After all these years bass fishing , I still dont know how to fight a fish that is wrapped up in heavy cover  like cedar trees or anything else . I have tried the Bill Dance method of giving more pressure when the bass is pulling hard and less when they are not . That hasnt worked . I need some hints . I had to break  off a big one yesterday deep in a cedar tree  . I just couldnt get it out . It was  beyond reach .

Alton Jones Jr method?

I've had the best results by letting up on pressure, and trying to get the bass to swim out of cover. It doesn't always work though.

2 minutes ago, Cbump said:

Alton Jones Jr method?

I'm not familiar .

https://majorleaguefishing.com/bass-pro-tour/alton-jones-jr-goes-all-in-for-a-7-pounder/

You could always go in after it.  Like a savage.

 

 I went in shoulder deep to land a good one last week . I  was  thinking of running a hook in my hand .

12 minutes ago, Cbump said:

https://majorleaguefishing.com/bass-pro-tour/alton-jones-jr-goes-all-in-for-a-7-pounder/

8 minutes ago, gimruis said:

You could always go in after it.  Like a savage.

 

 

 

The little ones come right out with cooperation.

The big ones wrap and break off.

 

2 years ago during the prespawn, hooked a good one on a Jerkbait and the fish took it straight down into timber.

I could see down in the gin clear water, fish is pinned and wrapped.

I simply watched without a clue what to do other than wait.

Finally fish broke off with Jerkbait in it's mouth.

 

I can't think of formula that will sucessfully yield bigger fish wrapped in submerged timber but I do know trebles aren't ideal.

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

You could always go in after it.  Like a savage.

 

This is the ultimate chad play, and yes every diehard Bass fisherman will jump in at a moment's notice to save a rod/reel or to land a fish.

 

I went swimming 3 weeks ago for a 6lb in weeds at night.....I'll climb over broken glass for a Bass haha

Earlier this year I cast a shakey head with a sapphire blue Trick worm into a huge hollow at the base of a big cypress tree. Something BIG grabbed it in about 4 feet of water and I was unable to move it to the surface with my medium fast spinning rod and it kept pulling drag. I never gained control or caught a glimpse of it and soon it had me wrapped up around some sunken limbs and got unhooked. 

 

But I NEVER considered going in that muddy water. Sure it might have been an 8-pound bass, but it was as likely a big flathead catfish or a large snapping turtle. I probably would have sunk past my knees in the muck and who knows what was lurking down there. ?

 

And I learned that you never take a knife (medium spinning rod) to a gun fight.

Down here in south Florida we fish exclusively in the heaviest cover imaginable and get the fish in by using heavy strait braid, 50 at the very minimum up to 80lb test with stout flipping hooks. Works great with few break-offs. Slam 'em good and heave ho on those suckers! 

 

I punch with 65lb braid.  I feel bad hauling a bass thru the heavy cover.  it cannot be comfortable for the fish.  I subconsciously seem to release those fish the quickest

 

just a bass I caught that gets me into the Tule or wood?  I have a 20% success rate.  they usually own me.  I'm going to load one of my bait casters with 30lb braid next time and see how that plays out. 

I lose quite a few in heavy Lilly Pad fields... They strike and I set the hook, they pull back.....and its game over....  all I get is my hook with a huge as clump of big of fat lilly pads 

Fishing from the bank there is not much you can do.  If I'm in a boat I will keep just enough tension on the line so the fish is basically pegged in the vegetation.  After that I run the boat over and dig the bass out.

It’s hard to know what to do sometimes. Giving them slack has worked many times for me, from the bank even. I caught a nice one the other day fishing on some rip-rap, and it seemed like she knew to head straight to the rocks to cut the line. After I landed her I checked the line, and sure enough, it was almost frayed through. So I replaced my leader and hooked another nice one, and I thought the smart thing to do would be to horse her in quickly to avoid the rocks. “Snap!” She broke me off and is now wearing my jerk bait.

If you are familiar with the lake and know where the trees are plan ahead before casting. All game fish tend run away from the line pressure after being hooked. With this fact in mind position yourself so the bass runs out of the cover (tree) when fighting it. The bass doesn't know to wrap your line it’s fighting against the force pulling on it. 

When you stop putting pressure on the bass it usually swims away instead deeper into the tree. The problem is the bass usually shakes out your lure if the line is too lose.

Tom

41 minutes ago, WRB said:

When you stop putting pressure on the bass it usually swims away instead deeper into the tree. The problem is the bass usually shakes out your lure if the line is too lose.

Agree…also we have had several recent posts with people wondering why anglers use hard hook sets.  I would suggest that this is a classic situation where a strong hook set is beneficial.  The quicker you can get the bass turned and in control, the greater your odds of success IMO.

I never do well with giving them slack. They get off every time if I do that . I keep pressure on and some of them come loose of the brush. 

I landed  a buddy’s PB by having him keep pressure on the fish and I followed the line down to the fish and just had the reach to grab it…

Fishing lilies, hydrilla, water hyacinth, tulies ain't in the same league as cypress tree roots. 

 

With vegetation you can rip em out, with roots you pretty much done.

 

Just like vegetation ya got to stick em & get em coming up in one motion.

Willows, salt cedar, buck brush are like bailing wire, you ain’t gunna turn a big bass that is that brush successfully. The harder you hook set the faster the bass runs into trouble. 

All you do is pre plan where you cast and try to control the bass. If the bass comes up you win. Bass are built to turn on a dime, when they do that and dive into that brush you lose most of the time.

Tom

I'm fishing inside  cedar trees in 8 to 10 foot of water  . I  work the outside first . Even then they get wrapped up often . 

He said cedar but I would be surprised if it’s salt cedar.  If I’m not mistaken, that is an invasive plant, would be surprised if people are using it for brush piles, and if it is found around banks, is usually eradicated (at least around here).  If I’m fishing buck brush, I’m using 50-65 test, a heavy rod, and I’m winching them out.  You are not likely to get a bass out of heavy buck brush with TLC.

whats worked best for me is to keep just enough  pressure on to keep the fish hooked but not try to wrench them out. the fish will swim out . still once they get wrapped up in hard cover like that they usually break off.

1 hour ago, RDB said:

He said cedar but I would be surprised if it’s salt cedar

Regular old red cedar sunk for fish habitat .

Keep pressure on them but don't try to horse them out. Basically just keeping the line tight so they can't swim further into the tree, but enough they can turn their head potentially away from what they're snagged in. It's usually a fork in the tree that they're wedged in, so if they can turn their head to the side they might work themselves free. 

That's what I did with this big one that buried up in a cedar a few weeks ago. Pulling hard wasn't working, but when I let up pressure she got herself worked loose from the tree pretty fast.

 

If you just keep pulling them hard into the tree, they can't do much other than shake their head a little side to side, which is likely rubbing your line on the tree and will break the line pretty quickly in nasty trees like cedars.