having trouble going weedless

[huzzsaba]

Tried fishing yesterday in a really weedy place. I am sure there were some pike and bass but was having trouble keeping the weeds off. I am fishing from shore so I need to be able to cast quite far and retrieve, so I was using jig head with gulp minnows and grub texas rigged. I also tried a bucktail jig and same problem.The problem I was having is that the knot on the swivel would get caught in the weeds. I removed the swivel and put the line straight to the jig head and then the knot would get caught.

 

Is there a better way to be able to weedless using a jig style setup. I use a polomar know and try to cut the tag end as close as I can but it seems to always get caught.

 

I haven't tried senko worms or something heavier. Perhaps any recommendation of fake worms that are heavy enough to be able to cast without the use of added weight.

 

Thanks

[smitty55]

Not a jig set up, but you could try using a Johnson weedless Silver Minnow with a grub trailer. Bass and pike love them and at least you'll be able to fish the heavy weeds. Here's a little article on them. http://www.bassdozer.com/articles/silver_minnow.shtml

 

Cheers

[hunteronwheels]

not a jig set up but you could use top water lures

i have been doing great with the live target mice and soft frogs

[huzzsaba]

Thanks smiity55 for the reply. I will look into those.

 

I also realized I could try the jig heads with the brush by the hook. Hopefully that will help with keeping them off the hook. I just have to figure out how to keep weeds off the knot.

[huzzsaba]

not a jig set up but you could use top water lures

i have been doing great with the live target mice and soft frogs

 

My friend was using a frog, although it was not a topwater one and he did get something to bite but never hooked it. The difference was that he was only able to cast half the distance I was able to with my jig setup.

 

I will look into topwater lures. Thanks

[Steve]

take a 3/0 thin shanked hooked, tex-pose rig it on a genuine senko (they are softer, and easier to set the hook), and cast it out....

 

reel it across the thick slop, letting it sink in the pockets....

 

with the right setup (20lbs braid, no mono) and a softer action tip of the rod, you will be able to launch the senko....when you get the hit, give it a second or two before you hammer it home....

 

the fish won't let go of senko....

 

we have caught pike, bass, and walleye using this technique recently.

[Steve]

oh, and certainly tie directly to the hook.....no swivel....and likely don't even use a flouro lead....just use your braid directly to your hook....

 

i use a polomar knot to tie.

[huzzsaba]

oh, and certainly tie directly to the hook.....no swivel....and likely don't even use a flouro lead....just use your braid directly to your hook....

 

i use a polomar knot to tie.

 

Thanks for the reply Steve! I have exactly the same setup you mention as in 20lb braid on a medium rod. Most people say to use a leader so I have 15 lb leader but I think the tag end of the mono leader line is what is getting caught in the weeds.

 

I will try the straight braid to hook. Thanks again.

[Steve]

i flip back and forth with respect to a flouro lead vs not using a flouro lead with braid.

 

lately i'm back on the 'not' using flouro lead with braid.

 

you have extra knots that need to get through the slop when using the lead....

 

now I'm back to braid directly to hook.

 

with respect to the brand of senko, most will say yamamoto are not worth it....well, they are.

 

they cast further, sink better, and collapse best when using a texposed setup.

[huzzsaba]

can I get the yamamoto senko from Canadian tire? I collect canadian tire money so I buy all my fishing stuff from there at a discount or free .

 

Nevermind I found the senkos on CT website. Now the question is, do I get the 4 inch or the 5 inch?

Edited September 19, 2015 by huzzsaba

[Steve]

you sure can.

 

they generally sell three common colours.

 

black red shad (great for stained water), green/while (cream) laminate (great in clearer water), and often a darker natural colour.

 

Black red shad and green/cream laminate work great for us.

 

Generally cost 7.99 for 10....and yes, you will go through them rather quickly....so when fishing northern waters were bass and pike are plentiful and easy to catch, they may not be the best economically.

 

but when fishing pressured southern ontario water, you never catch so many fish that you go through a bag in a day (well, if you do, great, that means the fish are active and plentiful).

 

here's the black red shad:

 

 

Here's the green / while laminate. (that is a paddle tail, which I don't care for, but the colour is what I wanted to show)

 

Edited September 19, 2015 by Steve

[manitoubass2]

You can also buy "bullet" style hooks for texpose that luanch a mile. I use the 3/8 ounce and have zero issues fishing slop from shore

 

I prefer berkley crazy legs chigger craws but use senkos and even big plastic minnows etc

[manitoubass2]

I dont have a pic but its a wide gap hook with a bullet shaped head

[Steve]

you're likely referring to these.

 

Luck E Strike hooks. Made with gamakatsu hooks.

