how would you handle this spot?

[WaffleJaw]

.....you find a heavy veggie area ,full of thick monster lilly pads.....the water is about 3 to 5' ..pretty clear water....the temp is hot! 95+ degrees and climbing....ton of minnows and other baitfish.
how would YOU fish it?

[jooleyen]

To start if possible...
A spinnerbait
Frog
flippin jig
some weightless plastic

[nofearengineer]

95 degree water? I've never caught pre-cooked fish before.

[WaffleJaw]

Originally Posted by nofearengineer

95 degree water? I've never caught pre-cooked fish before.

i meant the air.
but the water wasnt far behind

[MississippiBoy]

#1, a frog. Either the buzz frog type or a scum frog, depending on how thick the pads are.
#2 Flipping plastics, like a Sweet Beaver or brush hog.
#3. See #1

[WaffleJaw]

Originally Posted by MississippiBoy

#1, a frog. Either the buzz frog type or a scum frog, depending on how thick the pads are.
#2 Flipping plastics, like a Sweet Beaver or brush hog.
#3. See #1

the pads were BIG...and overlapping...some were 20'' to 24'' across...
i started off with a spinner on the outside for about twenty minutes...
then went in with a frog.....absolutely no action on that......i switched to a 6'' grn lizard...wiggled him across the lillys and let him sink...i hook a small 8'' dink.....continued with the lizard....nothing!.....switched to a small chatter on the outside....worthless!.......went back to the frog.......nothing.......swithed to a tube........nothing.
I kept wanting to blame the heat....but there were bass popping up every 20 minutes or so...one or two had to be 2lbers easy....i just couldnt get them interested in my arsenal.

Im going back Wed evening for round 2.......I know this area has some good fish! and i know it will pay out good.....I still think the frog is the winner....but man it was tough sunday....i tried so many different retrieves with it...I felt like I fished it really well,but i also felt like i missed something......i need to get some brush hogs.....havent had the pleasure to fish any yet.

[nofearengineer]

Is there deeper water nearby? Or is this more of a pond? From your description of 2lb bass visible there, it sounds like a pond? If they're trapped in the hot water, they're gonna be pretty hungry. If they're not responding to what you've thrown (sound like a pretty thorough arsenal you've used), they may have been pressured recently. Throw them something they likely haven't seen before. Tiny poppers, flies, weedless spoons, etc. Anything you can think of.

[fishin spro]

spro frog or horny toad.
popper first thing in the morning.
weightless senko.
floating worm.

the frog bite is getting harder to get for me every day. they were on it pretty good when it first started hitting the 90's and had just moved into the pads.

[Bender]

I would also start with a frog working it fast and slowing all the way down to waiting 20 seconds with it in any holes. If that doesn't work you can always try dunkin', but that is not my favorite way to fish. Get a 1 oz. tungsten weight and a beaver and drop it in everywhere, no corner unturned. If they don't hit it on the fall pull it out and hit the next hole.

[WaffleJaw]

Originally Posted by nofearengineer

Is there deeper water nearby? Or is this more of a pond? From your description of 2lb bass visible there, it sounds like a pond? If they're trapped in the hot water, they're gonna be pretty hungry. If they're not responding to what you've thrown (sound like a pretty thorough arsenal you've used), they may have been pressured recently. Throw them something they likely haven't seen before. Tiny poppers, flies, weedless spoons, etc. Anything you can think of.

no its a fairly large area on lake ray hubbard...(very close to my houseand the only area ive ever seen lilly pads!!!...plus sunken timber and tons of shade on on either side
there is a nice creek that splits up the lilly pads,and a 6 to 8' deep channel flowing into it....the creek is probably about 25 ft across..the whole area is absolutely beautiful!!!....we hit the creek jigging worms in the fallen timbers...came out and threw crankbaits into the current to finish the day up.....no luck there either

It could be pressure....i really dont know, I do know that the dink i caught had some battle scars on his upper lip.

I think your right,i think i need to be a bit more creative what i throw next time....i know ill start with the frog and a brushhog (when i buy them today....damn you bait monkey!!!!!!!) .....but then ill switch it up.....popper and other tops might be the key....will see.

[bassinbob]

Horny toad, watermelon red. Strike King, King Rat. You mentioned tons of minnows and baitfish in your post. Just for the heck of it try some live bait. Also mentioned was overlapping pads. Are there areas where the pads don't rest so close together? These areas might be conducive to getting strikes. I have dunked before (Bender) and caught bass. Albeit the water was stained. You need a lot of stealth for that clear water. Absolutly no boat noise might also help. One other thing I like throwing in pads is a buzzbait. What time of the day are you there? Has someone come through the area before you arrive? I'll beat the pads to death and when I move dam@ if a bass boils up on a pad close by the boat.

