I was looking through the "Best Of" Bassresource.com post (great post BTW) and I read something about Hydrilla. Since I'm fairly new to this sport I didn't know what hydrilla was so I started to do some research. During my research I came across some other vegetation like milfoil and wild rice and reeds, so i have been researching those as well. Looking at pictures of these plants it looks like reeds and wild rice are similar and hydrilla and milfoil are similar. I wanted to get everyone's take on the different types of vegetation and how you go about fishing them. What types of bait, rod/reel, line, etc. Thanks

This question is very broad. You almost have to attack each of the hundreds of types of vegetation separately but I'll try to simplify it a little.

To start with I break my weeds down in the two categories.

1. Weeds that my lure can be cleanly ripped out of.

2. Weeds that hang onto my lure.

Then I want to know if the weeds have a canopy with lots of open space underneath or are they thick all the way to the bottom. Bass need somewhere to hide.

I use this information to help me choose the lures, rods, presentations and techniques that are most effective for the situation.

With any type of cover you attack the outer edges (break lines) first and the move progressively inward.

Outer weed line: if the vegetation located is away from the bank this will be your 1st break line; if the vegetation growing on the bank outward this is your 4th breakline.

The area between the outer break line and the area of actual matted vegetation which is still some what sparse

The area of actual matted vegetation

The inter weed line: the gap between the actual dry shoreline and the vegetation

Any bald spots located within the vegetation

Vegetation should be attacked with a variety techniques from top, mid depth, to bottom until a pattern is established

First thing  I do is cast parrallel to the weedline with a spinner bait to see if i can locate fish. Maybe a Sammy just to the line. Then to cranks(which you may abandone if you can't keep it clear). Then to plastics cast just inside the weedline.

After that, I move to the weedline and attack with frogs, buzzbait, looking for that quick strike. Then I go to TR plastics.

Basically I fish on them,through them,under and around them. When I see heavy grass beds I will automatically grab my pegged blk/blue paca craw,punch through it,and pitch around it. If that don't work, depending on depth I grab an xrap,spinnerbait or trap.

This question is very broad. You almost have to attack each of the hundreds of types of vegetation separately but I'll try to simplify it a little.

To start with I break my weeds down in the two categories.

1. Weeds that my lure can be cleanly ripped out of.

2. Weeds that hang onto my lure.

Then I want to know if the weeds have a canopy with lots of open space underneath or are they thick all the way to the bottom. Bass need somewhere to hide.

I use this information to help me choose the lures, rods, presentations and techniques that are most effective for the situation.

How do you find like to find out which of these the weeds are?

Also, Catt, once again, you provide me with some of the best information I have ever read on fishing.

This question is very broad. You almost have to attack each of the hundreds of types of vegetation separately but I'll try to simplify it a little.

To start with I break my weeds down in the two categories.

1. Weeds that my lure can be cleanly ripped out of.

2. Weeds that hang onto my lure.

Then I want to know if the weeds have a canopy with lots of open space underneath or are they thick all the way to the bottom. Bass need somewhere to hide.

I use this information to help me choose the lures, rods, presentations and techniques that are most effective for the situation.

How do you find like to find out which of these the weeds are?

Also, Catt, once again, you provide me with some of the best information I have ever read on fishing.

Throw a spinner bait. If you can rip it or not will answer your question.

There are two kinds of weeds emergent and submergent. Emergent is the weeds you can see above water like cattails, pads, topped out hydrilla or coontail. Submergent are the weeds that are under water that don't break the surface. The same kind of weeds can be both under and above water depending on the stage of growth. Many of the weeds have either a set depth that they can grow in because of lack of sunlight penetration. The deeper the depth the less sun can reach it so it will have a defined edge. Other plants will become more sparse because of depth or stage of growth. When fishing floating emergent plants like water hyacinth, pads, duck weed, topped out coontail, or hydrilla it is not whats on top but what is underneath that is important. Bass love to get under overhead cover because it feels protected from overhead predators. It also gives the bass a area that they can grab anything that might scamper across the cover. Many fish topwater frogs around this kind of cover or fish submerged lures like a spinnerbait or soft jerkbait along the edge of the cover. Areas that the weeds stack up or become thick anglers also flip lures with a heavy weight to punch through the cover. In the case of hydrilla and coontail many times the tangled mess you see above water is not what is underwater. Many times because of depth change like a depression or old creek channel or from drainage pipes can cause a void of cover under water. Many times there will be tunnels under the topped out weed growth that bass will use and are best attacked with a flipped lure. Other submergent weeds that are found on weed flats are best tackled with lures that either cruise just above the cover or lures that can be ripped out of cover. Many times the ripped lure will create strikes. Lures that just cruise just above the weeds can be reeled so that it just ticks the weeds. This creates more action to your lure and will also draw strikes. Another technique that works well is to reel down the lure to touch the bill of the crankbait to the top of the weed growth and then let the bait float up off of it then drive it back into the weeds like it is feeding. Emergent weeds that form a wall like what cattails do bass will cruise up and down the wall in search of food. Bass also use the weeds much like any vertical cover and will move up and down to adjust depth if conditions change. Anything irregular like a depression in the cattails or where it forms a point will draw fish. With cattails and pad fields areas where the weeds become sparse or where you have groups of isolated weeds will draw fish. Many anglers use crankbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater lures, to name a few to fish the edge of this wall of weeds. Isolated weeds and sparse weeds are better tackled with plastics or spinnerbaits. Hope this helps

Hydrilla Verticillata, Eurasian Water Milfoil, Vallisneria  (Eelgrass), Elodea Canadensis (Pondweed), & Myriophyllum Heterophyllum (Coontail Moss) will form a wall even if they do not break the surface.

