I've been fishing this little 30-40 acre lake my buddy has butting up to his property. The hydrilla is so thick you can really only fish plastics and topwater on it (spinnerbait if you burn it). I guess the fish have gone to the really thick stuff in the middle. What's the best way to catch these illusive suckers? I've tried punching with a 1oz weight but it gets hung up. Any suggestions?

Hung up? Is 1oz making it threw the canopy?

This will help you get that huge fish you have been looking for. Nothing will beat it. It works everywhere, shallow mat but best on the deepest grass you can find. You got to keep going until you find that sweet spot, pitch out the marker and circle it looking for others because they will be grouped up under the hollow.
If the wind is blowing you can get in there on the upwind side; put the trolling motor up and big motor up and walk the boat across the mat by rocking the boat from side to side.
In the heat of the day they are burred up in the grass.

Rig a heavy drop shot rig:
5.0 heavy super line hook. Tied on 50# braid. Use a Palomar knot. Leave the tag end at 5 inches long. Tie a 1 oz. weight to the tag end. I just tie a knot in the end of the tag, then use a overhand slip knot to attach the weight. It doesn't take much to keep it on. When I am fishing grass and hardwoods and it gets hung on the wood I can pull it off and come out with the hook and fish. You understand that the hook is about 4 to 5 inches above the weight, so the tails of the bait will hang down and cover the weight.
Use a Gene Lawrue Hoo Daddy Jr. in Watermelon Neon.
It will drop in the grass and come out of the grass with no hang-ups.
Fish vertical to 20% in front of the boat. Directly over the bait is best on the deepest grass. Drop it in slowly and soft so it is traveling slowly when it touches the bottom. The Bass hate anything sneaking in on them. Hold it there with a tight line for about 5 seconds without any movement. They don't want it bouncing up and down. This gives them time to swim through the hollow under the grass and nail the bait.
Vertical presentation and moving along the outer edge of the grass line, making pitches out in front of the boat so by the time it gets to the bottom you are directly over the bait for the hook set.
HAVE FUN!!

Don is 100% right.

He taught this technique to a friend of mine who showed me.

It kills in thick hydrilla. Look for the thickest you can find.

If one ounce is not going through try chucking it in the air a little when you flip it or move up in weight. I have used up to 2oz and it made no real difference.

On the matted grass; go up to 1.5 oz.. The weight seeks a spot to go through most of the time and drags the Hoo Daddy through behind it. If not just shake it a little and it will go right through the mat.

These weights can now be purchased at BPS and Cabala's but are still hard to find in the cluster of weights and hooks. Some are in fresh water and some in salt water sections. If no luck ask for trolling weights. Most will have a swivel attached. I cut it off. There is no line twist. I have my weights made by a friend in Del Rio.

Thanks for the tips guys and Andrew, it's getting through but when jigging it on the bottom I catch all kinds of vegetation. I've just been tx rigging a biffle CRAWler with the 1oz bullet weight. I'll try this way we have an Academy and gander mt in town hopefully they sell weights like this.

A 1oz egg sinker works just fine. Bobber stopper just above the sinker and tie on a split ring or swivel below.