How do you Southern boys do it?

[Swamp Girl]

I went fishing last night and this morning in two, deeply different ponds. One was called a pond, but it was a marsh with lily pads on the surface and other weeds just below the surface in most places. I spent more time removing weeds from my lures than I did removing fish. I still caught 24 fish in less than three hours. All were largemouth except for two chain pickerel, one the biggest chain pickerel I've ever caught. I also used my new yellow measuring board with sides, like a trough. It worked great. The bass were calm when I lay them in it. Nearly every fish on a cast Whopper Plopper. I lost a big one that jumped twice and bulldozed into weeds right by the canoe, coming free. Dang it! 

 

This morning's pond was open with rocks. Much easier fishing not having to fight weeds. I caught 29 there with good consistent size from 15" to 17". I have LOTS of pics from both ponds which I'll load later. Caught fish on a trolled and cast Whopper Plopper, a trolled and cast Mepps #3 spinner, a weightless Texas-rigged Senko, a Ned jig, and even a couple on a nightcrawler. All strong fish who knew how to dance in three hours of fishing!

 

Again, how do you Southern boys do it? Those weeds were rough!

 

Also saw three bald eagles, four herons, a kingfisher, swallows, many geese, three turkeys, and two loons. The loons sang too. 

 

Again, pics to come. 

[TnRiver46]

There’s way more weeds up north than where I live. 

[JS Patterson]

I am really jealous of the catching that you have up there.  Where I am at in the south, there is not much aquatic vegetation.  That is all removed through chemicals and/or triploid carp.  There are shallow areas completely covered by pads but that is about it.  The tough part about summer fishing in the south is the lack of participation from the bass.  With water temperatures exceeding 90 degrees, we are much more likely to go 8 hours without a bite than catch the numbers you were able to get.  That will all change around November, when I expect the bite to get better as the water cools and the thermocline disappears. I honestly wish that we had more grass fishing opportunities.  

[TnRiver46]

5 minutes ago, JS Patterson said:

I am really jealous of the catching that you have up there.  Where I am at in the south, there is not much aquatic vegetation.  That is all removed through chemicals and/or triploid carp.  There are shallow areas completely covered by pads but that is about it.  The tough part about summer fishing in the south is the lack of participation from the bass.  With water temperatures exceeding 90 degrees, we are much more likely to go 8 hours without a bite than catch the numbers you were able to get.  That will all change around November, when I expect the bite to get better as the water cools and the thermocline disappears. I honestly wish that we had more grass fishing opportunities.  

Yep. Almost all vegetation is killed for hire around here. I don’t even have pads anywhere around 

[Bluebasser86]

Weeds=bass. Can they be a headache? Sure, but I like catching fish so I don't mind dealing with them.

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, JS Patterson said:

I am really jealous of the catching that you have up there.  Where I am at in the south, there is not much aquatic vegetation.  That is all removed through chemicals and/or triploid carp.  There are shallow areas completely covered by pads but that is about it.  The tough part about summer fishing in the south is the lack of participation from the bass.  With water temperatures exceeding 90 degrees, we are much more likely to go 8 hours without a bite than catch the numbers you were able to get.  That will all change around November, when I expect the bite to get better as the water cools and the thermocline disappears. I honestly wish that we had more grass fishing opportunities.  

I've watched so many fishing shows where guys with southern accents are fishing in salad. The preponderance of oligotrophic lakes in the north, i.e. rocky bottom lakes means fewer weeds.

 

The fishing is amazing here. That weedy pond I fished last night is right off the highway. Thousands of people drive past it, even though it's chock full o' fish.

[TnRiver46]

34 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

I've watched so many fishing shows where guys with southern accents are fishing in salad. The preponderance of oligotrophic lakes in the north, i.e. rocky bottom lakes means fewer weeds.

 

The fishing is amazing here. That weedy pond I fished last night is right off the highway. Thousands of people drive past it, even though it's chock full o' fish.