These walls form inside and outside grass lines are what are called "break lines"; they are used by bass for navagation and ambush points.

All vegetation should be fished top to bottom

Hydrilla Verticillata, Eurasian Water Milfoil, Vallisneria (Eelgrass), Elodea Canadensis (Pondweed), & Myriophyllum Heterophyllum (Coontail Moss) will form a wall even if they do not break the surface.

These walls form inside and outside grass lines are what are called "break lines"; they are used by bass for navagation and ambush points.

All vegetation should be fished top to bottom

Therein lies the danger of using slang names like buggy whips and Kissimmee grass.

In the vernacular, Maidencane and Knotgrass are both called Kissimmee grass, which specifies nothing.

Elodea is sometimes called waterweed, but should never be called "pondweed".

Pondweed is a whole other large family of plants (Potamogeton).

Wherever it grows, pondweed is A-1 bass cover, Illinois Pondweed being the most common (Potamogeton illinoensis).

Roger

Elodea Canadensis: Canadian pondweed

Elodea, from the Greek, 'eleios (heleios), "of the marsh or meadow"

canadensis, from the Latin, "of Canada"

Common name from its aquatic habitat and general distribution

Other common names include: American Elodea, Anacharis, Canadian Pondweed, Ditch Moss, Water Thyme, Élod ée du Canada (Qu é), Vandpest (Dan), Kanada vesikatk, vesihain (Est), Vesirutto, Kanadanvesirutto (Fin), Kanadische Wasserpest (Ger), Brede Waterpest (NL), Vasspest (Nor), Vodomor Kanadský (Slovak), Vattenpest, Vanlig Vattenpest (Swe)

Taxonomy:

Kingdom Plantae, the Plants

Division Magnoliophyta, the Angiosperms (flowering plants)

Class Liliopsida, the Monocotyledons

Subclass Alismatidae

Order Hydrocharitales

Family Hydrocharitaceae, the Frog's-bit Family

Genus Elodea, the Water Weeds

Other common names include: American Elodea, Anacharis, Canadian Pondweed, Ditch Moss, Water Thyme~

Taxonomy:

Kingdom Plantae, the Plants

Division Magnoliophyta, the Angiosperms (flowering plants)

Class Liliopsida, the Monocotyledons

Subclass Alismatidae

Order Hydrocharitales

Family Hydrocharitaceae, the Frog's-bit Family

Genus Elodea, the Water Weeds

Catt, you didn't invent the name "pondweed", you merely conveyed a local moniker for Elodea,

therefore you have no reason to feel compelled to defend anything.

Though I've never seen the name "pondweed" used to describe Elodea, I fully realize that local monikers

are countless and ever-growing (guaranteed employment for lexicographers). The common name for Elodia is "Canadian Waterweed",

but in aquaculture its trade name is "Anacharis". As it happens, Anacharis (Elodea) is one of the most common plants

sold for use in fish aquariums. Several years back, I compiled the following data on Elodea for my own edification (not a copy-&-paste),

a culmination of several sources that you won't find elsewhere. Actually, Elodea has a very interesting history:

Elodea grows either rooted in the bottom or free-floating and is found in streams, ponds, and lakes throughout most

of the United States. Both elodea and egeria have a wide tolerance range for water temperature. However,

elodea is endemic to Canada, whereas egeria is indigenous to South America. Consequently, egeria (Brazilian waterweed)

has been spreading northward, while elodea (Canadian waterweed) has been spreading southward,

today both plant genera occupy nearly all of the United States.

Roger

KISS

I keep it simple, any ireegularities is a area of weeds, any other cover or structure within the grass (a breakline, wood, rock, or on a point), I go with braided line, and I go with brush hogs or a jig.

KISS

I keep it simple, any ireegularities is a area of weeds, any other cover or structure within the grass (a breakline, wood, rock, or on a point), I go with braided line, and I go with brush hogs or a jig.

Braid All the Way! 

Roger, It's not a local moniker but the name out of text books that were wrote up north but then agian it was from the LSU Ag center not the University of Florida. I've always thought it strange to call it ponds when it's just clearings in a marsh?

But even though it's interesting we be way off subject here

If I can rip a ratLtrap through the weeds then will always be a go to method.   It really triggers some vicious strikes.  When it's too thick for that, I screw a bullet weight down to a senko and work it through.

When it's too thick for that, I screw a bullet weight down to a senko and work it through.

Great approach...that ought to be called the "Florida Rig"!

Oh wait a minute, I believe it is.

Roger