What is everyones favorite baits/techniques for fishin heavy grass mats (hydrilla mats) I know the frog/toad/rat thing but any other ideas

If you're just fishing the "surface", any weedless topwater lure will do the job.

If you're looking to "punch through" the floating mat, than you'll want the most streamlined lure

without arms & appendages. To that end, you'd be hard put to beat a plastic worm.

Roger

Other weightless plastics on the mats can be good, such as a large lizard or an overlooked bait, the Kalin Mogambo grub.

For punching through, like Roger said, a streamlined bait with a heavy weight.

Braid is also a must for heavy grass IMO.

Brad

Lunker City Salad Spoon.  Crawl it ontop of the grass, algae, scum, or on the edges of those things, and bass will blow it up.

You might want to try tubes or craws if you're punching the mats.  as mentioned braided line really helps too, you'll feel those subtle bites which you might otherwise miss using mono line.

For top of mats, everyone tosses frogs, just about every soft plastic company has their own version of a soft frog bait out there.  Pick up a few bags of different brands and try them.  Also the spro frog is real nice too.  

In east Texas, the lakes are full and the grass is growing to reach the new surface.     Later in the summer when droughts set upon us, the lake levels decrease making the mats super tough to punch through.

My favorite is tossing a 10 inch plus pegged worms into the air.     1 ounce or bigger gets the job done.

When all else fails, the heavy jig works also.

Hookem

Matt

Floating worm for me. I like to work it along the edge than into the holes. You will be amazed at the fish you will catch on it.

Technique: you'll catch more & bigger bass under Hydrilla mats than you ever will above it  

Jig: Oldham's Lures Trailer Hitch Jig, 5/8 oz Black/Blue, Gene Larew Salty Hawg Craws in 6 with 1 ½ cut off the tail

booyah 1 oz jig or a tube with a 1 oz bullet weight.you flip them up in the air and whip them down so they punch through the matt.

Ditto on the buzzin grub...weightless and texposed - good stuff

Pretty much any weightless plastic will work....grubs/worms are more weed resistant cause of the sreamlined body.

Well if the grass isnt to thick at the surface (even better if its about 2inches below the surface) i like to use a zoom super fluke, working it fast right at the surface.

Frogs, jigs, and my #1 flipping bait: Sweet Beaver

Try a tube for punching through, but a fluke or lizard rigged weightless on top