 

 

The hooks are very light wire, and can easily be bent, but if your not around slop, they do work rather nicely.

 

I have a large number of these hooks for the right conditions....and great quality (as they are gammy hooks).

[davey buoy]

you're likely referring to these.

 

Luck E Strike hooks. Made with gamakatsu hooks.

 

 

The hooks are very light wire, and can easily be bent, but if your not around slop, they do work rather nicely.

 

I have a large number of these hooks for the right conditions....and great quality (as they are gammy hooks).

I have something similar I use Steve with a weight on the hook bend.Rig it Texas and weedless with a frog,Senko,etc.Also gives some distance as well.

[manitoubass2]

Ill find out the ones i use. Thats the idea though.

 

Mine dont bend at all, even with sturgeon.

 

They are great hooks for thick slop

[huzzsaba]

Ill find out the ones i use. Thats the idea though.

Mine dont bend at all, even with sturgeon.

They are great hooks for thick slop

I would appreciate it if you let me know the exact kind of hook you use. I have to help my buddy land a fish soon since he will be banned from coming home if doesnt bring back fish lol

[manitoubass2]

I bought them bulk a few years back.

 

My memory is shot but ill try to find out for ya?

 

And yes keep that 20lb braid tied direct with a palomar

Edited September 19, 2015 by manitoubass2

[huzzsaba]

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/gamakatsu-superline-offset-ewg-hook-1781220p.html#.Vf3EN4FZTqB

 

i think these are the ones you guys are referring to. Il be picking those up soon with some senkos. thanks!

[davey buoy]

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/gamakatsu-superline-offset-ewg-hook-1781220p.html#.Vf3EN4FZTqB

 

i think these are the ones you guys are referring to. Il be picking those up soon with some senkos. thanks!

Yes,that's the type I use,texas rigged,you should be problem free for the most part.

[OhioFisherman]

When you rig your soft bait do it so it also covers the knot, some soft plastics don't have much of a head to do it, look for ones with a bigger head.

 

http://zoombait.com/worms/paddle-tails/original-speed-worm/

 

You can also use a lizard, more bulk, more weight for their size?

 

What are you casting with? Casting or spinning reel?

 

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gamakatsu_Superline_EWG_Weighted_Hook_5pk/descpage-GSEGW.html

 

3/0-5/0 are common bass sizes, but 1/8 ounce may limit you or what you are trying to do?

[misfish]

When you rig your soft bait do it so it also covers the knot,

 

 

Good point Paul

 

When I fished weeds or pads, I would thread the hook through the worm til the last inch or so, then sink the barb in the worm. Not through it, just enough to make sure It wasnt going to hook up on weeds.

 

Just a pic of what Im talking about. It,s very effective.

 

[huzzsaba]

When you rig your soft bait do it so it also covers the knot, some soft plastics don't have much of a head to do it, look for ones with a bigger head.

 

http://zoombait.com/worms/paddle-tails/original-speed-worm/

 

You can also use a lizard, more bulk, more weight for their size?

 

What are you casting with? Casting or spinning reel?

 

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gamakatsu_Superline_EWG_Weighted_Hook_5pk/descpage-GSEGW.html

 

3/0-5/0 are common bass sizes, but 1/8 ounce may limit you or what you are trying to do?

using spinning reel. Just casting in the small bays along Lake O. didnt realize some parts have have really dense pockets of weeds.I almost caught a bass on a little cleo spoon but lost it at the last second. Edited September 19, 2015 by huzzsaba

[OhioFisherman]

A spinning reel gives you an edge with light weight lures, I don't think a little cleo would be on my list of go to lures in weedy areas! The Johnson Silver Minnow is a better choice!

 

Some of the bays here on Lake Erie also have extensive weedy area, slop! Fishing some of those areas from shore can be a challenge, and it can be tough at times keeping even a weedless set up weed free when doing it.

 

Early in the day it is usually easier to find bass near shore, they had a night of reduced traffic to move up close to feed, some never seem to move to far off shore as long as food and cover is available.

 

No experience with Lake O at all, one of the bays on Erie that we had tournaments on we had a club limit of 3 bass, and it usually took 10+ pounds to make it into the top 3 places. I would expect Lake O to have some similar places.

 

2-3 feet of water is enough for bass, even shallower at times, it shouldn't be hard to pitch an unweighted 6 inch lizard, senko, worm 25-30 feet or more from shore with a spinning reel.

[huzzsaba]

Thanks for the advice ohiofisherman. The only reason I was using the little cleo was to get past the weedy section into deeper section of the water. Once in the weeds, I kept the rod tip up to make it swim over the weeds. That is when I hooked the bass. I was surprised to have a bass chase a spoon lol.