Finding and catching bass in lakes filled with weeks (aka grass) can be challenging, but some basic knowledge with modern fish finders and a weedless Texas rig leads to quick success. Pro bass angler Bob Downey explains how to locate key grass edges and find the best grass using a simple Texas-rigged tube setup.
Downey first stresses that finding fish requires patience and poking around. Most often than not, grass bass bury in the cover where they weight in ambush. They don't usually stand out on forward-facing sonar, so you need to fish around to find them. Modern sonar technologies like 360 Imaging and forward-facing sonar clearly show and define important attributes of grass.
While MEGA 360 paints a clear image of the grass (density, distance, direction), Downey adds extra content by scanning with his MEGA Live transducer, which provides distance to the cover and grass height while revealing pockets. It's your job to break down complex and expansive grass beds fast and pattern what the bass are relating to -- catch a fish, look for similar cover with your eyes and fish finders, and repeat. A pattern can become quickly apparent.
It's hard to beat a light Texas-rigged plastic in heavy grass such as coontail and milfoil, key grass types for bass up north. Downey makes long casts and allows the Texas rig to settle in the weed stalks. He then pulls the bait from the grass and drops it back down into the limbs and stalks. Think of it as stroking a jig, only it's a Texas rig, and your bottom is the plant itself. Bass can't resist a mouthful of tube slithering through the grass in this manner.
Focus your casts around holes, pockets, or points in the grass, as they are prime ambush zones. These are nondescript spots for most anglers, so you usually have the fish to yourself once you locate a school. Downey prefers a medium-heavy power rod equipped with a fast reel and straight fluorocarbon line, as he feels the measured rod coupled with line stretch keeps fish hooked better than a stiff rod or braid setup.
