Need guidence about this lake (how to fish in heavy hydrilla)

[BBD]

The lake is 30 years old and was stocked 25 years ago. I've caught two 2 lbers in it before (10-14ft cranks) but keep getting skunked. The water is crystal clear with lot's of Hydrilla weed everywhere, I mean the whole bank is filled with hydrilla at least 20 ft out around the whole lake, then it drops off into deeper water where it's relatively weed free. Then you run into scattered patches. Look at the pics and let me know. The lake is 30ft deep with high and low portions throughout.

I know big fish are there though. This is one of 4 lakes right of of US-95 that got there when they were building the highway overpasses. You can't get to these lakes as it's private but I know a guy. That said, it's not a common place anyone comes to fish cause it's so tucked away.

So tell me how to be successful here fellas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPLTgG2R5UE

[bamabassman]

fish the EDGE BUDDY. flukes, traps and worms and spinnerbaits(when it is a little windy), and also lizzards. jigs will sork too. lake guntersville is LOADED with hydrilla lie this. and those are the baits i use to fish it. brush hogs, creature baits. cast INTO the junk. pullit out and let it fall. on spinners, retrieve it along the edge at different depths till oyu find em. rattle traps, and jerk baits. the same way. also with traps i use the yo-yo retrieve. lizzards, worms and jigs, i cast into the junk and pullout and let it fall. let it fall IN the junk too now. don't just drag it out to the drop off. you'll be surprised at how many are IN the stuff. it is home to a bass. they can and DO hide in that stuff.

[BigBassin144]

I'd throw t-rigged senkos into the pockets on 15lb+ line.

The other thing I'd try is to flip a craw bait (or any creature bait) t-rigged with a pegged weight.

BB

[WTL]

If I were fishing that tomorrow;
Going into the day I would have on one rod a nice big spinnerbait with a single colorado blade, gold or white painted.

On another I would have a fluke, weedless rigged.

On a 3rd, I would have a large junebug or redshad twist tail worm with a bullet head lead weight. I would pitch that mostly.

Then, upon arriving, as Bama says I would hit around the edges. That doesn;t mean dont go deeper if you can, or further out, but as I said in the other post so much of fishing is eliminating unproductive water. You are playing percentages, how many fish can you get the lure in front of in a way that is likely to entice them?

[cassidyta]

I fish a lake almost identical to that as far as weeds go.

I also like to start with the edges, but usually so does everyone else, so it is not always productive.
For me, I will usually start out with a big spinnerbait. Something I can let fall into the weeds and rip through it.
I will usually switch to a soft bodied swimbait that I can swim through the hydrilla lanes. Let it slowly work the tops of the hydrilla and then fall into any places it can. I find that the key is to quickly jerk it through the bait like something fleeing from a predator. I do this with a lot of pauses between motions.
My third choice is a big tube. I like to bury a weight deep inside the bait and let it fall deep into every hole I can find.

[BBD]

Got it guys!

Gonna give all the suggestions a try the next time I hit it.

[keithdog]

Ok, here is what I do when facing this situation. I use a 7' heavy rod with a fast action. I have a Revo STX with 20 pound P-Line Fuoroclear. I rig up a beaver bait, t rigged with a 4/0 strong EWG hook and a pegged 3/8-1/2oz. tunstin weight pegged to nose of the bait. Then I'll start pitchin that bait into small packets in the weeds and let it sink to the bottom, jig it a few times and move on. This is a great big bass technique. I'm with the other guys as far as working the edges as well with spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and so on. And don't forget topwaters worked over the tops of those weeds in low light situations.

[BBD]

Are you guys not worried about getting snagged when throwing rattle traps in junk like that? or even shallow cranks?

Guess that's where a heavy powered rod with braid comes in, no?

