So, is there a secret to getting bass out of laydowns once they're hooked up? I've lost more bass in laydowns than I've ever landed. They'll get me wrapped up more often than not, hence the reason I'm shy when it comes to throwing anymore baits in there. Thanks.

Straight braid and at least a MH action bait casting setup.  You need wenching power.  Set the hook hard and yank them out of that mess with as much leverage as possible.

20 lb big game has kept fish hooked for 1 hour while I disassembled a beaver dam she pulled into - when you use 20 lb big game you should be able to get away with much tighter drag and that helps turn their head on the initial run.  Also a big and powerful rod and reel both help for this application.

 

Unfortunately when a fish gets running into a tree - you usually just lose them - if your line wraps around something even once - you’re probably SOL.  Turning their head initially is everything.

Set the hook like it owes you money and start cranking line.  Get it turned and coming to you before it has a chance to wrap you.  Same logic when you're fishing heavy pads and grass.  Of course you need the equipment to do it.  If you're telling me that you're floating ned rigs over the top of deep brushpiles on 6 lb fluoro then just concede that you're going to lose a few.  Early bite detection and minimal slack line are key.

 

And don't stop throwing into brushpiles.  Even if you lose 5 out of 10 fish hooked that's still 5 that you're not going to catch by beating around the bush if you know what I mean.

34 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Turning their head initially is everything.

This x3. Leverage is the key; braid or heavy mono/flouro and a stiffer fishing rod gives you the sufficient leverage to turn them away from heavy cover. Crank down the drag settings on your reel and keep the rod tip way up, it may not be as "fun" but when you want that fish in your hand you gotta do the things that give you the best chances.

Swearing doesn't help, but I keep doing it anyway.

Heavy rated rod with a stout bait caster and strong braid or mono line. Dig her out if necessary ...

Good fishing 

Pay attention. Watch your line and be quick on your hooksets. You can't give them time to eat it or any of that nonsense that some folks like to do. As soon as you think you're bit, swing on them and get them moving. If they hang up, lean on them at first for several seconds and see if they'll pop loose. If they don't, remove almost all the pressure so the fish can back up on it's own and try to swim out. As soon as you feel the fish move, lean on it again. A lot of the time, you'll pop them loose doing this. 

Lay your thumb on the spool on the hook set and until you get things going the right way.

20 minutes ago, BradH said:

Lay your thumb on the spool on the hook set and until you get things going the right way.

This is good information for all sets. 

I do it every time regardless of what I throw. 
It gives you the freedom to adjust if necessary without using undo stress when you absolutely don’t want drag slippage for the obvious presentations when setting and retrieving 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

41 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

If they don't, remove almost all the pressure so the fish can back up on it's own and try to swim out. As soon as you feel the fish move, lean on it again. A lot of the time, you'll pop them loose doing this. 

 

This is what I was going to suggest. I've given them slack sometimes  and they swam free.

One time I gave her slack and saw her pulling and swimming 30 feet to the left of us with my line buried in the wood 5 feet in front of me - whoops.

 

I have definitely gotten a fish or two letting them swim but REALLY big ones seem to take everything you give them rather than swim out.

 

You can lean hard on a very big bass with 20 lb big game and a stout rod and powerful reel - and they run out of steam and come the way you tell them when your gear is up to the task.

FLMB tend to give up and become lackadaisical most of the time if holed up and can’t really move. 
Thats your cue to back off but do it in stages as you don’t really know well she’s hooked. 
 

Yes, you’ll lose a few but if you use thier natural habits to your advantage your chances increase. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

Our lakes have multiple brush piles on every point, in coves, etc.  if a bass gets in one my best results have been like Bluebasser suggested.  I’ve gotten 2 4s and an 8 out of the same pile doing that.

Lay downs are usually perpendicular from shoreline trunk near shore. It’s good to visualize what you are casting into and giving the bass an escape root pulling against the line pressure. Doing this almost always works our good. If the bass can only run deeper into branches the end result isn’t good.

Sideways to the tree trunk is better than parallel.