Well florida and south Alabama and eastern South Carolina are weedy. Georgia, TN, eastern SC, and N Alabama lakes are mostly deep and clear without weeds. 
 

everything I’ve ever laid eyes on up north is weedy except the middle of the Great Lakes. The marshes flowing into Erie look like bass heaven, pads and weeds galore. Michigan is weeds on top of weeds and I would assume Wisconsin is similar. Pennsylvania has a whole lot of choked out ponds. I haven’t been much of anywhere else 

 

as a kid, I always wanted to go north to fish weeds like I saw on TV that we don’t have 

[Zcoker]

You might need to re-word this post to  "How do you northern boys do it?" Because you seem to have done very well, considering you used a whopper plopper at night in a weedy area to get most of your fish. All in all, where there's weeds, there be bass. And fishing a whopper plopper around any kind of weeds is going to need to be picked apart with every cast, especially in the dark! In any case, you seem to have done very well, aimed well, retrieved well enough to get into some decent fish. So spread the word on how you northern boys do it! lol 

[Mike L]

 I wouldn’t have it anyway way. 
The more grass, weeds or any type of vegetation is just fine with me.
And the thicker the better!
 

 

 

 

Mike

[gimruis]

4 hours ago, Zcoker said:

Because you seem to have done very well, considering you used a whopper plopper at night in a weedy area to get most of your fish. All in all, where there's weeds, there be bass. And fishing a whopper plopper around any kind of weeds is going to need to be picked apart with every cast, especially in the dark

This didn’t make much sense to me either. Complaining about how someone is able to fish in thick weeds while tossing a treble hooked topwater lure?

 

Apparently the weeds weren’t very thick…

[MN Fisher]

17 minutes ago, gimruis said:

This didn’t make much sense to me either. Complaining about how someone is able to fish in thick weeds while tossing a treble hooked topwater lure?

Ya - if the weeds are to the top of the water...no treble hooks for me.

Chatters, spinners, buzz if you want moving baits...they're all fairly weed-resistant.

Otherwise it's T-Rigged plastics for pitching/punching

[Swamp Girl]

Okay, okay, northern lakes are weedy and most southern lakes aren't.

 

The first photo is the weedy, northern "lake." The last photo is the largely open lake I fished this morning. In between are a few of the fish. They're all about the same size so I didn't post all the pics. That fish measuring board works great. When I set the bass on it, not a one flopped off. They felt cradled, I think, because they were. 

 

The Whopper Plopper, being so big and heavy, caught weeds more than half the time on its landing, so it wasn't the best choice. However, I tried a light frog for a few casts and it didn't interest them.

 

Gimruis, I didn't think I was complaining. I thought I was asking for advice. "How do you Southern boys do it?" is a question.

 

In that first photo, you're seeing the "lake" at its most open. It really closed up a few hundred yards into it and there were times I was struggling to move the boat through reeds. I couldn't paddle and the reeds offered considerable resistance, so I had to use my paddle like a pole. 

[Bird]

Looks like a really good day ?.

I love any kind of vegetation other than snot grass...... absolutely nothing can go through it.

[NavyToad]

24 fish in 3 hours weeds or otherwise ain’t bad. I fail to see the problem.

[Swamp Girl]

The problem is that more than half of my casts were ruined by weeds. I removed more weeds from my lures than bass. At this point, I'm sorry I asked. I do appreciate MN Fisher's suggestions. 

[Swamp Girl]

6 hours ago, Mike L said:

 I wouldn’t have it anyway way. 
The more grass, weeds or any type of vegetation is just fine with me.
And the thicker the better!
 

 

 

 

Mike

Mike, what specifically works for you in thick cover? I assume I shouldn't use my spinning rods and 8 lb. test. My assumption is based upon my not being able to keep the big bass I hooked out of the lily pads, where I lost him. I further assume that those pencil-thick reeds don't hold bass. Are my assumptions correct? What weeds do you prefer? In northwestern Ontario, cabbage held pike. What weeds do bass like?

[MN Fisher]

Just now, ol'crickety said:

In northwestern Ontario, cabbage held pike. What weeds do bass like?

Minnesota you can find bass hiding in lily pads, milfoil patches, coontail clumps...pretty much anyplace that provides three things.

Shelter from the sun

Oxygen generation

Places to hide

 

Bass are primarily ambush predators - they like jumping out at prey instead of 'long chases' like pike and musky.

 

Thick weed growth is a bass haven cause their prey also try to hide in there.

 

Oh, another technique - skitter a frog across the surface.

 

4 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

I assume I shouldn't use my spinning rods and 8 lb. test.

Ya - best bet is a Medium-Heavy or Heavy casting rig with 40# or higher braid.

 

If you have to go spinning - a 3000 size minimum...4000 is better...on a Medium-Heavy rod loaded with 30#-40# braid.

