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I Walk the (Weed) Line, Tom Luba
Playing with Perch, Dave Lemke
Bassology: Going Light, Mike Yurk
I Walk the (Weed) Line
by Tom Luba
Take a bunch of bass fishermen, put their boats on a lake on a July day and the odds are good that most of them will gravitate toward the closest shallow cover: docks, 
stumps, blow-downs, swimming rafts—anything that might provide a hiding place for a bass. Why?
That’s a good question, and one that I have to ask myself, because I've been one of “those guys” headed for the nearest dock, too. First of all, looking for shallow cover isn’t necessarily wrong, as bass use all of the above to give them the upper hand in securing their next meal. But in answering the question, I’ve boiled it down to one word: Visual. If you can see it, you can plan how to best fish it in order to get the bass to bite.
Unfortunately, I’ve been guilty of passing over what might be a much better structure that just might hold a lot of bass—and it’s all because I didn’t see it with my own eyes.
What I—and a lot of other fishermen—overlook is the deep weed line, and sometimes the submerged weed growth between the inside edge and the deep edge. The only way you can see it is with your depth finder, and not being able to see it is what makes many fishermen pass it by.
As a stump-plugger, I had a very hard time tossing a bait that, visually, landed right smack in the middle of nowhere—and then sank.
But, I still remember the first subtle tap of a bass taking a plastic worm 15 feet below, and the feeling of crawling a bait into and out of the deep edge of the weeds. I admit: Setting the hook on a weed can be embarrassing, but the more you do it the more you learn the difference between vegetation and bass. After your initiation, tossing that bait into the middle of nowhere is not as frightening as it used to be.
Fishing Blind
Where a weed line occurs will change by lake. Water color and sunlight penetration play a big role in how this happens.
Most Wisconsin lakes have weed growth; in some, it’s the only real structure available. And weeds offer security to all kinds of fish species: lily pads, arrowhead, eel grass, cabomba, cabbage (pond weed) and sand grass are all weeds you could encounter at different times on the water.
Basically, most weed areas have an inside edge and an outside edge. The inside edge is something you can see—shallow clumps and pad beds can hold fish and fishing the open pockets can be productive. Seeing what the outside edge looks like is normally the depth finder’s job.
Usually, inside edges are good in spring as the bass wait to move shallow to spawn and hold on them. As the weeds grow out toward deeper water, they are fueled by sunlight, like any other plant. As long as the sunlight penetrates the water at any depth, weeds will continue to grow. When sunlight penetration ceases, the weeds stop growing, forming the deep weed line.
The height of the weeds is also controlled by sunlight. In the shallows, the weeds can grow to the surface. But, as the water gets deeper, growth slows and the weeds no longer grow to the surface. So, at 6 feet you might have weeds 3-feet deep. And at 12 feet, if the sunlight no longer reaches the weeds, they stop growing. Stained water will have shallower weed growth than clear water lakes, due to lack of sunlight penetration.
In lakes where bass are the main predator, they will rule the weedline. Where tougher guys, like muskies and pike live, the bass keep a lower profile and stay more in the weeds.
Active fish will be on the edges of the weed line, or on top of the shallower weeds, searching for food. Thicker weeds provide good points for the bass to ambush minnows, panfish and crawfish, which also use the weeds for cover and food.
The closer to deep water the weeds grow—the better—because drop-offs offer yet another form of sanctuary. In fact, the bass, especially smallmouth, will suspend off of the weed bed over open water at times. At other times, they might move further down the deeper drop where the sun no longer penetrates.
When fishing, look for changes in the weedline. Turns, points and bottom content changes create irregularities, and this is what fish key in on. Sometimes, the weeds might just end, then pick up several yards further along the drop off. An area like this can easily get overlooked, and with very little fishing pressure, might hold good fish regularly. A straight weedline without any unique features in it will generally hold less fish than one which features more turns and options.
Inside edges are made for twitching a minnow bait like a Rapala, or running with a spinnerbait or buzzbait. In spring, a jig or plastic worm can be very effective on pre-spawn bass.
For the mid-depth weeds, there are several things that work. Running a loud bait like a Rat-L-Trap over the weeds can draw active fish. The nice thing about the Rat-L-Trap is that it sinks and you can fish it fast, drop it down slower, or “yo-yo” it up and down in the open water. Where regular crankbaits might run too shallow or dive into the weeds, you can control the depth of the Rat-L-Trap, which makes it very effective for the mid-depth weeds.
