what lure does everyone prefer to use when trying to pull pass out of thick lilly pads? I know of a lake that has little structure other then a big area full of pads. I know the bass are in there but I haven’t been able to get into the pads to try to get them out. there really isn’t any pockets to cast to so I think I will end up trying to cover as much water as possiable looking for fish. any help would be nice.
thanks in advance, Mike
I think the obvious answer will be some sort of Scum Frog, but other good options might include a Jawbreaker from Northland tackle. You can just swim it over the pads and let it drop occassionally and then jig it out.
Another technique would be to rig something like a Horny toad and burn it across the top just to get a bass to swing and miss. Once you know where the fish is at, just go in slowly and flip a tube or Senko where you think he is and then set the hook and hold on.
set up on the edge of the pads and cast a spinner and run along the pads or even a buzz bait. you can also just pop a frog on top of the pads and twitch it along. just shoot me a pm with what lake it is, I will go and fish it and get back to you on how to catch them bass. 
shane
How much other vegatation is mixed in with the pads? If those pads are growing over a harder bottom it may be fairly clean down there. In that case I’d try either a Texas rigged worm or a weedless jig. Of course this is going to involve heavy line and a beefy rod. Hit ’em hard, get ’em coming your way, and don’t give them an inch of slack. If the pads are full of junk then that might force you to fish closer to the surface. A scum frog is a good choice. I also like the good old Johnson Silver Minnow spoon with a plastic trailer. A third option is to use a big curly tailed worm Texas rigged, either with no weight or maybe 1/16th ounce pegged. You can crawl that worm across, down, through, under, and over the heaviest stuff without getting hung up.
Sounds like a fun spot!
Rootski
stanely ribbit frog will do the trick day in and out. all the way 
knowing for sure what is under the pads is the hardest part, I have only fished the lake 2 times, and it is a private lake that one of my buddies has access to 
I so wish I could gain access to that lake 
Depending on how heavy the pad mat is; I’d throw a top water frog first and pick apart any odd structure (a log, stump, large opening) with a t-rig or an okeechobee rig.
I enjoy using a weed less type bango minnow…Norally just pitch-in let it sit and if they don’t bite it just keep flippin it in there and they will bit it sooner or later
Dylan
Quote:
t-rig or an okeechobee rig.
Sorry but what is a Okeechobee rig??
Thanks
Quote:
Quote:
t-rig or an okeechobee rig.
Sorry but what is a Okeechobee rig??
Thanks
Hey Haywood! How’ya been!! 
Reason I suggested an Okeechobee rig… weight on the bottom goes thru the mat on the drop easier…now coming up is a little more of an issue, but usually you don’t have to worry about that because you’re hooked on a 4lb’er!
I also like to buzz the outer perimeter with a tube and spinner, or something similar…although new to bass fishing, I have had success doing this….haven’t had much success with the frogs yet, but I know that is “operator error” moreso than tackle error
Swim jigs on 50 lb braided line. throw them in any pockets you can find. Where there is heavy mats, throw them over the top like a frog. Works just as good as a scum frog, and the tail on the jig makes a very subtle buzz on the surface. The hooking percentage is also way better than frogs. One big key in massive lily pad fields is to try to find a depth change in them. a little ditch in a massive lily pads and “blip” into the gps and you’re in business. In rivers I do extremely well where current flows through the pads. You can catch some serious hogs this way.
Good luck,
Cade
Quote:
Swim jigs on 50 lb braided line. The hooking percentage is also way better than frogs.
Just wondering what book or magazine you’ve been reading.
tube with an ear plug in it. makes it float and it is killer somedays 
I could be wrong, but I think B.C.’s looking for an explanation on your comment.
I can see when you’re fishing grass mats the hook up ratio may be higher because the jig won’t fall through the mat and out of the strike zone.
It’s different story in sparse “slop.” A missed strike can’t be nursed back like it can with a floating frog. I find my hook up ratio to be much better with a frog, whether it’s a Tournament Series Frog or a Stanley Ribbit. I have enough confidence that I know I can coax a bass to come back and hit a frog once or maybe twice after the initial strike.
With swim jigs, I find I have to keep casting at the area where the strike came from or follow up with an assortment of soft plastics.
Swim jigs are NOT in my confidence box. I use them, have an assortment of them, but rarely do I find myself relying on them. In slop or out.
Now, if you are talking about pulling tubes in slop weightless or lightly weighted. That my friend is horse of a COMPLETELY different color…
I’ll take a frog over a swim jig in slop any day.
I guess I’m talking if a bass actually eats the bait. Setting the hook on a swim jig versus setting the hook on a frog…if the fish has the jig in its mouth, he’s going to be in the boat. If it has a frog in its mouth, I’m not always able to hook the fish. you have to experiment with swim jig weight and the size/type of grub, and obviously adjust where you hold the rod tip accordingly, but I can fish swim jigs over any type of mat, thin or thick at a slow to fast pace. the best is scattered vegetation that is making mats but has pockets in it. you burn it over the mats and slow down over the pockets and they crush it.
You don’t have to fish like me, its just what works for me
It takes practice. When I was 12 and fishing the slop on the lake I used to get dozens of blow ups and not catch a single fish. (not much different from today 
) – It took a while to figure out the timing, but once you figure it out, it becomes second nature just like any other hook set does…..
Leave goose and go sit in Lawrence lake for a day during the summer and practice. You’ll get there.
I have to get my timing back after switching to a spro instead of the smaller scummies. I have had alot of blowups and have missed them all, right now, I have more confidence in a jig then top water, and that is comming from someone that named his boat the sloppy jalopeII. I love fishing the slop, just need to get the timming back, how long do you guys normally wait to set hooks on spros or tourney series frogs, I was waiting about 2 to 3 seconds after blow ups.
shane
Wait until you feel the fish if your excitement will let you when you get the strike.
I’m not sure who started the idea of waiting 2-3 seconds but IMO that has nothing to do when you should set the hook. If I feel the fish right away, I set the hook and if I feel the fish after 5 seconds, I set the hook. Feel for the fish…don’t wait for a certain number of seconds. If the fish missed it, a 3 second delayed hookset will not change anything! 
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
