Hydrilla choking out whole coves. What do I do?

A small lake I've been fishing is covered in Hydrilla. There are thick surface mats extending out about 20 yards from the shoreline then at least 40 yards of submerged hydrilla. the submerged grass is between one and two feet deep. I can't get close enough to the mats to fish them because it bogs down my trolling motor. How hould I fish this? on the few mats I can reach I catch a lot on topwater frogs. I have no idea how to fish in the places where it's 17 feet deep with submerged grass almost to the surface. Most times the closest I can get to the shore is 50 yards at best. Really need some help.

Take a rattle-trap and clip the top of the grass. You will need a strong rod to rip it through the submerged grass.

If mats are close punch them.

Pick your trolling motor up until the blade is nearly out of the water, and press the pedal so that it skims across the water just under the surface. Trim your engine up and you'll make it to the mats.

I Florida they attach a sharp blade in front of the trolling motor prop which cuts the grass off. It was a cool idea and worked well in very thick grass! Here is something similar.

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Ninja_Grass_Blade/descpage-NINJAGB.html

Break out the frog!

Sounds like Clark in Ennis.

I fish a lake very much like this one (from a kayak--don't have to worry about trolling motor)

The best time to fish it is mid January to end of March when the grass is emerging--flukes do really well on this lake at that time.

Once the grass has emerged, I throw a lot of frogs and other weedless topwaters over the shallow grass.
At the deep grass line at the end of the grass in 17ft of water: heavy drop shot on braid, swim jigs, flukes, and split shot rig. If you have the patience, a neko rig in the deepest water where there is sparse grass can be good.

To punch it shallower, use a pegged 1.5oz tungsten weight with 65lb braid and a 4/0 heavy flipping hook. You might have to lob it up in the air a bit and have it land straight down to punch through the thickest stuff. You have to very selective when presented with huge matted grass fields--holes, points, drop offs, humps, trees, gaps in the grass.
With that amount of grass, it can be difficult to find the sweet spots.

Flip 1oz. jigs in the holes in that deep water till u get to the mats. Sounds like what Rayburn and Toledo use to be like. What lake is this? I would like to visit.

In the deeper grass you may try using a Punch weight (weight with skirt) and a rage tail craw. The thinker the grass the heavier the weight. I would start with a 3/4 oz. punch weight in Okeechobee craw skirt (green pumpkin/ blue) with a matching rage tail craw. The weight should break thru the grass and drop quickly to the bottom. This is a reaction type fishing. Once on Bottom Yo-yo once or twice, reel in and repeat. You don't cast this rig. 65lb. Braid works best. Try flipping to holes in the grass first, then progressively move to the thicker mats. Remember the stems on hydrilla do not have leaves; only the ends; so under the mat it looks like a mature pine forest. Also the water temperature under the mats will often be 5-10 deg. cooler than surrounding waters. Play with the colors of the punch rig to find what works best. The trailer should have a lot of action going down.

Please! Load up as much as you can in the boat and haul it out to Ray Roberts as fast as you can and drop it off just west of Wolf Island.

I guess he's gonna leave the location of the lake a secret, don't blame him.

This!!! It has to be a lot, those carp are getting hungry out there! You can also plant it up around the railroad tracks in Buck where it used to mat up as well!

Can you bank fish it?

I don't either but I sure would love to fish some good grass again.

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. 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 with hardwoods and it gets hung on the wood I can pull the weight off and come out with the hook and fish. 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. This is not Watermelon/Red although they look almost the same; but it makes a great difference.

It will drop in the grass and come out of the grass with no hang-ups.
Fish vertical to slightly 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!!

Thinking the same thing Clark lake.

dang I was just about to say take me with you for better tips😊. If not though when you get done dropping it off on the power line flats by wolf island. Leave some at Joe pool too. Although have been finding little more grass on jp recently. Count your blessings you have grass to fish. read above techniques and fine-tune some to your own desire but find the grass find the bass. Death to all Grass carp!!! If we want to get rid of invasive species let's get rid of Florida strain Bass in Texas. Not!!!!!! Grass carp are strangling the best bass lakes in Texas right now.

Grass on Pool?

Im fishing Kurth Lake in Lufkin. You have to buy a yearly permit but I have one if anyone would like to join me

rip it all out of there and bring it to Waco

Learned this at Sam Raburn- !oz Double willow spinnerbait .
Cast to the edge of grass,start reeling slowly lit it bogg down with grass,
Then put rod butt aganst your belt, hold rod in front of reel, snatch rod
straight up hard. take up slack repeat.
It works !

I've fished Clark lake but didn't find any water that was 17' deep. Water was so clear you could see the bottom 'bout everywhere you went. May have been some deeper water by the levee, didn't check there.

Deepest spots are 25ft deep between the old and new dam. And no grass deeper than 14-15ft. Upper lake is choked full of hydrilla.

Push Pole