[WaffleJaw]

Originally Posted by bassinbob

Horny toad, watermelon red. Strike King, King Rat. You mentioned tons of minnows and baitfish in your post. Just for the heck of it try some live bait. Also mentioned was overlapping pads. Are there areas where the pads don't rest so close together? These areas might be conducive to getting strikes. I have dunked before (Bender) and caught bass. Albeit the water was stained. You need a lot of stealth for that clear water. Absolutly no boat noise might also help. One other thing I like throwing in pads is a buzzbait. What time of the day are you there? Has someone come through the area before you arrive? I'll beat the pads to death and when I move dam@ if a bass boils up on a pad close by the boat.

we got there about 8am....there was a boat parked there,however,they werent fishing!!??!!....they moved and we moved in......i did pitch my lizard and frog into open spots...and yea,the water was stained all around the pads now that i think about it....it was kinda in patches though....there were some pretty clear areas across the current.

I thought about buzzing on the outside of the pads.......maybe try that first when i get there if the water calm......so many options its sickening,hahaha.

[Jim80]

I would work a fluke along the edge of the pads , and though any openings that you see going into or through the area . Also consider a spinnerbait along the edges of the pads .


Jim

[WaffleJaw]

Originally Posted by Jim80

I would work a fluke along the edge of the pads , and though any openings that you see going into or through the area . Also consider a spinnerbait along the edges of the pads .


Jim

did the spinnerbait on the edges.......i allllmost used a berkley 5'' shad...but threw the tube instead...i dont use tubes too often and im trying to work them in more.

[Jim80]

you could also try a 7 ta 10inch power worm dragged along the tops of the pads .


Jim

[zooker]

in the heat the first and last place to start is currant..every thing else is crap.. early you can get the bites under weeds or in the weed line. but the quality bites are going to be found in currant...weather the water be 5 feet or 30 feet deep they will hold in the currant to bass currant is like a/c...


zooker

[keithdog]

Early moring I would start with a surface bait working the edges first thing. A baby Torpedo probably. I'd also work a spinnerbait around the edges and inside any channels or large pockets that might be in the pads. Next I'd try a frog such as the Spro or Harrison Hodge frog worked slowly through the pads with pauses. I might also try a weedless spoon. Then I would work in close flippin a t-rigged beaver bait with a 3/8 - 1/2oz tungstin weight.

[Bubba_Bruiser]

A weightless lizard, horny toad, Spro frog. Here lately with the heavy heat, I have been having better luck on the reaction bite rather than working it on the norm. They tend to hit by just throwing it and burning it back to the boat.

[bingham]

i would say

fluke
a weightless lizard slow rolled on top
a zoom SPEED WORM-NOT ultravibe... either weightless or with a 4/0 weighted jerkbait hook and burn it. the tail will paddle and put off vibes like a colorado blade...

[jasonfish320]

I would fish the outer edge in the deeper water and try a pumpkinseed or coffee colored 5-6" senko rigged up weightless and wacky...

[Bassboss]

Where it's thiner, I would try a spinnerbait, but that's gonna be much better in spring, but they still work when it's hot! I would also give a texas rig lizard a good try, you can do one of two thing with it, pitch and flip around the thick stuff and into small pockets, or gaps in the pads. When it darker out, or where it super thick, try a frog.

I would also opt for the slower moving stuff.. like a t rig. What would YOU do in water that hot, and that kind of cover? Not thinking of this as the angler, but as the bass. If you where a bass in this kind of stuff, you would probably find the densest, and shadiest coolest parts of lake, and go for the slowest moving stuff you can find. Would YOU wanna run after your lunch if it was 95+? Probably nor, you would rather walk over to something that's mopping along. So think like the bass and I think you'll do just fine!

ware 'em out bro!

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by WaffleJaw

the pads were BIG...and overlapping...some were 20'' to 24'' across...
i started off with a spinner on the outside for about twenty minutes...
then went in with a frog.....absolutely no action on that......i switched to a 6'' grn lizard...wiggled him across the lillys and let him sink...i hook a small 8'' dink.....continued with the lizard....nothing!.....switched to a small chatter on the outside....worthless!.......went back to the frog.......nothing.......swithed to a tube........nothing.
I kept wanting to blame the heat....but there were bass popping up every 20 minutes or so...one or two had to be 2lbers easy....i just couldnt get them interested in my arsenal.

Im going back Wed evening for round 2.......I know this area has some good fish! and i know it will pay out good.....I still think the frog is the winner....but man it was tough sunday....i tried so many different retrieves with it...I felt like I fished it really well,but i also felt like i missed something......i need to get some brush hogs.....havent had the pleasure to fish any yet.

Ya, you need some.. my go-to's for bottom bouncing!

Well knowing what the first part of my post said, I think we have very similar fishing strategies for fishing this kind of water. I would pull up the troll motor, get the push pull out (big stick works good too! ) and go into them pads, find pockets and small holes you can pitch something into. Go slow and steady, take your time. You can catch some of the best bass (and smallest) in your life doing this. Florida has a big pads like what you're talking about..

Good luck!

Edit:

My brain hatched an idea..... You said there's lots of minnows and bait fish right? I would get a weedless spoon... probably some of the most weedless baits out there... they match a minnow or baitfish very well! Give it a try!

Good luck... again!

[JB]

try a manns minus one