Tom

4 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

Turning their head initially is everything.

 

Pretty much this. Once they're wrapped it's more or less game over without a ton of work. I fish laydowns a lot. It's about controlling the fight the moment it starts. No time to "play" the fish, they'll wrap themselves very quickly.

Swimming is always an option.🤣

This time of year....up here anyway.

 

I dont have the touch but keep thowing in them anyway. One thing that happens is after the hook penetretaes the basses mouth , then its exposed to catch on wood.

The secret has been revealed & practice makes perfect. Good luck. 

Jack em’.  That stuns them.  Then put the hurt on them as you pull them out to more open water.  

Me fishing a laydown

That looks like my neighbor! I mean just like him too!

One good thing about fishing from the bank is that once you feel the bite, you can back up, and drag them out of the tree limbs.  Once Like others have said, you have to hit them as soon as you feel the bite.  If the fish feels you first, forget it.

I hooked this bass on  in the middle of a large tree with  big horizontal limbs.  I was working a T rigged worm over one of the branches about 10 feet deep in 30 feet of water.  It had been a slow day, and I wasn't expecting a bite.  I didn't have my kayak switched to reverse drive, and was basically just going through the motions.

 

I got what felt like a good bite, and set the hook hard.  I instantly knew I had a heavy bass, and tried to horse it out of the tree, but instead only pulled my kayak towards the bass.  She had me wrapped around a branch in less than a second, more time than it took to pull the cord and put the kayak into reverse.  I knew she was only wrapped a time or two, because I could still feel her fighting.

 

When I got the kayak reversed I tried backing up and pulling her free.  I could gain some line, then she would pull away back what I had gained.  I could feel the  line getting tighter on the branch,  I couldn't feel her shake as much, and it was becoming more difficult to move the bass at all.

 

I decided to give her some slack and reposition the kayak at a different angle.  The same seesaw fight was then continued.  I would gain a foot or two, and she would pull hard getting the two feet back.  I would put as much pressure as possible without breaking the line, and she would pull hard enough that I was always force to let up and let her run.  I repositioned a dozen times including trying from straight above the tree.  Every time I changed angles I could feel the bass, but wasn't able to coax her out of the tree.

 

After about 15 minutes I could no longer feel the bass.  I could pull hard and nothing would give.  I didn't even know if she was still on the line.  I new she was a huge bass, but also realized I had to give up and start fishing again.  I positioned my kayak straight above the bass wrapped the 15 pound Fluorocarbon around my hand and started to pull. The   line was strong considering all the abrasion going on, and I had to take a few more wraps around my hand in order to break the line.  At the moment I was sure the line would break I felt the weight of the bass.  The tree branch had broke, and once again I was hooked directly to the bass.  I pedaled backwards as fast as I could, let go of the line, and grabbed my rod out of the holder.  The bass was as tired as me, and it only took a minuet to get her alongside my kayak.  I reached down grabbed her lip and finally after a long fight landed my biggest bass of the year.

 

How did I get a big bass out of a tree?  I was unbelievably lucky.  I will take luck over skill every time.

 

If I hadn't been daydreaming, and been prepared, the fight would have been far less dramatic.  I had been lazy and didn't pull the cord to put the kayak in to reverse mode before I made my cast.  I wasn't prepared to get bit by a large bass, and if it wasn't for pure luck I would have paid the price for my lack of concentration.  I also should have taken the time to tie the T rig to a heavier rod, with stronger line, before casting into a large tree.  The 15 pound line to my surprise held, even when I tried to break it, but 20 pound would have been much appreciated at the time.  A kayak with a peddle drive that works in reverse, simply by pedaling in reverse rather than having to pull a cord would be nice, but I like other advantages of my Hobie, and am willing to sacrifice the instant reverse to get them, but I wasn't singing any hobie pedal drive praises at the time. 

 

The best thing you can do to get a bass out of a laydown, is be prepared.  Every cast can be your new PB and you have to be ready to win that first two seconds of the battle.  Once the bass is out in the open, don't get in a hurry, especially at boatside, and the bass will be yours.