Fishing the Grass

The Midwest’s Primary Fish Holding Structure

If you’re a bass fisherman in Midwest, vegetation is the most prevalent fish holding item in the majority of our lakes and even some river situations. It’s everywhere, whether we’re talking milfoil, coontail, cabbage, pondweed and/or a variety of emergent vegetation.

Effectively probing thick weeds and presenting your bait in the proper way is often times the difference between success and a slow day on the water. There’s a number of ways to go about fishing the grass, all of which can be very deadly at one time or another. Dialing in exactly where the fish are positioned in a weed bed and what they’re feeding on can make all the difference in the world.

The usual suspects are jig worms, skirted jigs, drop shots, Neko Rigs and often times some sort of flipping or punching approach. If the vegetation allows and bass are chasing or providing a reaction bite, crankbaits, bladed jigs, swim jigs and even a topwater can do the trick.

Here’s Champions Tour Angler Matt Peters with a few more ideas for you the next time you’re targeting vegetation on lakes here in the Minnesota and Wisconsin.