Lake Fork, Texas ETS Systems

Quick Menu

 Using Weightless Lizards over Matted Grass and Lily Pads

Article: April, 2004
Lake Fork Pro Jim Reaneau
This month's article will cover the use of weightless lizards over matted grass and lily pads. Almost every serious bass fisherman has used a lizard in their fishing trips. This is a must bait in the spring as this is one of the bass natural enemies. The salamander is a natural predator of the eggs of the bass. The big fish love them. Most of us have used the lizard on a Texas rig or Carolina rig. Most of us only use the bait in the spring. This bait can be fished year round. With the lily pads coming up in most lakes now, this bait can be fished over them very effectively. When it is weightless it is very weedless. You may have to use a little lighter line to get the bait to cast on your bait caster. I sometimes just go up in size to a eight inch length. This will add weight to the bait. You can fish it over the new grass that was growing when lakes were down, and the water has come up over it now. The trick is to throw the bait out and let it sit or if you miss a pad just pull it up on the closest pad and let it sit. Now pull it ever so slowly to the edge of a pad and let it sit and then pull it off into the water between the next pad and let it sit. Don’t move the bait for a full minute. This is when the strike usually will occur. If you are fishing the new weeds that have come up snake the bait through the grass letting the bait stop from time to time. This is what a real lizard would do if you could watch them in the water. Another good tip is when you are using top water and the fish quit hitting the bait you are using switch to a floating lizard and fish in the same areas and you will usually catch a few more fish. When the flip tail lizard was brought out a friend of mine put me on this pattern and I have used it many times since. The main thing is to work the bait slowly. We tend to over work most of our baits. Let the your bait fish for you. How many times have you back lashed? “Which I know most of us don’t know what this means, but then had a fish on your line when you finally got it out.” Think about this. You were not moving the bait and the bass was able to find your bait. So work it slowly when you are over the grass and lily pads. Real lizards would not be trying to draw any attention to themselves.
Thanks and Good Fishing,
Jim

Fishing Tip by EX Lake Fork Guide Jim Reaneau

 

Google Ads