Jigs and grass?

[joedog]

Ok, I'm shore casting finese jigs 1/4 oz. Dragging and swiming back towards shore. Casts avg. 20-30 ft. out before retrieve. Now on almost every retrieve I encounter grass patches. I snap jig thru grass and a few after if needed. Now on 80% of the grass encounters I still end up with 1- 3 strands of grass wrapped at the jig eye ( these strands are 1-3 ft. in length).Jig trailer and skirt actions are not effected or very minimal at worst by grass strands and never any on hook itself. Dose the grass take away from the "bass appeal" at all or should I be concerned at all? After all one of the best jig bites is snapping them thru grass and weed and strikes come right at jig expulshion from the grass or weed, right? There has to be grass on the jig at time of strike, right?

[pittsburghbass]

Ya know, I have often wondered if a fish will hit a lure with grass/weeds on it like you described. I've caught fish in cover before and like you I would just have to assume that there have been times when some form of debris is hanging on my presentation at the time of the strike. I usually just try to tell myself not to over think it but I'd be interested to hear what everyone else thinks!

[kennethdaysale]

Over the course of 40+ years, thousands of trips and tens of thousands of fish I have only caught 1(one) Bass that I know bit my lure with grass on it, I know this because I saw him eat it at boatside. I am going to take a firm position that the odds of catching a fish with grass/weeds/muck on your lure (regardless of type) are EXTREMELY LOW!!!!!!!!

[eligolfer]

Originally Posted by joedog

Ok, I'm shore casting finese jigs 1/4 oz. Dragging and swiming back towards shore. Casts avg. 20-30 ft. out before retrieve. Now on almost every retrieve I encounter grass patches. I snap jig thru grass and a few after if needed. Now on 80% of the grass encounters I still end up with 1- 3 strands of grass wrapped at the jig eye ( these strands are 1-3 ft. in length).Jig trailer and skirt actions are not effected or very minimal at worst by grass strands and never any on hook itself. Dose the grass take away from the "bass appeal" at all or should I be concerned at all? After all one of the best jig bites is snapping them thru grass and weed and strikes come right at jig expulshion from the grass or weed, right? There has to be grass on the jig at time of strike, right?

I'm not sure they eat it with grass on it while it is sitting still. They might react as it swims/moves by them if there is grass on it. Sometimes I wonder, would I eat a hamburger if it had some grass clippings on it? Probably not... But remember, the grass looks different on the bait when it is in the water vs. being in your hand out of the water. To the fish, in the water, it might look like the bait is just laid up in the grass, and for a jig, the trailer and hook is actually at opposite end of the bait then the eye with the grass on it. You are correct when you say the best bite is when you snapping it through the grass. There may or may not be grass on it, but either way they still eat it. There is also a difference between pond scum and real grass like coontail and milfoil. The scum won't really come off on a snap, but the grass will.

What type of jig are you throwing?

[Top Tiger]

Back when I was a small boy fishing with my dad, I asked him that same question. He said "Fish don't eat weeds." Always throw a clean plug at the fish.

[Crankbait]

think of it like this....how many crawfish or shad do you think the bass she with weeds hanging from them. I think at least it would make the cautious.

[BigBassin144]

I think a fish will be less likely to hit a jig if say you pulled it through some grass, and is not covered in grass in open water. However, I feel a fish wouldn't hesitate if the jig, although there may be some grass on it, is still in the grass itself. In that case, I don't think the fish would differentiate between grass stuck to the jig, and the rest of the grass in the mat.

BB

[eligolfer]

Anyone watched the FLW Open on the Potomac? I noticed that while Bobby Lane was punching mats, he never pulled the grass off his bait. I guess he was just looking for that reaction bite and in that case the grass on the bait might not matter...

[kennethdaysale]

Originally Posted by eligolfer

Anyone watched the FLW Open on the Potomac? I noticed that while Bobby Lane was punching mats, he never pulled the grass off his bait. I guess he was just looking for that reaction bite and in that case the grass on the bait might not matter...

If you look closer you will probably note that the moment that jig hits the water its so heavy that it leaves the grass that was hanging on at the surface while it "punches" through grass free. Actually you can't see that's what happening but I can tell you that it is. I promise you that Bobby or anyone else fishing at that level would not try to feed salad to a carnivore.

[eligolfer]

Originally Posted by kennethdaysale

If you look closer you will probably note that the moment that jig hits the water its so heavy that it leaves the grass that was hanging on at the surface while it "punches" through grass free. Actually you can't see that's what happening but I can tell you that it is. I promise you that Bobby or anyone else fishing at that level would not try to feed salad to a carnivore.

good point. i have thought about that happening as i pull a jig through heavy, clean, non-slime covered grass.

[joedog]

I thought of something today frog fishing. If bass are hesitant to eat bait with grass or slop on, how do you explain a bass coming thru milfold or slop to get a frog. It has to expect a mouth full of weed, grass or whatever your fishing over, right? Frogging can be very productive and when its on you can get dozens of blind stikes thru floating grass or whatever your fishing. So maybe bass aren't as hesitant towards grass as we may think?

[kennethdaysale]

Originally Posted by joedog

I thought of something today frog fishing. If bass are hesitant to eat bait with grass or slop on, how do you explain a bass coming thru milfold or slop to get a frog. It has to expect a mouth full of weed, grass or whatever your fishing over, right? Frogging can be very productive and when its on you can get dozens of blind stikes thru floating grass or whatever your fishing. So maybe bass aren't as hesitant towards grass as we may think?

I hear what you're saying but I think there is a big difference between eating a frog in the grass and eating a frog wearing a grass sweater. Take a look at a bass eating something in an aquarium...if he happens to ingest some incidental grass as he slurps something in..a nano second later you'll see him blow that grass out but the food stays in. I have spent countless hours observing aquatic animals and aside from a big old loggerhead fresh from the bottom I've never seen any of them swimming about with grass hanging off of them.

[IowaBasser]

I agree with the general opinion... weeds on lures look un-natural to fish. I always throw clean lures and real in when I suspect I have a weed dangling from my lure. When trolling for Walleye, if the fish are biting and I have a line that is not getting hits... I often real it in to find a strand of grass dangling from one of the treble hooks. Yes, I realize that a crank bait is different from a jig fished in cover - still, I don't want weeds on my lures.

[joedog]

Ok my last question on this topic. If bass act negative to grass and weed, why are the most popular colors of plastic baits whether worms to craws and flukes in shades of green? (watermeleon. Mardi gras, pumpkin,watermelon candy and 100s of variations of each)

[kennethdaysale]

Originally Posted by joedog

Ok my last question on this topic. If bass act negative to grass and weed, why are the most popular colors of plastic baits whether worms to craws and flukes in shades of green? (watermeleon. Mardi gras, pumpkin,watermelon candy and 100s of variations of each)

Majority of baitfish have green shading

[joedog]

I know, but so dose grass.

[mrmuskie5]

Just throw a punch rig... no mo grass problem.

[3dkicker]

If you are punching grass and your bait hangs up in the grass let it sit and jiggle it a little. Fish will definately eat it. Also fish will hit the bait just as it pops free. Been there many times. Once the grass is stuck on the bait I pull it off and pitch it back in again. Not a problem.....you couldn't fish the Potomac river most of the summer if you didn't like fishing in the grass.
I would go a little heavier than 1/4 oz unless you're swimming the jig over and around the grass. I like 3/8oz tungsten weights in the sparse grass or on edges. There are a few "weedless" jigs out there but they'll never be 100% weedless. Not in the heavy slop I fish. You have to go to 1-1.5 oz if you want to punch mats.