Sloppy and sloppier

[coldbasser]

I'm new to fish'n Large Mouth bass and the weeds. Was a time that just having weeds on a bait made me move on to no weed waters. Whats the skinny on how to fish slop? Need help thanks

[carolina-rig-01]

Originally Posted by coldbasser

I'm new to fish'n Large Mouth bass and the weeds. Was a time that just having weeds on a bait made me move on to no weed waters. Whats the skinny on how to fish slop? Need help thanks

Outside of some farm ponds and small lakes here we don't have much grass to deal with in my area. I know that braided line is good in grass and weeds because it will cut through it well. Also fishing lipless crankbaits around weedlines is a good technique as is flipping to holes in vegetation and punching through mats if you have them. Don't forget about frogs too. I am sure that some of the members who deal with vegetation on a regular basis will be along soon to help you out.

[coldbasser]

thanks we do have mats and shallow areas with significant? weed growth I'm willing to try all techn.

[keithdog]

Well, your going to need stout tackle for heavy vegitation. A good all around outfit would be a 7'Heavy/extra fast baitcast rod with a quality baitcast reel. Line could vary depending on your likes. I have a couple outfits for heavy weeds. One has 50 pound braid while the other has 20 pound Flouroclear which is a flourocarbon coated copoly line. Others might suggest straight flourocarbon and that would be fine too, except for frog fishing. Frog fishing is best done with a line that floats, and flourocarbon sinks. Working a frog across the slop is always a good choice. I also will often be pitchin a t- rigged beaver bait or a jig into open pockets within the vegitation. A weedless spoon worked slowly through the weeds has also been a killer technique for me. If you have open alleys through the weedbeds, then try a spinnerbait worked through there. Spinnerbaits are also very good anywhere around lilly pads and the edges of other weedbeds, as well as worked across the top of the weeds is they havn't reached the surface yet. Many times a Senko type stick worm works well as does many other platics. If you can rig it weedless, it will work in the dense weeds. Now I will tell you this, and don't tell anyone else! A 4 inch t-rigged tube bait worked slowly through weed tops and through lilly pads is an awsome bait. Last year I was pitchin tubes into all kinds of cover, but especially places where guys often throw frogs. And I can tell you I got more blowups on the tubes than the frogs. Thats our little secret. Hope this helps.

[WatterBoy]

Originally Posted by coldbasser

I'm new to fish'n Large Mouth bass and the weeds. Was a time that just having weeds on a bait made me move on to no weed waters. Whats the skinny on how to fish slop? Need help thanks

Hey cb, it depends what you mean by "slop". If you mean weedbeds and grass that are submerged, then I like throwing 5" or 7" wacky-rigged senkos into places like that (using a weedless hook). I also throw a drop shot in those places. If you're talking about topwater slop like in these pictures, then I love working a Spro poppin' frog across and through those.

[coldbasser]

Thanks for the replies we do have weeds as pictured above also pencil weeds and mllfoil
depending on the heat it dictates weed growth. We had snow about 5" this past weekend. I will put together a few rod and reel combos with heavy line test and stout rods. I've ordered some frogs and tubes to give them a try. The people in this forum have been great with tips to help rookies like myself along in our quest for Mr and Mrs. Bass
thanks again
C.B. Fred

[IowaBasser]

Originally Posted by coldbasser

Was a time that just having weeds on a bait made me move on to no weed waters.

I'm just the opposite... If there aren't any weeds; I'll move to where I can find some. If I'm fishing in 12' of water with a crank bait and not snagging an occasional weed I'll move a little shallower. I think I SHOULD be snagging an occasional weed no matter what technique I'm fishing.

If I see slop like the photos that Waterboy posted... I'll shut off the big motor and drop the trolling motor all day long! ESPECIALLY if the water drops off to deeper water along the outside of the weeds. I probably fish the slop a little differently than traditional large-mouth chasers. I have 2 favorite techniques:

First I like to throw 7" rubber worms without a weight. I simply Texas-rig the worm except I don't use a bullet sinker. I pitch the worm 5 to 10 feet beyond a small opening in the weeds. (A small opening could mean the size of a dinner plate or a 5 foot diameter circle depending on the weed bed.) The key is to land the worm softly so it floats on-top of the weed mat. I hold my rod-tip high and reel in any slack; ideally my line droops from my rod-tip all the way to the worm without resting on the weeds. Then I lightly shaky the worm - with a little practice you can get the worm to shake without moving it too far. With little twitches I drag the worm across the top of the weeds and let it flutter into any opening in the weed mat. Usually the bass will hit the worm just as it reaches an opening in the weeds. It's like the bass has been tracking the worm just waiting for it to get to the little patch of open water so the bass can ambush it. When the bass are aggressive, they will explode right up through the weeds to inhale the worm... that makes for a fun day of fishing! When the bite is slow I let the worm fall all the way to the bottom in my targeted opening and let it sit motionless. (I fish with spinning reels; It would be difficult for me to cast a weightless worm with a bait-caster.)

The second technique I like to use involves a floating stick-bait on the open-water-side of the weeds. I like to get my lure within 1 to 3 feet of the weeds; no closer and no further. This usually requires a precise cast or casting past an outside corner and reeling the stick-bait back to where I want it. Once in position I just let it sit - at least until the ripples from my cast have faded and some times a full minute longer (which is painfully long for me.) The I simply twitch the bait once and wait another 30 seconds or minute. I try not to move it from it's spot, just make it look like a dying minnow that has to rest awhile before trying to swim again. I've had my best luck fishing stick baits around weed beds that grow off the top of humps in the middle of lakes and not next to shore. For me this is summer pattern; I am looking for fish that have moved into the shade of the weed-bed as the sun gets high in the sky.

Good luck - Fishing slop can be super exciting summer fun!!

[WatterBoy]

IB, what kind of line do you use when you fish the slop like that? I use 30-lb braid (spinning reels also) and I don't think I'd have a chance of landing too many out of that mess with much less than that.

Also, when you are doing your stick-baiting, are you able to cast parallel to the weed line? I'd recommend trying that if you are able to do so.

[IowaBasser]

Watterboy,
Yup yup... casting parallel to the weeds with a stick bait works good to get my lure in the position I want it. You're gonna think I'm crazy, but I usually fish with 10 pound spider-wire. It's what I have spooled on most of my reels. I do have one reel spooled with 20 pound power-pro that I use occasionally if the weeds are real thick, but the lake I fish doesn't have real heavy slop like your photos.

Last year I started fishing soft plastic frogs. They are a ton of fun when the fish are hitting them. My favorite has been the Zoom Horny Toad. They work best for me in weed beds that start out at surface level and then grow to a couple feet of the surface as the water gets deeper. When I stop reeling the horny toad sinks. In my opinion it's too bulky and sinks too fast to cast it to open pocket in a mat of weeds. Don't get me wrong, you can do it and catch fish, but that's when I prefer a weightless rubber worm. The Horny Toad works great over weeds that grow to within a couple feet of the surface. I cast it up on the weed mat and drag it over the mat to the open water. I usually let it flutter for a 4-count when it drops off the weed mat. Then I pull it back to the surface and use a slow steady retrieve over the submerged weeds; just fast enough to keep it floating. (The Horny Toad has legs much like a twister tail. I I feel they give better action at a slow retrieve than some of the other plastic frogs.)

If there is a very defined outside weed-edge (usually on a steeper bottom) where the weeds suddenly stop growing in 8 feet of water, I do use a bullet sinker on my worm. This lets me get my worm down to where the weeds stop growing, a favorite place for bass to hang out and ambush prey.

This year I'd like to try a hollow-body frog that I can drag over the top of weed-mats and let float in the open pockets and edges of the weeds.

Edited note on line: I do plan on upgrading to heavier line; probably 20 lb power-pro braid on most of my reels with one reel spooled with 30 lb power-pro, one reel spooled with 10 pound spider-wire and one reel spooled with 8 pound mono. Then I plan to use a 8-12 lb Fluorocarbon leader with the 20 pound braid when the conditions call for it. My line is in pretty good shape condition right now - and the spools are are full. As my line deteriorates or as the spools get low (affecting casting on spinning reels) I will upgrade.

[xr650jkallen]

i had good luck last weekend with t-rigd zoom lizards in any color green they were hitin them as soon as they hit the water. I was fishing bushes and was using a 7' mod/heavy fast rod and a revo s if you t-rig whatever your gonna fish with just besure the hook is not sticking out of the belly so it will not snag