Heavy weeds and cover

[zepman]

When the bass are tucked deep in the stuff what's some of your favorite ways to get in there and dig them out. I've heard it's best to go at them with heavy jigs and so on. Usually, I just throw some sort of topwater or weedless @#$% at them. I'd like to know what some of you are having success with and some different techniques you use. Thanks again.

[Central Bassman]

I like to flip or pitch plastics into the Heavy cover. Any holes in the matt or on the outer edge of the cover are great places to find fish. If the sun is high in the ski the fish will be deep in the matt.

I use a 7'6" med/hev or hev action rod.

I t-rig mostly creature baits like brush hogs, crawtube or the Sweet Beaver from reaction innovation. I use a 1/2 oz. mostly but if i need to i will use more, and i have never pegged my weight. If you have never flipped into this heavy cover and have only used top water, MAN, you are missing out. Give that a try u will love it

[SluggoMaster]

Depending on the type of vegetation I do different things. Milfoil tends to be more sparse, and you would be surprised how effective a swimming jig works in milfoil.

Coontail, I usually flip the deep edges since it is very thick, and I rarely find fish "in" the coontail. I do the same for pondweed.

Hydrilla (which we don't have here) you have to go "into" it with very heavy jigs (2 oz) under the mats.

[Deitz Dittrich]

For me, I go with the same rig about 90% of the time.. I call it a Deitz rig, but I'm sure it has another name... I go with a 1/2 oz Tungston sinker, a glass rattle and a flipping tube.. what I do differently is I put a bobber stop on first and a very small glas bead that I get at hobby shop. This stops the sinker from sliding up the line. I make it so there is about 1/2" of play. I then drop this rig in the thick stuff and shake it.. the sinker bumps into the two beads and makes noise. I usually go with 17lb Gamma Florocarbon and a 7'6" MH flippin rod.

[Wayne Ek]

If it's just heavy cover (cattails, maiden cane, deep coontail) I usually just use a jig/pig. If it's matted vegetation or extremely thick cover that you need to punch thru I go with a 3/4 oz tungsten weight,a plastic bead( glass can crack when fished with tungsten weights and cut you line) and a neopr/rubber bobber stop against the hook knot, as even plastic beads will wear real heavy on a knot when 3/4 oz. weights keep pounding on them. The tungsten weight is more compact and will allow you to get the plastic thru the mat or small opening much easier.

[st.crioxfishin]

Usually you'll find me pitching a jig or a big flippin tube. If the water is stained I like a creature bait of some type that gives off more vibration.

If this lake gets a lot of pressure and I'm not getting much on a jig or tube, I like to use a t-rigged worm.

My favoite colors for these presentations are black-blue tubes and jigs, and red shad worms. If the water is stained, I love a brown and orange jig. Greens and pumpkin colors work well too. You gotta experiment to see what they want, "listen to the fish"

[friendlyfisher]

I thought I had bass fever bad, but I have not heard them talk to me yet.

[zepman]

Thanks those are some great tips. Off to Gander.

[EBass]

I was just talking to my buddy about flippin into heavy milfoil. I have always been Mr top water frog, but some days that just doesn't pan out. So this year I plan on focusing on that along with fishing deep water.

[RK]

Hiya -

Flipping/pitching into rushes or cane is some of my favorite bass fishing. I usually use a jig like a Northland Jungle Jig or an All Terrain Grass Jig - I like the bullet heads on them. I do pitch Texas Rigs quite a bit too. Much of the plastics I use is Power Bait, but in rushes the stuff's too soft - rushes are murder on plastics - so I tend to use cheap, harder tubes (the cheap 4" tubes in the bulk bins at places like Gander Mtn are perfect), a Riverside Big Claw Craw, or heavier (harder plastic) straight-tailed plastic worms, which are getting harder and harder to find (I finally used up the last of my old Producto 7" straight tails a few years back, but those things were great.) Straight tails hang up less than ribbon tails because the tail doesn't wrap around rush stalks. When I Texas rig, I usually peg the sinker or use a Gambler Florida Rig. This year I'll be using a Northland Slingshot weight, which is a bullet weight with a rubber stopper. I'm also going to be using a Berkley Beast quite a bit I think. I like the big profile and flat shape...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm