Texas Fishing Forum

Best Cattail Techniques

Posted By: csmithag95

Best Cattail Techniques - 04/04/21 12:15 AM

Have a small lake near me that is almost completely lined with cattails/reeds. I'm not sure of the exact species, but they are thick and look to me like an endless desert of cattails. Love to hear your best techniques for dissecting these type habitats and the baits you've had best luck with. I've caught SOME decent fish flipping on the edges, a few topwater outside, but I haven't cracked the secret code yet. I feel like the big ones are living inside the actual plant/root mass, but what ideas do you have for penetrating that. It is thick and getting hung up is a frequent occurrence, along with your bait never actually getting down past the stalks. Thanks.
Posted By: Pico Pearch

Re: Best Cattail Techniques - 04/04/21 12:18 AM

Peg your weight and throw and green pumpkin/chart tail small yum dinger. It will dart down in the cattails and they will hit it.
Posted By: Dubee

Re: Best Cattail Techniques - 04/04/21 12:32 AM

Big weight and braid and get to pitching
Posted By: Donald Harper

Re: Best Cattail Techniques - 04/04/21 01:30 AM

A Bitsy bug jig with the twin inter tails of the Mister Twister 4 Split tails. Cut the larger two tails off and just use the two small inter tails on the jig for a trailer.
Posted By: csmithag95

Re: Best Cattail Techniques - 04/04/21 01:44 AM

What keys do you use to know if any specific areas of the cattails will hold fish vs those that will not?
Posted By: David Burton

Re: Best Cattail Techniques - 04/04/21 02:17 AM

Look for "cut banks", points, pockets and any irregularities. Check for laydowns, stumps, or submerged grass lines that intersect with the reeds/cattails.
Posted By: 361V

Re: Best Cattail Techniques - 04/04/21 02:20 AM

Originally Posted by csmithag95
What keys do [align:left][/align]you use to know if any specific areas of the cattails will hold fish vs those that will not?
Deeper reeds, irregularities: indentions, pockets, little points, a log, a tree, a rock.....anything that is different. Sometimes on the edge, sometimes back in the reeds a ways.
Posted By: P_102

Re: Best Cattail Techniques - 04/04/21 10:28 AM

Also pitch to the back side of them if/when possible.
Posted By: Clint H.

Re: Best Cattail Techniques - 04/04/21 01:15 PM

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iBden3a_sXw
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