Fishing bullrushes

[Doctor J]

Bullrushes, pencil reeds...whatever you want to call them... Do you guys have a decent method to throw worms or plastics without getting hung up? I am a newby smallmouth fisherman, and kept getting hooked on them. Should i be burying the hook, is there a weedless hook that works well? Just curious your thoughts on what to use in thick bullrushes with worms. Thanks!

[Cecil]

Always bury the hook and the less bulky the bait, the better it will come through the cover. Also make sure you peg your weight in one way or another.

[RK]

Hey Doc -

For smallies, you usually don't have to go too deep into the rushes. They use edges more than largemouths do.

When you do have to go into them, simply Texas rigging a grub or small worm works fine. I really like the Northland Jungle Jig Loc for fishing swimming grubs.

[EBass]

Cast with the wind! Notice how all the reeds lean with the wind? Cast in it with the wind, like directly with the wind and you can get whatever in there and retrieve it back somewhat snaggless. Or just skip something like a tube from any direction. Topwater is a blast but need to retrieve it slow as the frog will hang up and slowly pull it off the reeds and it plops back down. Or when it hangs up and is dangling will sometimes trigger a bass. It's hard to fish, but if they are in there it can be rewarding. Gotta have stout tackle - reeds are tough. Good luck!

[KickNBass]

Cast with the wind! Notice how all the reeds lean with the wind? Cast in it with the wind, like directly with the wind and you can get whatever in there and retrieve it back somewhat snaggless. Or just skip something like a tube from any direction. Topwater is a blast but need to retrieve it slow as the frog will hang up and slowly pull it off the reeds and it plops back down. Or when it hangs up and is dangling will sometimes trigger a bass. It's hard to fish, but if they are in there it can be rewarding. Gotta have stout tackle - reeds are tough. Good luck!

X2 and IMO braid seems to allow me to get my lure through weeds better than mono, it's like the springyness of mono makes the bait stick and slingshot into the next weed...

[Doctor J]

Thanks guys. I've always been a crappie/walleye guy, but am really starting to enjoy bass - especially smallies! Fished all my life but am pretty new to bass techniques and baits.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Welcome to the addiction Dr.

[thatoneguy]

If you do hang up on a reed, point your rod tip straight at the reed and pull straight back with the rod. Most of the time the lure will slide right up the stalk and come free!

[mww24]

Put some heavy braid on there. I fish 50 pound test on my slop rod. If it does get snagged bad. That braid will cut through the reeds a lot. I usually use a wacky rig head with a screw lock and a fairly small worm. I use as light as weight as possible. The screw lock keeps your plastic in place real well and the small one piece design of the rig minimizes snags. If theres a lot of other weeds and junk under the surface or its really thick i peg a 1 OZ weight and use a small worm hook with a small plastic again.

[JoshM]

mww 24 do you tie that 50 pound direct to the hook or do you in some mono for a leader on the end?

[RK]

Very good advice from Ebass - cast either with the wind or into the wind, and make short casts. In rushes most of my casts are underhand roll casts, even with spinnerbaits.

[mww24]

josh. I tie directly to the hook. I figure theres so much vegetation down there another little piece of green string won't stand out to much. A lot of times the bites are on the fall and they absolutely smack it.

[smalliehunter]

Deitz you said it buddy! i am hopelessly addicted.

[scott b]

I never fish reeds in the wind. Calmer mornings are far better than windy when fishing reeds. Wind+Reeds don't mix as far as fish location goes.

[Cecil]

I would disagree with that actually. The wind will position the fish on the edge of the reeds if the wind is blowing into them. I would rather fish windy reeds than calm most of the time.

[bemidjibasser]

Agreed Cecil. Wind, regardless of cover, tends to position fish in more predictable areas from my experience.

[RK]

Same here on preferring wind. Will tend to get fish out away from the thickest clumps, plus does bend all the rushes one way so they're a lot easier to fish through. When it's dead calm and the rushes are leaning every which way your range is really cut down, which can hurt you in clear water.

[thatoneguy]

I never fish reeds in the wind. Calmer mornings are far better than windy when fishing reeds. Wind+Reeds don't mix as far as fish location goes.

Just stupidly windy today on Leech, and the bulrushes were the only place we caught bass. Well, ONE from a rice bed, but the rest were all from rushes.

[Hester]

I tend to like the rushes when the wind is blowing into them on a overcast day, it seems to me like the fish are out right on the edge, pitch a jig in there a foot or so and hold on. We have done very well in our league going to the windy rushes that everyone else just does not want to mess with.

Hester

[Pherris]

If you do hang up on a reed, point your rod tip straight at the reed and pull straight back with the rod. Most of the time the lure will slide right up the stalk and come free!

If your drag pulls with this method hold the spool. I fish reeds all the time and go as deep as I can sometimes I have to listen to tell if my bait hits the water. Get one on the key is to get it up as fast as possible oterwise they bury good but if you have a good hook in them let your line go slack and many times they will swim out of the roots they are caught in and give you a second chance. I use 40lb powerpro and a heavy action rod. Good Fishing!!

[gritsnham]

I will also agree that wind will help position fish on the edge of the reeds and then make it easier to cast to the edge and get reactions bites. I also have found that sun and wind is the best reed combo for me. I fish them fast at first as it seems the fish are either up in the reeds feeding and you can hammer them or they are elsewhere in the lake.

I like tossing jig worms and senkos the best. Senkos on a weighted hook can help fishing in the wind and gives the bait a different fall than weightless (sure will go through baits though!).

Depending on how thick the weeds are a good ole jawbreaker can be magical as well and they sure are fun to fish. Get some heavy line and try a few baits and you will get em

[Fever]

I too like hitting reeds depending on the lake. This past weekend on a west metro lake I fished an area that had a lot of lilly pads mixed in with reeds. Good combination for soft bodied top waters and the double buzz. Fish were active in the shallows due to a lot of holiday recreation on the main lake. Sunday I had a 34 fish day with my largest being a 18.75. Fish ranged from 13 - 15 on average. Monday morning started in same area and had 17 more with largest being a fat 17.5 incher again all others were between 14-15 inches. Definately have noticed that low light conditions (dawn/dusk), Cloud cover, and a little (managable wind) help increase activity. However this past sunday monday were blue bird skies, and not much wind. Fish were deeper in the reeds and in the slop so you had to cast further in to get a reaction strike. When fishing reeds I use 65lb power pro. I've found that reeds are real tough and can really knick up your line and knot even on 50lb power pro. A surdy 7 ft med heavy bait cast with 65lb seems to hold up much better and also helps to haul fish from deep thick cover. Catching the fish that bite is what its all about anyway. I've seen buddies of mine lose fish all too often with 30 lb power pro and a spinning rod better suited for walleye jigging. There is something to be said about using the right tool for the job. You wouldn't use a screw driver to pound in a nail.... and you wouldn't go to a gun fight with a knife.

[BassNut33]

Welcome to the addiction Dr.

Addiction ain’t that the truth!