This Week @ Bass Edge

Fishing Veggies

Do an online search of the various exotic aquatic plants we find in our waterways these days, and you find a bunch of ways to get rid of these “nuisance” species. But anglers like Bassmaster Elite Series pro Pete Ponds seek out these areas of vegetation because the bass do.

To begin the search for bass in vegetation, Ponds fishes the grass line like a bank watching for bare spots, indentations and points. He likes areas that are bright green, which tends to attract insects. Early in the year during the spawn, Ponds will also focus on inside grass lines towards shore.

Once a productive area has been located, Ponds will begin casting different search baits in order to locate exactly where bass are positioning themselves. 

"When the water temperature is mid to upper 40s I will start casting a red, lipless crankbait or natural colored Bandit 200 Series crankbaits,” he explained. “I primarily just want these lures to tick or catch the upper part of the hydrilla, and then rip it free. The bass almost always hit it when it comes dislodged.”

When Ponds has located fish, but they have stopped biting his crankbait, he slows down and switches to a three-quarter- or one-ounce jig.

Ponds believes anglers trying to catch bass in hydrilla should key on locations where one kind of vegetation interchanges with another, since bass will position themselves close by this junction. He advises anglers also focus on the outside of points or inside of a point going into a pocket. These often overlooked spots can be extremely productive.

"Certain areas of lakes that have hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) and other submerged plants become popular locations for sport fish; that's because prey like shiners, minnows, and crawfish can be found in hydrilla; while shad will be located on the outside edges of the grass line," said Hal Schramm, Ph.D., leader of the USGS Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Department of Wildlife and Fisheries at Mississippi State University,  "The best area for hydrilla is sandy bottoms, but it can grow anywhere its roots can take hold. Fresh growing hydrilla will appear very green, although it may change to brown as its dying or filtering dirty water.” 

Shramm said that many prey fish can change their color to adjust to the environment, camouflaging themselves in vegetation. This can be important when selecting a bait color.  

Texas’ Sam Rayburn is such a good bass producer, according to Shramm, because the hydrilla there varies in location and it changes every year. This explains why fast moving lures such as crankbaits are productive lures on Sam Rayburn during the springtime. Plastics become favorites from May through winter.  

There are numerous species of aquatic plants and sometimes they get identified incorrectly. There are four groups of aquatic plants: free floating, rooted, submersed and emergent. Free floating plants are not attached to the bottom and roots hang down beneath the plant for nutrients. These include duckweed and water hyacinth. Rooted plants are recognized by its long, flexible, but somewhat rigid stem like water lilies.

Submersed plants grow underwater and most produce flowers on the surface, such as milfoil or hydrilla. Emergent plants, such as cattails or bulrushes, are found in shallow water or near shorelines.

So the next time you go fishing around aquatic vegetation do a little detective work first. Examine grass lines for bare spots, indentations and points since these will be key areas where bass will be hiding. Also check lake maps which list types of aquatic plants and locations for that specific reservoir. And when you find fish in a particular type of vegetative cover, try other such spots around the lake.