I fished a highly pressured community park pond this morning and caught some pretty good-sized males up shallow. They were all tucked under mats of dead reeds a foot or less from the bank. I would just drop it in holes in the mat and jig it around some. I didn't see or catch any females with them but from the size of the ones I caught, I figured there had to be some big females nearby.
As I was leaving, I spotted a BIG bass cruising back and forth just outside the mats near a large tree in about a foot or two of water. I am a terrible judge of size, but a conservative guess would be 5-6 pounds. I made a few casts way past her with a Texas-rigged Rage Bug I had caught the males on and worked it through the slime and grass towards her, but she would never show interest. She would just swim off a little ways when it got close. After that, I tried pitching it about a foot in front of her thinking she may just grab it on the fall out of reaction. No luck. She never left the same 5 sq ft area I first spotted her in though. No bed or anything that I could see, just grass under her. She was only about 4 ft from the bank. I had to get to work and didn't want to spook her off completely so I left.
What would be your go-to in this situation? Bottom-baits just get lost in the grass below her, thick reeds and the tree pose a problem for moving baits with treble hooks, and the tree poses a problem for light-lined presentations (probably just because I've never had confidence in light line). I am thinking a wacky or Texas-rigged senko is the textbook choice but would like some input. A buddy of mine suggested a suspending glidebait or jerkbait that can be darted around then paused in her face as long as I can make it to her without snagging a ton of reeds and spooking her off.
Help me out. I am going to be worthless at work today.
