at a drop off for smallies?

I don't have a boat so I waded out to a drop off. At the drop off there are weeds for about 15 feet out and then I believe the weeds stop. There was a bass boat that pulled up right before I started to wade and they beat me to the spot. They caught 4 fish right away. I waded out and didn't catch anything.

So how do you fish that situation? Do you fish with something that is above the weeds? Do you try and go right through the weeds or do you have to be on the drop off side of the weeds and fish the weed line down deep?

I'm new to all this so any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

Brad

[wecker20]

boat would be nice. They can be in the weeds, bottom, top, suspended, inside or outside line, or off the drop.

[jstfish48162]

in your situation, i would try the following things...not in any specific order...

1) a small (1/8 ounce) white/chartreuse spinnerbait with double willowleaf blades and retrieve it just above the weeds.
2) a natural color tube jig or grub with a 1/8 ounce or smaller weight (jighead) and work it on the inside and outside(if possible) edges.
3) a watermelon seed 4" senko wacky rigged or texas style with NO WEIGHT and dead stick it in the same areas mentioned with the jig/tube.
4) a zoom super fluke junior in shad, white or pearl/pepper on a 2/0 gamakatsu hook, no weight and twitch it about a foot below the surface.
5) evening/early morning i would go with a small pop-r or 1/8 ounce buzzbait across the weeds and even up closer to shore.

these tips should get you started in the right direction, others that fish the lake more than i do, may have some "secret weapons" they may offer you.:fish:

[ezyeric]

Angle of Assault...

By fishing from shore we are often severely handicapped because we are approaching the weedbeds / spots from shallow water. The bass are most often on the outside edge (deep) of the weeds. That is why its perfect for a boater with the angle from deeper water casting in. Its difficult for a someone fishing from the shallow side to drop a lure with vertical fall on the outside weed edge. In many cases it is like trying to fish in a lake from a cliff while standing 10+ feet back from the cliff edge. Your line will get caught on the cliff edge preventing you from a good position / presentation to the deep edge. In your case the cliff is the shallower bottom or the weedbed if it is tall.

You really need to analyze how to get your lure presented in the ways you would like while fishing from the shallow side / shore. You might have to make very long casts with a very heavy weight to get the lure falling down before your line catches the weeds and slows it up.

Another thing the boater will have is a vertical presentation. While you have a more horizontal one. Many of the bass lures we fish are best presented by lifting off the bottom and letting fall. With your angle it doesnt lift off the bottom as much but comes more straight towards you.

Since the boater is coming from deeper water where there is no weeds he/she can fish lures with more exposed hooks like a wacky rig as they can just let it fall at the weed edge, you are certain to get caught up every time since you have to first go through the weed bed.

Depending how close to the surface the weeds get should dictate if you should use such lures as crankbaits or spinner baits. Those can be great ticked allong the top of shallow weed beds but its less likely a bass will come up from the bottom 15 feet deep burried in weeds for a lure all the way on the top. So because of your angle and all in these situations I think soft plastics with medium to heavy weights to get through the weedbed, are best.

Im not sure exactly how the smallmouth position in the weeds on your lake compared to largemouth but you should think about where that boater that came before you caught the fish, the lure and well most importantly where in the bed you think the fish were. You need to try to get lures there.

Its unfortunate but shore fisherman are most often handicapped because of things like this, I know as Ive gone from being a shore fisherman to having a boat to not having a boat again (its in the shop) so I have to fish from shore now knowing where I caught the bass before with a boat and its tough.

Only time we have the advantage is when the bass are in the shallow side of the weeds.

So think about what lures you can get to where you think the fish most likely are holding first.

Good luck,

'Eric

[bwtucker83]

Thanks for the input. It definately seems like i'm at a disadvantage.

So do you think I should approach the weeds and fish the shallow edge of them first, and then try a top water lure over teh top of the weeds, and then try to fish the back of the drop? Would this be a good approach?

Brad

[waterfoul]

Biggest bass I caught in a tournament last season was caught between the shore and the weeds. Maybe 2-3 feet of water. 5 lbs, 15 oz. Never over look the inshore side of a weedbed!!

[ezyeric]

Thanks for the input. It definately seems like i'm at a disadvantage.

So do you think I should approach the weeds and fish the shallow edge of them first, and then try a top water lure over teh top of the weeds, and then try to fish the back of the drop? Would this be a good approach?

Brad
Yeah work your way from shallow to deeper.

But yeah im sure you already do this but first approach the water very slowly and see if there is any fish in shallow areas you can see. Also if there is small weed patches in this shallow area first them before you step into the water.

[javelin]

There was a tournament on Cass last night

[big cheapbass]

Biggest bass I caught in a tournament last season was caught between the shore and the weeds. Maybe 2-3 feet of water. 5 lbs, 15 oz. Never over look the inshore side of a weedbed!!

I agree, I nailed my biggest bass of the year on a rolling thunder dual prop buzzbait in about 2" of water on monday. Caught a couple other keepers in the same spot yesterday, same buzzbait. From experience it seems you can do pretty good with top water in the "right" shallows.

[RKP514]

I would suggest using a Zoom frog and fish it right on top of the weeds. I went out with my cousin the other day at 3:00 PM and fished until about 5:30 and we had great luck using this tactic. It is tough to hook up, but we managed to boat 12 and should have had about 40 or so. The biggest was about 4 lbs., but I lost three that would have went at least 5. I was not prepared to fish in the thick weeds and 2 broke me off as I was only using 10 lb. test. Overall it was a blast though. Try that tactic and let me know how you make out.

[Globalgills]

Oh no, here I go................ I honestly belive that shore anglers have some real advantages when it comes to fishing bass. Often times bass use the shallows as their ambush point, pushing prey up against a natural barrier ( the shore ) is bass feeding 101. So it's more natural for a bass to strike at prey moving into shore, then those moving from the shallows toward open water. In other words, perhaps you are in the right position after all.:confused: Buzzes and weedless topwaters may work............but..........try a Yum buzz frog or a 5" Lizard. Hook it with a wide gap hook, back through the body weedless.Do NOT use any type of weight. Toss it to the open water side of the weedbed and let her sink, watch for strikes on the drop. Reel in and raise your rod tip to bring the bait to the surface and swim it across the veggies. Pause and let the bait fall into any hole in the veggies you encounter. Pause and let the bait fall on the inside weed edge also......rinse and repeat..........can you dig it:cool: