I have reently been fishing I new lake, and it has quite a few bass in it. However, catching them is very difficult because weeds grow off the bottom around the whole lake. Any conventional lure I've tried to use (jigs, plastic worms, spinnerbaits, plugs, etc.) get fouled up in the weeds on every cast. Does anyone have any pointers for a situation like this?

Thanks

FloatandJig -
The traditional solution to this fishing situation has been the weedless spoons - Johnson silver minnow etc. I have had best luck when tipped with pork or plastic trailer. Swim the lure across the surface and let it drop into any holes in the gunk.

The other common approach has been the various weedless floating lures - moss rats scum frogs, etc. These plastic lures float in the surface with their hooks facing up and around the soft body. Swim these over the surface stopping at key ambush points.

I have also had good luck with plastic worms Texas rigged with a light sinker (1/8 oz or so) pegged with a tooth pick tight to the worm. Also have done really well fly fishing with large (4 to 5 inch) woolley worms with 40 or 50# weed guard loops. I prefer the fly to be unweighted and I swim across the surface with pause in open spots. If you are fly fishing it helps a bunch to use leaders with no knots.

Tight lines
S malma

Try top water like Buzzbait, mossboss,and lures like that.

Thanks smalma and beerbelly, but I'm not talkin about weeds on the surface, I'm talkin about weeds that grow up about 2 to 3 feet off the bottom in any depth of water. The weeds are really goey and get all over any sinking lure.

You could try adding a winged drift bobber(Spin-N-Glo, Flashing Spinning Cheater, Mister Twister Prop) in front of your plastic separated by 1-3 3-5mm beads on a carolina rig.

And what Smalma said.
I think that either Mister Twister or Mepps makes a weedless lure called the Timber Doodle.

3saltsteel-
In your situation - the answer would have to bee stick baits - rapalas, rogues etc. -
Twitch along the surface or jerk down to just above the gunk (very effective with suspending models). I like 4 to 6 inch stuff that is either blue and sivler, black and sivler, and perch color. For some reason often do better with straight baits rather than jointed though have done well with both.

Swimming a grub (both curly tail and paddle tails) mid-water above the gunk can also be deadly. fish the 3 to 5 inch stuff in colors like pumpkinseed and watermelon (especially in clear water or heavily fished waters) as well as some darker colors.

For situations less than 8 feet or so surface plugs and buzzbaits would be good choices as well - with these and my earlier suggestion I like to fish them on bait casting gear - prefer spinning for the stick baits and grubs.

Tight lines
S malma

Duct tape, dynamite, and big rocks!

Pretty simple, really.. Don't fish for bass!

Use a crankbait that matches the depth you're fishing at above the weeds and keep it hovering over the vegitation.

Edit: Oh yeah, almost forgot. If you look at a crankbait's treble hooks, you'll notice that the the front treble usually has a single point in front with the other two points lying up against the body. The rear treble will usually have two points facing forward and one up in the back. Take this treble off and put it on backwards so that the back one also has a single front pointing hook. Then cut the front facing hooks off the trebles. It will make the lure less prone to snagging.

that's an interesting idea!

i knock em dead on rapalas in the summer. my favorite colors are perch, fire tiger and chartreuse. just toss it out, let it sit on top the water and give it a twitch every now and then. drives em nuts!

try a jerkbait

slug-go


and you coho fishermen you ned to try these things