Thursday Night Tip for April 10 - Hydrilla Gorillas

[Fishhawk]

Can you believe it is not even Thursday Night and a new scenario is coming out? I worked hard on this one too, because it ain't easy to come up with a real picture for this scenario.

What you have is 15 feet of water and these incredibly thick clumps of weeds growing to the surface from the bottom. Hydrilla is what this stuff is called I believe. No matter what you call it, there is often huge bass hanging out in this stuff.

I'm reaching for my Big O! NOT!

[Seaweed]

This is one of my ideal situations for stirring up some big fish. I will usually turn to the trusty old spinner bait. Usually I will start with a multi-willow bladed heavy one tipped with a stinger hook and a plastic trailer. I try to run it between the patches and at the same time try to ensure that I am burning it in fast enough to disturb the surface.

I will slowly down-size the bait and slow the presentation until I find where the fish will hit it. Usually fishing this type of weed growth is also the place where you will find large predator fish that can produce those frightening moments when that big ole monster musky suddenly appears to strip all that 10 lb line off your reel and leave you sitting there wondering what happened. I now always ensure I use my heavy gear in areas like this.

When all else fails here I turn to the surface baits and real slow erratic retrieves.

[Joisey Joe]

HUMMM, hate to be a broken record, but I'd just put a minnow on and let him swim around until Mr. huge Bass finds him!

[banjo]

White spinnerbait with single colorado blade until all the pike have been caught. Then maybe a weedless johnson silver minnow with a bright curly grub tail trailer. The bass luv 'em.

[Steve G]

I have never tried this type of area before, but what do you think of using TUBES ...tubes with rattles, tubes with weedless hooks, tubes with live bait?

Nice effort on the picture Fiahhawk! You could give up your day job and get into graphics, or cartoons?

[Cancatchbass]

Jigs and worms. Worms and jigs.

This cover is made for jigs and worms.
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Note from Fishhawk - CCB knows lots of stuff. I had no idea what a l'il huffer was but I found one and here it is...CCB mentions it later on...
<img src = "http://kidlizardbait.tripod.com/lhwatermelonseed.jpg" width = 75, height = 100>
End of note from Fishhawk
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I'd use the perennial favourite black and blue jig, tipped with a L'il Huffer (blue); probably start with 1/2 oz. and work up from there if necessary to penetrate and get to the bottom fairly quickly. Most days the bass will be right on bottom. On those days when they are suspended, they will let you know. As your jig drops, it will either get pounded, or you will reach bottom long before you should- eg, your line goes slack 6 feet down, when the depth is 15 feet? All you get is a mushy feeling. Set on it!

Man, I'd like to get into this more, but have an appointment. Talk to you later.

CCB

[Fishhawk]

I have never tried this type of area before, but what do you think of using TUBES ...tubes with rattles, tubes with weedless hooks, tubes with live bait?

Nice effort on the picture Fiahhawk! You could give up your day job and get into graphics, or cartoons?

You noticed about the graphic! Thanks - worked hard to build something that could get the idea across.

I always keep a tube for this kind of occasion. In fact, I usually keep a tube for all occasions. But texas rigged or shotgun loaded like in the "How do you rig your tubes" tip. The weight depends on thickness of vegetation. It has to get to the bottom.

<img src = "http://www.fish-hawk.net/hawkshow/Tourn ... at-butt.gif" width = 300, height = 225>
But the idea would be to drop a weighted tube on top of a visible pocket and let it spiral down (key word - spiral), feeding it line all the way to the bottom. If you see your line jump as it is being fed, set the hook. If you see it stop before the point where you are sure it has hit bottom, take in a little slack and feel for activity, then set the hook. If there was no activity, jiggle it off of its weed and let it free fall to the bottom again. Let it sit down there for ten or fifteen seconds then slowly raise it off the bottom and lower it again. Let it sit. Shake it in place a few times - extract and repeat on a new pocket.

Black texas rigged worms are deadly in this situation. And something I want to try more of would this summer would be a drop-shotted worm or one of those jerk shads.

And jigs with craw trailers or pork trailers will get big boys out of here too. Good idea to have a stiff rod, strong line and cranking power for this stuff - as was predicted for CCBs short contribution. I know he's coming back for more of this one.

[Cancatchbass]

Good advice on the tube, Hawk.

