15 hours ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

Can the fish even move around in that thick matted stuff? or they just suspend in it? 

they move around, at least in there because its shallow--that spot where the big one is from there's a creek channel that runs way back and holds about 8-10 ft of water. you'll see them chasing bait everywhere back there

14 hours ago, Harold Scoggins said:

 

 

Dagnabit, I've been a fan of Bill Dance since 1967, I'm going to buy me one of those hats!

you catch more fish the better you look! 

19 hours ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

ah that type of grass, yeah that stuff is a problem here in NJ at this one place I go to, can't throw anything in there and it almost takes up the entire lake during the summer months, nothing gets through it. 

This is the grass I'm talking about, it's from this once place in North Jersey, bass are in there but not a huge number of them, it's actually out of control and they finally started treating this body of water in September for it. 

At that point I'm just punching and frogging, the struggle is real man lol.

According to the DFW Phoenix lake has Largemouth bass, bluegill, Green Sunfish and Pan Fish. The LMB fishing is rated good and local fish reports are available.

This is a no boat lake so shore fishing only.

What type of fishing tackle do you have?

Tom

1 hour ago, boostr said:

At that point I'm just punching and frogging, the struggle is real man lol.

I know other anglers who fish that lake, it's actually a tributary that connects to a brackish river, at the beginning of it some people catch crabs, also can find eels and stripers chasing gizzard shad. big carp in there aswell

One thing i have noticed about lakes that don't have any shad is it changes where the bass are, but not necessarily what they will bite.

 

For example, my home lake has only bluegill & crayfish for forage (and the occasional small carp, catfish, bird, etc).  The bass relate to the forage, so in the fall, when shad eating bass are going to the backs of creeks and busting up schools of shad on the surface of middle of coves, the bass in my lake aren't.  They are where the bluegill & crayfish are at that time.

 

A bluegill colored or shaped lure may fool more bass than one that looks like a shad in your lake, but the latter can still catch a boatload.  What is more important is how the different forage is changing where the bass are and how they are oriented to eating.

Dont limit good choices just because that bait is not present.  I have caught tons of fish on huddleston shads and grass minnows on ponds with no shad.  What kind of fish does a keitech or rage swimmer look like.  Both are huge catchers for me.  If your instant on matching the hatch you have hard and soft mattlures gills, and hud gills.

Describe  your water pond , lake , clarity , shore fishing , boat , cover ,structure... omit nothing .Then  we can get you line up with some effective lures .

Extremely clear, small lake, called Phoenix Lake, large weed beds right next to deeper weed beds, which in turn are next to a muddy drop off, a lot of duckweed coming down a channel. Lots of overhang in the form of oak trees, some bushes.No boats, no structures, as it’s a reservoir. I like throwing popping frogs, and weedless things, and the bass seem pretty nonagressive.

2 hours ago, Moonlander34 said:

Extremely clear, small lake, called Phoenix Lake, large weed beds right next to deeper weed beds, which in turn are next to a muddy drop off, a lot of duckweed coming down a channel. Lots of overhang in the form of oak trees, some bushes.No boats, no structures, as it’s a reservoir. I like throwing popping frogs, and weedless things, and the bass seem pretty nonagressive.

Sounds like a place for weightless watermelon red worms, very light weight natural color creatures like grubs and craws, and ayu keitechs.  Tubes would also be high on the list.

On 11/6/2019 at 8:14 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

baby bluegill have a lot of white on them similar to a shad, and so do crappie if they're present. 

Wow! I didn't think of that, even though the bluegill are everywhere.