Kevin Van Dam Forums

I went fishing tonight & the gravel flat at the one corner was nothing but a big gill bed with an occasional LMB popping out of the weeds to take a swipe at them. I threw a senko with a 1/4oz weight, but the weeds are so thick beyond the gravel that it might as well have been unweighted the way it pulled to the top. I had one I should’ve caught on a frog(I’m an idiot & didn’t have my drag locked down & didn’t get a good hookset) & caught one short one. Anyone have any suggestions on what I should be doing or trying?

Did you try a blue gill colored jig?

Yeah anythng in bluegill color, there’s a pond near my house that the whole bank is beds from the bluegills, I have been doing well with bluegill colored spinnerbait, and I slow roll along the weedline. I’ve produced a lot of fish doing this but they were a lot of little guys…also greenpumpkin/pearl gulp minnow drop shot with some red dye around the head has been working incredable! But on 6lb test its risky getting close to the grass cus if that bass goes into the grass I’m done

Sounds like the weeds are a problem, but topwater is actually a great thing to throw around bluegill beds. I’d throw that frog and i like to use a bluegill propbait. If the grass isnt a problem bluegill swimbaits and jigs are good too.

I’ve had luck with a blue gill colored lipless crank bait also.

I have an Ike GP(with bright red eyes) finesse jig, I might try tossing that out there. Treble baits are out, even topwaters. The weeds are thick & to the top of the water. I tried a baby bass spook, it got near the weeds, it was fouled every time. I might actually try drop-shotting with my MH spinning set-up with 10lb test & try some different soft plastics. I have flipping tubes & jigs, I might try pitching those in the thick stuff. Might also try taking one of my scum frogs & trim the legs down & throw them near the beds or just work the mat that’s right there by them with my Sumo & Spros. It was pretty cool just watching it up close, those gills were within netting range of me & watching the bass pop out to try & get them was too cool.

Bluegill colored jig or a swimbait. Try fishing as close as possible to the weeds with the bluegill swimbait and just slow roll it with some very short pauses.

try these in a bluegill color:
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Lucky_Craft_Kelly_J/descpage-LCKJ.html

daggummit!!!! this is not spam why would this be spam spam spam spam that stuff is nasty anyway i like grits better

If the bass are relating to the weeds, but are staying close to feed on the gills, then I would focus on fishing the weeds. T-rig a sweet beaver or SK Rodent and get it in the grass. A tube would work pretty well also. Something GP or watermelon with the tips dipped in chartreuse spike-it.

I think that’s what I’m gonna do, focus on the weeds, either getting in them with a tube or getting on top with a frog. Getting them out of the weeds isn’t a problem, as I got a 7’6” Helium XH flipping stick a couple months ago. I was using it frogging the other night & the one I caught buried me in the weeds. I dropped my tip, reeled down & gave him a jolt & he went from buried to flying out of the water in about second. 

I am KCL’s Username - 29 May 2010 04:05 AM

I think that’s what I’m gonna do, focus on the weeds, either getting in them with a tube or getting on top with a frog. Getting them out of the weeds isn’t a problem, as I got a 7’6” Helium XH flipping stick a couple months ago. I was using it frogging the other night & the one I caught buried me in the weeds. I dropped my tip, reeled down & gave him a jolt & he went from buried to flying out of the water in about second. 

That 7’6H is a good stick.

Green pumpkin with purple and green flake tube weighted heavy and bounce it along the bottom making it hit the bottom HARD. Add a rattle or two if you have them, the bass will focus in on it thinking it is a gill that got injured from spawning.

Had some better luck the last two trips out, didn’t kill them or anything, but caught a keeper each time atleast.
The other day it was windy & cloudy & I got one on a spinnerbait, had another one hooked, but he was out a ways & I’m not sure how well I hooked him & he took me into the weeds & got off. After that, I made a decision that I"m gonna put braid on another baitcaster & tie a fluoro leader to use for spinnerbaits & soft swimbaits on this pond, since it’s weed central, way worse than it was at any point last year & I need all the help I can get to set the hook & drag them through the weeds. I also got an 8” perch on a spinnerbait that day. I’m lucky I got him, as he came unbuttoned when I swung him up to me, but he couldn’t get through the grass back to the pond before I slid down the little hill & grabbed him. I found out how he came unbuttoned when I stuck my finger in his mouth to lip him, his jaw couldn’t take 50lb braid & XH flipping stick and ripped completely apart. 

Today I got one on a bluegill colored hollow belly before breaking out the frog. I was fishing the one corner & I was in the middle of working my way across the mat when I saw a good size boil(looked like he was doing a figure 8 out there) just out beyond the mat. So I debated a couple of seconds before speed reeling in & throwing out past where I saw the boil & sure enough, I get to the spot & get bit. He swallowed it & I slammed him. He jumped a couple times & them tried burying me in the muck, but I wasn’t gonna let him get away. 2.5lber, felt like a 5lber given my recent run of luck. I also had a big frog trying to mount my bait when I pitched it parallel to the bank. He blew up on it the one time, I about got the hook into him.

The frog bite still isn’t hot, but I’m getting some here & there & I think there’s gonna be even more mat & weeds to fish this year, can’t wait for it to turn on, especially since there’s not gonna be many options for fishing this pond given how weedy it is.

i used crickets