[MississippiBoy]

Don't throw the treble-hooked lures right into that stuff. You'll be hung more often than not. If you can, throw a shallower crank or jerkbait that will reach down just to the tops of the grass and tick off of them. But no, I wouldn't throw a deeper crank in there, or let a lipless crank get down in it. Keep to the edges of that stuff...position to boat close to the weedbeds and throw parallel to them in the clearer water.
Find something DIFFERENT than the rest of it, and fish that. One stump at the edge of the grass, or a hole in the middle of the weedbed, or a creekbed that makes an indentation in the edge of it.

[WTL]

Yea, you could never throw a trebled lure into the mats or heavy stuff, but you can around the edges if you keep the bait moving and you rip it out when it starts to pick up a little grass.

The key is that hydrilla wont snag you like a tree will, you can almost always rip a lure out of hydrilla with a sharp pull as long as its not completely covered in grass. You must use stronger line for this, I go with 30 lb ish power pro or comparable braids.

After a while you will develop a feel for how to fish hydrilla, and then milfoil, and other similar types of grasses. You will get to where you can read it, see the holes and know the high percentage areas, and that is the type of thing that you gain with experience better than someone just telling you, cause its a fluid, feel type thing.

[Bassboss]

Oh man, you're really making me miss the hydrilla flats back in florida, I fished a bunch of them lakes off 95. Lots of them are some real good lakes, and most are real clear like that. One thing I always had luck on was a senko. I use weightless ones allot, I'd catch 10, 15 good fish a day with the lot of them being over 3lbs. One thing I noticed though is that a weightless senko got the lot of the smaller fisher. When I hadded a 1/8oz - 3/16 oz bullet weight on there, then it got down to the big girls! A shaky head also works well. Snap it out of the weeds. It's best to use a spinning reel with thing braid. First of all the braid cuts though the weeds real well and sends them up higher in the water drawing attention to it. And with the heavier braid you don't have to worry about breaking off half a much!

good luck out there.

[danielbasspro]

My specialty. Start with a Jason Quinn white swimjig with a matching trailer(I recommend a grub, or an ultravibe speedcraw in white) and keep a steady retrieve. Heavy rod with 14 pound fluoro.Keep it about 5 inches under, but experiment. Try a Yum Money Minnow through the hydrilla, as well as white spinnerbait w/ double willow blades. Also try a sammy. The killer this time of year would be a weightless worm, especially trick worms, and senkos. For cranks i recommend Strike King's series 3 or 4, sexy shad, or bluegill. I really like the ones without rattles in sexy shad this time of year. Make sure to throw the cranks parallel to the grass line. Try deadsticking a fluke, watermelon red or black.Use light line, and be patient. Get out the flippin stick and rig up with some 20 pound fluorocarbon, (Seaguar Abrazx) and use the lightest weight you can get away with to slip into pockets and pitch into holes. Use a black/blue Biffle Craw, or your craw of choice. Experiment with some big worms as well. Good luck
P.s. (try a strike king King Kong swimbait along that deeper edge. Color that looks natural ,heavy, long rod, and 17lb. flouro)

[BBD]

Thanks for the feedback fellas! Already wrote these things down and will implement tomorrow!

Daniel, I left you a PM. I'll be in your area tomorrow. Give me a call.



I cannot overcome the Bait Monkey with so many suggestions here.........

[Apt79]

I would take a spinner bait and burn it over those weeds. Strike king sexy shad burner!

[LilJakeC]

I fish a lake that is just like the lake you are asking about. I slay bass on a flickshake rig along the drops. The best way to fish this rig was parallel to the drop. I would let it sink slowly to the top of the hydrilla and lift up and shake my rod tip. I also had luck on flukes, chatterbaits, and T-rigged worms in these same spots. When I was in shallower water and the hydrilla was inches from the top, I would use a Gambler Cane Toad

[3dkicker]

Punch it!!! 1 ounce flippin' weight and a craw like BB Cricket (or any plastic you like that doesn't tangle in grass). You need the right gear and there are tricks to get your bait down through the grass to the fish and then getting out to make another pitch. But once you get it and start catching them you'll love this type of fishing.

Or do what the guys have said above. All kinds of ways to find fish in and around the grass.

[everettvet]

I would fish a frog over the top of that!

[BBD]

Taking notes........