Question
Wendy's first bass
Hi Jack! It's me again. I found a great fishing spot, but everytime I cast, I have to pull big hunks of algae or gunk off of my lure and line. Even with a weedless the line gets all gunked up with stuff. A Bass took my whole hook, line, and bait because I couldn't real him in because of the debris. Any ideas for me?
Thanks again,
Wendy
AnswerHi Wendy; It sounds like you have a very common problem of many bass fishermen. There are some places that are nearly impossible to fish because of the algae and other gunk. We have a bit of that here along the shoreline, a sort of black stringy stuff that hangs onto anything. At times about all that can be done is to try somewhere else. If it is just on the bottom try using a floating lure don't try fishing on bottom. I have lost fish and lure both at one time or another.
Here where I fish we have a heavy growth of hydrila which by mid summer covers a large part of the lake. I fish it by looking for holes in the surface cover and throwing lures in the holes and working them over the top. I usually catch some weeds but at times the bass will come up through the stuff and bust a lure. I like fishing with a Johnson Silver minnow with a pork (not plastic) frog. This lure works over the weed mat pretty good without hanging. A worm without weight and rigged weedless will often work where you can't get any other lure through without hanging.
If I know the stuff is on bottom near the shore I make sure I do not cast quite into it. That way I can usually work the lure in good bass holding water without getting it hung. I like a floating crank bait for this because it can be worked under the water surface but above the bottom where the gunk is.
Another possibility is using a drop shot type rig. With this you put the hook several inches above the sinker. You then keep the bait above the bottom while your weight runs along bottom. The weight will collect the algae but your worm or tube is above the stuff so long as the stuff is only on the bottom. Sometimes it is so thick all you can do is keep pulling it off. If there are fish there just keep working it. Use just a little heavier line in such places so you do not get broken off when you pull in a gob of stuff along with the fish.
I hope this has been of some help. This is always tough fishing but if there are fish there it is worth the trouble.
Jack
