Through It All.  The author hoisted this 19-inch largemouth bass from a stand of reeds on a small Minnesota lake using a tube with a light bullet weight to weave the lure through the vegetation and into position for the take. Simonson Photo.

By Nick Simonson

If you’ve ever been on that classic pretend bear hunt with a three-year-old, you know that in most instances, you can’t go over it, you can’t go under it, and you can’t go around it; you have to go through it.  Whether you’re fording the river, or rustling through the grass, or traversing the forest, it’s perhaps the earliest lesson we share with the next generation of potential hunters and anglers; and oftentimes as in life, in the outdoors, you simply have to go through various challenging areas to get to your quarry.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, summer bass fishing is much the same as the imaginary pursuit of any ursine species. To get to the biggest bucketmouths, you have to go through those spaces they reside in during this season, and that often means getting through dense stands of reeds, lilies and weeds that might get in your way.  But there are some ways to help power your baits through those spaces and get them in position for a take, and more importantly, get the fish back to the boat.

Streamline Things

Working baits through reeds and weeds is a lot easier when they’re able to slide and slither their way between the stalks and through the hangups, and making each offering the most streamlined is key in helping snake them through the lanes and pockets created by the vegetation.  This can be done by selecting lures like tubes, worms, and other similarly styled creature baits that don’t have a whole lot of appendages, and as a result are less likely to catch on weeds.  Additionally, when using weight, employing bullet-style or conical options will also help the lure slide through the green stuff with relative ease.  Other options for exploring weedy areas include cone-head jigs; even spinnerbaits can be used in areas where broken weeds meet open water, as their angled arms help them pull through vegetation easier than other fast-retrieve options such as crankbaits.

Rip It Free

When bass fishing, lures are bound to hang up, no matter how sleek they might be.  Thus, having the power to pull them loose from the toughest stalk on a lily pad or a thick reed is important to get the bait back, reset it and get casting again.  This power comes from having fishing line that can be trusted to stand up to a bit of stress.  Superlines of 20-pound-test or more will generally get the job done in freeing up a bait which is hung on weeds or reeds, and their abrasion resistance and no-stretch nature can even cut through those thick underwater stems.  Having a medium-heavy or heavy rod and a powerful reel with a strong drag mechanism to match also helps get those baits back from thick vegetation, and to help horse fish out from those places if they bury themselves after the hookset.

Play Them Right

Finally, managing largemouth bass properly from the hookset to the landing will help you power through those areas thick with weeds.  First, feeling for that bite is extremely important, so keeping the line tight during the retrieve and being ready for the take on every cast is key.  When a bass hits, haul back on the rod in a powerful upward sweeping motion that lifts the fish out of the area and toward the surface, preventing them from diving and thus bringing the battle to the top of the column where they’re less likely to tangle in vegetation and things can be shifted in your favor.  Keep cranking and bring the bass out to more open water or to the edge of the weeds or a reed patch, and continue the battle until the fish is at hand, adjusting and giving drag on those bigger bass only as needed in the more open areas.  

Summer is setting the scene with more weeds, thicker stands of reeds and lily pads, and giving bass the best places to hide, feed and stay safe from predators and from anglers.  While it might take some work to get to them, having these tips will help you break through the obstacles and find better fishing…in our outdoors.