[Mike L]

56 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Mike, what specifically works for you in thick cover?

I assume I shouldn't use my spinning rods and 8 lb. test. My assumption is based upon my not being able to keep the big bass I hooked out of the lily pads, where I lost him. I further assume that those pencil-thick reeds don't hold bass. Are my assumptions correct? What weeds do you prefer? In northwestern Ontario, cabbage held pike. What weeds do bass like?

When punching I use either a RI Sweet Beaver or a Rage Bug only. 
If I need the heaviest of weights (1oz-2oz) I grab the beaver first as it will penetrate easier.
When using a lighter punch weight down to 3/4, I like the bug better because once it gets through and I start working it,

I want the added action compared to the beaver as it won’t be affected as much going through. 
 
You assume correct.
You are completely out gunned using a spinning rod with 8 lb line.
Keep that stuff for your most finessey of presentations. 

I use 2 different combos for the thickest stuff, 4 carrier 80# and 65# original Power Pro.

You certainly don’t need the 80#, and it’s rare that I do. 
Over the years it’s just become a confidence thing for me.
When I asked a well known pro while Marshaling an Elite event one time why he does his answer was “Why not!”
 

No, I wouldn’t assume they won’t be anywhere including thick reed fields. 
There most likely will be open or at least thinner patches surrounded by the thicker areas that you need to look for and saturate, using different angles of presentations. 
 

Personally I love punching hydrilla first, then hyacinth. 

When not punching, my most effective presentations are swimming a Magnum Speed Worm or Rage Cut R through eel and Kissimmee grasses including over and through thick pad fields after always trying a frog first. 
 

But I’m always looking for the heaviest and thickest ares of grass and pads first. 
When not sight or bed fishing that’s where the big girls live most of the time when you can find them.  
 

 

 

 

Mike
 

[gimruis]

2 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

Gimruis, I didn't think I was complaining. I thought I was asking for advice.

My advice would be to ditch the whopper plopper and use a hollow body frog. Treble hooks are the problem. Frogs are pretty much snag free.

 

Looks like the new hawg trough is working. What I might suggest is putting the front of the fish against the fence instead of the tail though. It will be easier and you will get a more accurate measurement.

[TnRiver46]

Soft plastics like fluke and toads are great in weeds 

[txchaser]

Throw one of these on braid. 

[Swamp Girl]

Thanks for all the great advice. I'll have to do some googling to locate some of the baits you mentioned, but I wanna learn. I didn't know I had placed my fish backwards, so thanks for that too. 

 

I will quit the Whopper Plopper in weeds. I became addicted to that lure when I caught two bass at once four times in a ten-day period. Here was the best pair, a 19-inch fish and a 17-inch fish at once. To be frank, I'm not sure that the bigger one was 19 inches, as I didn't measure it, but it looks like it's that big.

 

 

[Koz]

How do we do it? Well, we don't fish with Whopper Ploppers in heavy weeds and lily pads.

 

Instead, I use a Teckel Sprinker Frog. It's a hollow frog with a soft, spinning tail similar to a Whopper Plopper.

[TnRiver46]

I wouldn’t quit doing anything that works well, But like @Koz said the sprinker frog sounds like a whopper plopper but is weedless 

[Swamp Girl]

15 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I wouldn’t quit doing anything that works well, But like @Koz said the sprinker frog sounds like a whopper plopper but is weedless 

I already googled the Sprinker frog. It looks great. I'm going to order a couple. I'm going to use a buzz bait, fluke, and spinnerbait too. And no more 8-lb. test and spinning rod. I've never used 40-lb. test, not even for muskies. 

 

I'll continue to use the Whopper Plopper where there's open water. I've caught fish in the middle of the lake in the middle of the afternoon with it. It's a dinner bell in Maine. I'm going to continue to fish new lakes/ponds too. I've fished five so far this summer and have another three in the queue. I love fishing freshwater that's fresh water to me!

 

I looked at the lake/swamp I fished yesterday evening on Google Earth. It goes on for miles and is a mile wide. I paddled it for a couple miles, but left most of it unfished. Human beings are lazy, so I can't imagine many people have fished it deeply, for it's a maze with dead ends and a motor wouldn't work. 

 

But first, I have to heal my bass thumb. It feels like sandpaper. I'm a 66-year old female and my thumb takes such a beating, so no fishing until next week.