What's a good technique for catching those bass that are suspended between the underside of a mat and the bottom? Somewhere between 4 and 8 feet.

Punching!!

 

Basically it's a heavy Texas rig. (1-2 oz bullet weight, punch skirt "optional", a stout hook, and some sort of creature/craw bait).

 

What I do is pitch the rig to a spot in the mat I want to break through. Once its on the bottom, I shake it to get the attention of any bass feeding on the bottom. If no bites on the fall or shake, then I lift it up until it hits the bottom of the mat then drop it back down & repeat one more time.This will give any bass suspended under the mat time to see it & hopefully react. If no bites after that then I pull it and pitch to the next spot & repeat the process again at the next spot. I feel it is vital to lift & drop the lure b/c you never know where the bass are under there.

 

Hope this helps!

Go knocking with a Rage Lobster Falcon Lake color

 

Huh?

 

What’s knocking ya ask!

 

Punch through the mat & yo-yo up/down the Lobster against the underside of the mat & hang on!

Punching. Use a heavy rod, 50-80lb braid, a 1- 2oz weight, and a heavy duty straight shank flipping hook.

Slide a bobber stop on, then your weight, then snell the hook. Put on a compact bait like a craw or beaver and slide the bobber stop down to the weight so it has a little wiggle room next to the bait. Flip it right into the mat, let it hit the bottom, then lift it up until it bangs the bottom of the mat, then let it drop again. I do this 3 to 5 times depending on how agressive the fish are. Most of the bites won't feel like anything- your bait will just stop on the way up. When this happens, set the hook hard and keep the pressure on the fish until it exits the mat.

Just a thought, try punching with a heavy drop shot rig if they're suspended. Or like the others have said use T-rig.

Good Answers Guys. I've been using the yo-yo method with fairly reliable results. I just felt that in a mat area with more than 4 or 5 feet between it and the bottom, that it was inefficient to try and find them in the water column every punch.

 

If the bass are in a neutral feeding mood, they might not chase the rig up or down.

 

Stren_g, that's a good idea with a power drop shot rig. I'll try it with a 1/4 oz. weight for starters and tie on a Missile Craw with a weedless hook set up.

 

hookset on 3

I punch brushhawg type baits on our lake when it gets matted. I use a MHX fenwick musky rod and 65 lb braid also doubles as a great frogging stick.

Punching. Use a heavy rod, 50-80lb braid, a 1- 2oz weight, and a heavy duty straight shank flipping hook.

Slide a bobber stop on, then your weight, then snell the hook. Put on a compact bait like a craw or beaver and slide the bobber stop down to the weight so it has a little wiggle room next to the bait. Flip it right into the mat, let it hit the bottom, then lift it up until it bangs the bottom of the mat, then let it drop again. I do this 3 to 5 times depending on how agressive the fish are. Most of the bites won't feel like anything- your bait will just stop on the way up. When this happens, set the hook hard and keep the pressure on the fish until it exits the mat.

This!!! Possibly a frog to, those green backs come out from the deep for frogs.

If you are going to try and dropshot them I would use a heavier weight. At least a half ounce! You need to get through and a 1/4 might not get it done. A heavy weight is better IMO anyway because when it slides through and down they may react to that!

I use 1oz flipping or grass style Backwater Custom Jigs.  Perfect for hauling those slobs out of there.

1oz Dirty Jigs Punchin Jigs

Tungsten punching!

Siebert Outdoors Tungsten punching!

There. Fixed.

Does the mat cover the entire lake, or are there small mats that are spread out all across the surface?  My lake has a lot of small mats.  I like to work a jig on the outside of the mat right next to the weeds.  I go all the way around, and if I don't get a hit I try another mat.