What is the best way to fish really thick grass like coontail or pondweed? I fish a lake that gets a ton of this stuff but it is hard to get baits down into the grass and most times you can't drag anything through it. I try to look for small openings to pitch to and that sometimes works. Is it worth all the time trying to troll through this stuff this time of year or would it be better to find fish in deeper water? Surface temp a few days ago was 90 and the only fish I found were in deeper water.

deeper water would be my choice.

I would start with a hollow bodied frog or a Stanley ribbit

Yep. Fish the top, fish the edge, then fish in it.

Topwater would definitely be easier than trying to drag something through it. I am going to try fishing a little at night and see if the cooler temps help any. Thanks for the tips.

weightless Fluke, in thick grass, Hold on

+1

I will try the weightless fluke. I like fishing that bait quite a bit. I usually use the Zoom super fluke, but I recently tried a fluke bait by LFT that has really great action and is quite a bit heavier.

I like the thick stuff. So much better cover and insulation form the blazing sun. There are going to be big fish under there if the depth is sufficient. Look for the normal bottom changes you would like to see, ditches, composition change, etc... Then use as heavy a weight as necessary to punch through effectively. Some of the pros are actually going up to 2 ounces. Once you find them there should be several in the area. Just put the TM on a moderate speed and flip every 10 feet or so, bounce a a time or two and move on. Once you get a bite or two slow down and pick that area apart.

Punch it....

I take a weedless spoon and add a white pappy craw trailer for the top. If i find a pocket let it sink in there bass will whack it.

Find the deeper grass edge and drag a fluke of senko through it with a small splitshot about 18" above it...or get you a 1/12oz tungsten weight and a soft plastic creature bait and get to pitching..usually the thicker the grass(and deeper water near), the more likely fish will use it as an option to escape the summer heat.

I fish this slop everyday, all the above comments are just about spot on. I think your purchase of a true "punch jig" trailered with a craw or creature is about the best all round tatic. I also throw a Spro bronze eye or sexy frog over this stuff and have had a great time doing it. If your going to punch these holes just remember to up the line strength dramatically. I use no less than #65 and some places im using #80. I feel that these big ole swamp donkeys dont venture far from the slop, but move more vertically this time of year. Dont be afraid to throw that frog at 5:00pm either you never know when she may get mad enough to hit it.

Thanks for all the tips. I was planning on designating a couple of rods just for thick grass since the line would need to be alot heavier than what I would normally use. The depth of most of the area is about 3-4 feet. I wasn't sure if the bass would stay in water that shallow with it being so hot. Guess I"ll stick with it.

"Punch it"
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