Fishing with Kenny | Fall Bass in the Grass

article by Kenny Covington

Since I began tournament fishing at the age of thirteen, my favorite time to be on the water is in the fall of the year.  My #1 tournament rule all these years, and is an even stronger belief now is, if a lake has grass in it, and you aren’t fishing it, you will get beat.  It is just that simple.

One of the things I have learned over the years, a lot of angler’s struggles when fishing in grass.  I can understand when faced with an abundance of grass flats or types of scenarios where grass is abundant, it can be quite confusing or even intimidating.  Where do you start looking? What type of grass to look for?  What lures and techniques are good choices?  Let’s take a look!

Here in Louisiana, several of our lakes have an abundance of grass.  We have hydrilla, milfoil, coontail, lily pads, gator grass as well as many varieties of aquatic vegetation.  For the sake of this article, I am going to focus more on hydrilla, milfoil and coontail.  These are the types of vegetation I have the most confidence in fishing and thus have had more success in doing so, especially in the fall of the year.

The first thing I want to determine is what kind of grass I am trying to fish.  Hydrilla tends to top out, cover fast amounts of a shallower area, but it can also grow in deeper depths, sometimes out to ten feet or deeper.  Coontail and milfoil can be concentrated, more regulated to shallower depths, and to me, is easier to fish and pattern the fish that are using it.  Regardless of the type of vegetation, I know I will be fishing at depths less than five feet deep, which makes my techniques and lures choices easier.

So, once we find a potential area, my questions begin.  Is there a presence of baitfish, such as shad or bluegill?  Are the shad threadfin or gizzard shad, this might determine the size of my lures.  What if there is an abundance of bluegill in the area, this might determine my lure colors.  While this process can seem complicated, it’s quite simple and with some basic observations, the idea of what needs to be done comes together quickly.

What about water clarity and temperature?  During this time of year, I have had more success when I can find clear or stained water.  Surprisingly, I have done very well on post-front bluebird days if I have good water clarity.  I have caught fish in muddier water situations when fishing grass but if I can avoid that situation, I try to do so.

Recently I won a tournament on a lake with a vast amount of grass in it but after covering a lot of key areas the first half of the tournament day, I finally found an area on the edge of the hydrilla that had hundreds of smaller bluegills in and around the grass flat.  It was in this one two-hundred-yard stretch of grass where I caught my fish to win the event.  Clear water, abundance of bream, and the edge of a major flat.  Sounds like a fish catching scenario to me!

So now comes the hard part.  We have found our potential area, what might be the best way to catch fish?  First, let’s pick five lures that we can use to cover the water column.  On my deck I will have a Spook, a Yellow Magic popper, a swimming worm, a Rat L Trap and a Zoom Horny Toad.  All five of these lures will allow me to cover depths from the surface down to the five-foot zone, which is what I am focusing on.  If you notice all these lures are horizontal presentations and the reason behind that is I am hunting for active fish by covering water.  Once I determine a specific area, I can be more selective on my lure choices.

I begin my search in the areas of the grass where it hasn’t reached the surface.  I can easily fish these areas with the Spook or Yellow Magic making long casts covering as much water as I can.  Pay close attention to any baitfish activity while you are fishing.  Where the baitfish are located, bass aren’t far away.  I like to use the Rat L Trap and Swimming worm if I feel the fish won’t commit to the topwater, but I can still use both to cover water effectively.  I like the Horny Toad to cover the thicker areas where there is enough water over the top of the grass to run it effectively.

As I am fishing in these open water areas, where the grass is submerged, I will begin working any grass edges I can easily reach without disturbing the area.  A common mistake I see anglers make is that they aren’t stealthy and patient when fishing in grass.  You can cover water and still fish it effectively when being slow and stealthy with the trolling motor.  If it is possible, I have pulled up my trolling motor and allowed the wind to push me across a productive flat, this has proven to be highly effective.

Once we have located a productive area, then I expand my lure selection.  I might rig up a punching rig for thicker areas I can’t cover correctly, and I feel the fish have buried themselves in it.  I can use a Fluke style soft plastic to target bass that might be breaking inside of the grass line, that I can’t reach with the other lures.  The scenarios and situations are endless but the more you learn, the better and easier this type of fishing becomes.  Fishing grass can be frustrating but once you become comfortable and confident, the possibilities are endless!

Well, it looks like we have run out of space and time again for another month.  I hope we have shared with you some information that will make your next trip to the lake a better experience.  Please take care and be careful while out on the water this fall.  Most of all, remember to catch one for me! See you next month!