When I'm in 10-12 feet of crystal clear water with lots of hydrilla, the tops of which are only 2-3 feet below the surface, what do you recommend? I just don't have much experience in this type of scenario. I'm more used to fishing stained water which has rock and/or timber in it.

The other day I could see 3, 4, 5 pounders just cruising around on tops of the cauliflower looking grass formations, only a few feet deep, all day long. It was like fishing looking down in an aquarium. The fish could see me as easily as I could see them and they weren't falling for anything.

What's the right move here? Tie on something heavier and fish through and below that hydrilla to the fish hiding out underneath? I ended up fishing weightless senkos much farther away from me and flipping the reeds and did ok. I also backed off and threw a frog up into the sparse reeds sticking up and got several decent fish. But I wondered what the optimal play was.

Chunk a frog as far as you can

Clear water= lighter line or leader ‐with clear soft hollowbody swimbait or flukes or jerk baits without wind..or...z man jack hammer chatterbait...spinners with wind ....and fish on the edge of grass lines...

If you can see them then they can see you and won't hit anything. You'll want something that'll float on top of the deep grass if you're fishing slow. Light weight

if they are hitting a moving bait a swim bait with either a small weight to get it to tick off the grass, or an Owner underspin. Either way you want it to tick off the top of the grass. If the grass is really think the underspin will get hung up and fishing the swimbait with a 1/8 oz weight will work better. If they won't hit a moving bait, fishing a t-rig or fluke on the grass edges is the easiest. Especially if you have an inside grass edge to fish. And if it's super thick you can punch it with a heavy weight and creature bait. I've also weighted a wacky with a Big Bites heavy worm and fished super slow letting it settle into the grass and shaking it. Then waiting 5 seconds, move it a couple of feet and shaking it again. This is better when the water is cold and they just won't hit anything else because it takes forever to cover any ground.

Weightless fluke = money

...or a split shot fluke rig, might let you twitch it faster and keep it down a bit better

I’ve have good luck in that type situation During calm weather with a Senko Texas rigged weight less on fluorocarbon line. Make long cast and just very slowly moving it along. If it snags up in the grass I’ll kinda rip it out with a quick rod tip snap. Get some good bites when that happens. Windy days a white spinner bait reeled in just below the surface. Then a natural colored jig dropped into the holes in the grass you can see. 15 lb line was the biggest I would use in clear water. Good luck

Light Carolina Rig. 1/4 oz with a 3-4ft leader with natural color soft plastic of your choice. Heavy enough to get a good cast but light enough not to get buried in the grass.

Anchoring and long casts
Edges, points, and holes in the grass
Fluorocarbon and nail weighted senko, split shot flukes
Transparent prop baits like the tiny torpedo

If it’s sunny and they are buried deep in the grass, braid and short leader heavy drop shot.

If there is some more stained water in the lake, fish where it meets the crystal clear water.

We have fished the same type of grass pods on Amistad. Usually have 4 rigs that will get the job done. When you discover the one the Bass want on that day and conditions it would catch fish all over the pods in the lake.
- Short swivel only for Flukes and Senkos. Can be thrown long distance and worked softly around the pods without disturbance.
- 1/16 oz Crig with weight pegged so it does not slide up the line on long cast. Used a 10" worm, flukes and tornado type ring baits over and around the pods.
Bass hate to see any bait fish acting out of the ordinary and will strike because they believe it to be wounded.
- 1.5 Square Bill will give that erratic behavior. Bass will spawn on and around these remaining pods in the Spring as they collected lots of silt filtered from the water. Pods are hard giving the the cauliflower look.
- Number ONE bait was the Floating Smithwick Jerk Bait. Very erratic action and will usually float free of the grass when it hangs. Fish it as close to the pods as possible; but along the edge so you will have some depth to let the bait do its thing when jerked down 3 or 4 feet beside the pods. The darker colors with Orange throat or pail orange bellies work best.