If the fish are coming up, walking a Zara Spook or popping a Pop-R Chugger works well. And, twitching a soft plastic stick bait, like a YUM Dinger, right down on the weed tops can pay big dividends.
For the deep edge, I like jig worms, tubes and plastic worms. A 7-inch black Power Worm on a mushroom-type head is hard to beat. I go with the same Power Worm, Texas rigged, for going into the weeds. Straight-tail Power Bait worms, black and blue on a Shakey head, are good when finesse is the order of the day. For tubes, I like the 3½-inch Texas rigged, though based on water clarity I might go with a bigger one where the visibility is poor.
For clear lakes, go with a white/smoke laminate with silver glitter. Otherwise, watermelon seed, green pumpkin and black/blue are good colors to drop down along the deep weeds. You can also add weight to a soft plastic stick bait to get it deeper, too. Black with blue glitter is a proven winner. Go with a No. 3/0 Gamakatsu Z-bend worm hook for the Dingers and plastic worms. I like No. 1/0 Z-bends on the smaller tubes and usually mold my own jig worm heads on No. 3/0 hooks.
Generally, I like medium-heavy rods, like my 6-foot, 6-inch long Quantum Energy PT in baitcast and spinning rig for most of my fishing. I go with 12-pound Sufix Elite on spinning and Sufix Siege on the baitcasting tackle. For the outer edge, I scale down a little to medium spinning tackle and 10-pound-test line, as long as I can get the fish away from the weeds relatively fast.
Because weeds of any type can be fairly dense and tough, it pays to use high-quality line. Also, inspect the line often to make sure there are no nicks that will cost you on the next hook-set.
It’s possible to catch bass at all depths when the weeds go from shallow to deep. But, if you’ve been passing over the deep weed edge with regularity, take the time to give it a try. You might be pleasantly pleased when it’s all said and done. BACK TO TOP
Playing with Perch: Hellgrammites on hooks
By Dave Lemke
Every year a pattern begins in late July and continues through early August, when the perch fishing starts to heat up. Although perch fishing can be pretty decent early in the year around new weed growth in a lake, when the mayfly hatch occurs in late May to early June, the perch position themselves in the mud flats of a lake to gorge at the feast—making the bite slow considerably. The mayfly larvae or nymph we commonly call, wigglers, emerge into the adult stage mayfly through the water column and the perch are there to take the easy pickings.
Not only can that phenomenon make perch fishing tough, but walleyes and other 
fish species come for the takings as well. I’ve even seen muskies swimming on the surface of the water with the water line in the crook of their open mouth, skimming the surface for the spent wiggler casings that seemed to be every where.
Even though Lake Winnebago doesn’t have much of a mayfly hatch, they do have a lake fly hatch that occurs at the same timeframe and the results are the same. Perch are scattered about in the mud bottoms that are the biggest areas in most lakes, which makes them difficult to locate and catch. They will spend the rest of the summer in the deep water of the mud flats feeding on various forms of food.
One thing I have learned through the years by looking at the stomach contents of perch is they prefer to eat larvae or nymphs and crustaceans. Those two food sources come into play why the perch fishing starts to get better in late July and early August. The perch will move from the deep water and relocate themselves to take advantage of those two food items. Let’s look at one of these food sources first and the role it plays on the perch location.
In this timeframe, the dragonfly hatches start and the dragonfly nymphs are prime food for the perch. These nymphs, commonly called hellgrammites, are much bigger in size than the mayfly larvae. So, you can see why the perch want to take advantage of this food source. It’s no coincidence that the availability of this bait to fisherman and the good perch fishing happen at the same time. Weeds are where the nymphs hang out and the edges of deep weed lines are where you will want to go armed with hellgrammites for bait.
You can use just a plain hook or use a small horizontal jig under a slip bobber. I tend to have better luck with the jig; the perch seam to prefer horizontal presentation of the bug. Since the deeper weeds are where they are, the slip bobber works the best. You can also fish either rig without a bobber over the side of the boat, which can also be a deadly tactic. Thunder bugs, which are another form of dragonfly nymphs, are a bug that is used by fisherman to catch perch at this same time also.
It is no secret that perch love to eat crustaceans. That is how our lakes got infested with the rusty crayfish. Years back fishermen knew this and started using the soft shell crab as bait. Well, live ones got into the lakes and the rest is history. Native and the rusty crayfish in our lakes mate in early spring, late summer, or early fall. The eggs from the ones that mate in early spring develop into small crayfish that are about one to two inches long at this time frame. They are just the right eating size for the perch.
