Bassing aquatic plants — home sweet home

On The Water
By Vernon Summerlin
Last week I told you about my birthday bass trip to Birdsong Resort.

I had planned to be able to tell you all about catching bass in the lily pads but the water was low in the upper end of Birdsong Creek.

There are plenty of pads on Kentucky Lake (including Birdsong Creek on the north side) that are fishable and there is vegetation in Old Hickory, Dale Hollow, and especially Guntersville, which I know a number of you fish.

Since I had researched how to fish aquatic vegetation I’m going to pass along a condensed version of my research. Some of this comes from articles by Bill Dance and others published in Tennessee Angler magazine and articles from various other fishing magazines and books.

Most of the articles stressed that you need a strong rod for getting the bass’s head out of the weeds and in to open water. You can’t use sissy lines either. While I used 30-pound test, other anglers use up to 75-test.

While I prefer to experience the bass blowing up on my bait, hence, a topwater bait, other anglers prefer a wide variety of lures ranging from spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and shallow running cranks to cover the edges. Weedless jigs and spoons also work well to fish openings and edges.

Lizards and worms are ideal for working the pockets and over the weeds. Heck, I take a lot of stuff to fish vegetation but I like to cast the Culprit Frog on a hook with a weed guard and a weedless (Texas style) weightless worm most.

On Old Hickory I get a huge thrill when a bass tries to gobble my frog but can’t get through the milfoil mat on first try.

That tests a man’s mettle!

Selecting the areas to fish is nearly as important as what you cast. Not all areas along the pads will hold bass.

Bill Dance says he likes to find a pad line with irregular features and pad points. If you fish a pad point you need to make a series of casts across it and 10- to 15-feet down each side. Then move down the pad line to the next irregular feature.

These are some tips for fishing the weeds.

1. Cast at the beginning edge of aquatic vegetation where the weeds meet the bank. Cast on to the bank and ease the lure into the water. Bass are easily spooked in these shallow water areas.

2. A weed point over deeper water. During changing weather and light conditions bass move from shallow areas to the deeper weedy points. Fan cast the point and slowly retrieve your lure.

If you don’t get any action, cast the area again but fish slower. Pull your lure onto the top of the plants and ease it between open pockets.

If you are using a sinking lure, let the lure fall through the openings.

3. Bass often school in pockets. It’s best to fish along the edge first. If the pocket is deep, move your boat into the pocket and cast 360 degrees thoroughly.

4. A major creek channel, a relatively small ditch, or even a depression will attract bass.

Begin with a fast retrieve on top, just under the surface, and near the bottom. If that doesn’t produce a hit, slow your retrieve and cover the area again.

Be sure to cast to both sides of any depression or creek entering the vegetative field.

5. Isolated cover or structure hold bass. Usually one or two fish will hold around any isolated patch of plants.

6. Fish the shadows. The shady sides of a point, pocket, or edge of plants are high percentage spots.

7. Fish the isolated openings. These spots may be difficult to fish unless you can work your boat within casting range. Use a push-pole rather than a trolling motor because it is quieter.

Aquatic vegetation should be viable until late October. The plants rob the water of oxygen as they die, but for now they still offer good habitat for bass and a special place for you to fish.

Happy Hooking!