Flukes and weedless underspin

I've had my best days on Fork slow rolling 5 inch swimbaits to fish that were suspended at 10 feet, tight to timber, in water over 20 feet at mouths of deep creek channels. Just had to make repetitive casts until they couldn't resist. Could see them on graph scattered around. Some days they wanted it on a 5/0 underspin, some days without. Rarely got snagged in wood. Never any special retrieve.. just slow right next to wood.

I was talking trees in 40 feet of water or so where the crown comes up to about 5-10 feet under the surface, but non of the tree is actually exposed on the surface.

A lot depends on where the baitfish and the bass are in relation to the tree. If they are in the very top branches, then the techniques already posted are efficient ones.

If they are at the bottom up to mid tree:

In that scenario, I like a 3/4oz jig with a stiff weed guard. That can be tough, especially if it’s just 35ft tall trees thickly grouped for long, long stretches
Isolated patch of trees on a creek channel bend, good contour change or bottom composition changes
Choose a specific casting target past the isolated tree.
Anchor, then cast, let jig fall to the bottom, then work slowly up to a branch, imagine it knocking on the top of the branch then slowly lift it over and let it fall to the bottom again; repeat.

This takes a lot of patience and you will lose jigs, take a bunch of them.

If the fish are finicky and in the tree tops, then a weighted wacky/neko with the hook embedded works well.



If more aggressive, swimming, pausing, and falling a 1/2 oz swim jig through the top tree limbs can be lots of fun. Might be one of my favorite ways to catch them.

I really like this setup and will have to give it a shot next year!

I have been throwing crankbaits into them this year.

Ever once in a while I have to get the Hound Dog out and knock one loose to recover it but I am learning how to use one of them for the first time in my life.

You have to set the hook pretty hard with the above set up.
Gotta get that smaller Octopus or neko hook to penetrate through the plastic and then the bass' lip/jaw/palate

cb slowly ticked of the tree tops.

A spinnerbait would be great or a jerkbait. Swimbait is a good option to and lately that has been my go to. A kietech on a weedless underspin

Love a heavy senko rigged wacky style!