These juvenile crayfish love to feed on various insect forms, and therefore are in the same places you’ll find the dragonfly nymphs and the perch. I’ve had great success using hellgrammites to catch perch only to find out that their stomachs were full of small crayfish. When the perch this time of year have the feed bag on, they will not hesitate to pick up the bug as an easy meal. The nymphs are hard to keep alive after capture and the best way is to layer them in wet newspaper and keep them cold.
This is a great time to take the kids fishing. The weather is nice, bite is on and bobber fishing is easy for them. So grab some bugs and have some fun this summer.
Just a Note on Hellgrammites
Many people—including bait shops, anglers and often myself—incorrectly call dragonfly nymphs, hellgrammites. The true hellgrammite is the larvae of the Dobson fly, which is also used for bait. They are more native to the eastern United States. The true hellgrammite can live up to 3 years underwater in the larval stage because they have gills. They can reach 2-3 inches in length and have short sharp pincers on their head that can inflict a painful bite to human hands trying to catch them. Their hard, segmented bodies can survive for long periods once they are hooked to be used as bait.BACK TO TOP
Bassology: Sun screens for Bass
By Mike Yurk
When we close our eyes we see nothing. That is because we have eyelids to keep our eyes moist. However, the other purpose for eyelids is for us to protect our eyes from extreme light.
Fish do not have eyelids. They live in water so the environment they live in provides moisture for their eyes. Fish have their eyes open all the time, even when they sleep. Because they have their eyes open all the time they are very sensitive to light. This is an important fact for us bass fishermen to understand.
Bass will move to escape the effects of the sun. That’s why so often we will find bass in shaded areas and not on banks where the sun penetrates into the water.
It has been my experience that bass might be the most tolerant fish of all when it comes to water temperatures. Even on the hottest days of the summer we can find bass in shallow water as long as the sun does not affect them. Water clarity and sunlight, or lack thereof, will influence where bass go more so than water temperatures.
Most bass lakes have dirty or discolored water, which is a distinct advantage to bass and bass fishermen. Discolored water will cut down significantly on the sun penetrating into the water.
During the summer many of our best bass fishing lakes will have a problem with bloom changing lake water to green. The green tint blocks the sun, allowing bass to hold in water that’s shallow, close to banks. If the water was clear these same spots would be devoid of fish.
A breezy day when the wind ruffles the surface of the lake is also an advantage to fish. The ruffled water again defuses the light and retards the penetration of sunlight into the water. Although this might have a marginal affect on lakes with discolored water, it will be a major advantage on clear-water lakes.
Weeds are another factor in protecting fish from the affects of the sun. Many times bass will settle into the weeds again in an effort to get away from the affects of sunlight. That also holds true for lily pads. There are other reasons as well that bass are attracted to weeds and lily pads, but one of the factors is that it protects them from the sun.
Shade goes a long way to protecting bass from sunlight. Overhanging trees and brush will provide shade close to banks. The position of the sun will also help aide the stretch of the shade and how far it will reach across the water. In the morning there will be more shade on the eastern shore of lakes where the sun is behind the trees on the east side and will shin directly on the western bank. By the afternoon the opposite will occur as the sun will shine onto the eastern bank and cast shade out across the western side of the lake.
Man-made cover such as docks, boat lifts and boat houses also provide shade for fish. Although again, there are other reasons than just shade that attract bass to docks and other man-made cover, shade is still a significant factor.
Obviously cloudy days, especially on clear-water lakes, will provide better bass fishing conditions than on sunny days. Discolored water might not be as affected by cloud cover as much as clear water. However, over the years I have found, regardless of where I fish, cloudy days will generally provide better fishing than clear days with bright sunlight.
We fish where we can and when we can, regardless of the water conditions or weather, so there will be days we find ourselves on clear lakes on sunny days with little or no wind. There is a great smallmouth lake in northern Wisconsin that I fish with very clear water. I find smallies in basically two areas: They hold tight to shaded areas such as under docks, boat lifts and even anchored boats. There are a number of people that have anchored their sailboats in the water or have swimming rafts. Those are two other ideal spots for finding fish.
The other place I look for fish in this clear water lake is in deeper water. The bass will gravitate to deeper water to escape the effects of the sunlight. In dirty or discolored water I generally look to find fish in water less than 10 feet. In clear water I start fishing in water more than 10 feet deep.
Bass will move to protect themselves from the sun. They need to find their own sun screen. Understanding how and why bass are affected by the sun will help you to catch more bass throughout the year and especially on the brightest days of the summer.BACK TO TOP