In fact that is the exact technique that has produced well for me in this type of cover on White Lake over the years. I like to use the HP hook in these situations.

My main focus would be jigs, though, as I can quickly cover more water with them- must be the tournament-angler-make-every-second-count syndrome. With the heavy jig, the idea is to get the bait to the bottom as quickly as possible, lift it maybe 6" to1', give it a few jiggles, then lift and move on to the next hole.

If there is a spot where the growth is even denser than the surrounding areas drop the jig right into the thickest of the thick. If there is a sprig of coontail or cabbage drop the bait in there, too.

For some reason, on one day the fish will be all over the jig. Next time they won't touch it, but will readily take a worm. Experiment.

I had a rod custom made for this type of cover and for heavy slop fishing. It's 10 feet long, made from 2 St. Croix muskie blanks, and you can lift a can of paint off the floor without putting much of a bend in it.

Although not legal in most tournaments, it's deadly for this type of fishing. It's amazing how much more efficiently you can cover water with that extra 2 1/2 or 3' of pole. Also, I never have to touch the reel. I can just pull off enough line with my free hand (picture traditional flipping) and drop the bait in a hole, by lowering the rod tip. Once the rod tip is near the surface, I feather the extra line through my fingers until bottom is contacted. Clear as mud?

Anyway, this rod and technique allows me to vacuum an area, instead of hitting only some of the holes or dense patches that will hold fish. Just ask my brother-in-law who tried to keep up with me on Gananoque Lake last fall.

When the long rod is not an option, I use a 7 1/2' heavy action Shimano Crucial flipping stick, Castaic reel and 30 pound Fireline. You don't play these fish, you get their head up and keep them coming.

CCB

[FBCoach]

I'd try a Florida rigged jerk shad. Can't beat 'em for the bass - but unless you have on a tough spiderwire/fireline, a big slimer will bust you off.

[Joisey Joe]

Hey FBCoach, I noticed that was your first post, I assume you are a Football coach(brilliant-ain't I), where are you from and at what level do you coach?

[FBCoach]

Thanks for the welcome - Joe. I'm an Ottawa Sr HS Coach. I've also done quite a bit of coaching at the Midget (16-19 yrs) level locally and in British Columbia.
It's a great board - I've enjoyed following and thought I'd throw in my two cents for a change. There's a spot on the quebec side I go to often that has the same type of hydrilla - and I've had some good luck with the 5" jerk shads (hard to find in Ottawa - but Cabela's has 'em all...). The only thing I cant figure out is how to Florida rig and still manage a leader for the 'gators.
There are a few beaver lodges where they sit, and using the same setup either nets you a lunker smallie or a quick snapoff from the toothy jaws.
Any ideas?

[DUBIE]

I've tried most of them BUT I think this year I will try drop shot for the big bass only 6-12" up from the weight. Oya they will be tubes and craws

[DUBIE]

Thanks for the welcome - Joe. I'm an Ottawa Sr HS Coach. I've also done quite a bit of coaching at the Midget (16-19 yrs) level locally and in British Columbia.
It's a great board - I've enjoyed following and thought I'd throw in my two cents for a change. There's a spot on the quebec side I go to often that has the same type of hydrilla - and I've had some good luck with the 5" jerk shads (hard to find in Ottawa - but Cabela's has 'em all...). The only thing I cant figure out is how to Florida rig and still manage a leader for the 'gators.
There are a few beaver lodges where they sit, and using the same setup either nets you a lunker smallie or a quick snapoff from the toothy jaws.
Any ideas?

Some times when fishing in spots that I know there are pike in the area I use a titanium 2' leader. At the end were you hook on the hook i use a rubber core sinker and take out the rubber and squeeze it to the leader that works some times!! You probably could take one end off the leader and slide a weight on to it and put it back together too. one of those should work.

[Fishhawk]

When I am fishing for bass, as frustrating as it is to have to deal with bite-offs from pike, I tolerate the tying and retying. I have never been able to come up with a wire leader solution that let's me fish a bait the way that it was intended to be fished. And a length of wire never makes me feel comfortable that I am outsmarting a bass.

But Dubie's idea about crimping the weight from a rubber core sinker around the leader to get it to sink sounds like a good one.

[Joisey Joe]

FBC, interesting, a HS coach, that must occupy most of your time from Aug. on! How was the team last year? Do you get much time to fish?