Best bass lures for heavy weeds | Best baits for fishing submerged grass
As the sun comes up bass will move from open water and into either deeper water or a shallow water with cover.
Floating grass mats and deep submerged grass provide that much needed cover.
When choosing a bait, most of the bait clearly don’t look like something the bass would naturally feed on. But it’s the color and vibration the bait makes is often similar to what the bass normally eat in these areas. And so the bass has to make a split second decision on whether to eat your lure or potentially let an easy meal pass them by.
If you’re just getting started or want some insider information into strategic details on fishing in heavy grass, then do not forget to check out this complete report I wrote for you called: WARNING: Bass Fishing In Heavy Grass? [25 Mistakes To Avoid].
However, if you’re looking for a great list of baits to catch a grass dwelling monster than this is the report you must read over.
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Here is a great list of weedless bass lures for flipping into heavy grass:
Topwater Frog
Not only will bass eat the small fish and crawfish in the water they’ll always consider an easy surface meal like a frog.
Frogs are slow, soft, and lack any sharp spines so bass go crazy over them and they’re found close to shore and around both submerged and emergent grass.
This gives you the opportunity to capitalize on those facts.
Keep the colors simple. Green, white, and black
Examples of hollow body frogs
- Booyah Pad Crasher
- Strike King Sexy Frog
- Spro Bronzeye Frog
- LIVETARGET Hollow Body Frog
- Scum Frog Bassrat
- Perfect for those times when you need more surface disturbance to get the fish to commit
- Windy days, thick slop and finicky fish that have seen other frogs all day long still will take the different action of the Poppin' Pad Crasher
- Great for fishing the slop, but with the cupped mouth it also doubles as a popper/chugger in open water
- Your go-to bait whether you want to work acres of surface scum, skip it deep under a boat dock or work a cover-strewn flooded shoreline
- Super-soft collapseable plastic body; Double 3/0 hooks
- ✅ PERFECT FROG LURES for BASS FISHING, TROUT and PIKE
- ✅ LUNKER FROG (fire belly color) is the MOST LIFE-LIKE FROG available in the market. MAKES CATCHING FISH EASIER due to behaving just like a living frog would in the water. The frog drops down a little into the water perfectly replicating the action of a frog / bullfrog
- ✅ AWARD WINNING frog lure by ICAST- BEST top water frog lure with SWIMMING LEGS that makes this frog lure SO UNIQUE. The LEGS EXTEND & RETRACT that replicates like a LIFE FROG. This frog fishing lure has swimming legs that extend during the retrieve and retract on the pause. At rest, the Lunker Frog is 2.25 inches and will extend to 4.5 inches on the retrieve.
- ✅ WEEDLESS DESIGN for PERFECTLY Catching BASS, PIKE and MUSKY in freshwater. The buried hook point allows fishing a lure 'weedless' enables you to fish through heavier cover such as suspended weed or weed beds.
- ✅ INCREASE HOOK-UP RATE with one of the most popular techniques of freshwater anglers. The Lunker Frog features high quality components, a super soft hollow body construction, and a weedless design.
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Spinnerbait/Chatterbait
Fishing a spinnerbait or chatterbait over and around grass can be a game changer for you. If you see bass exploding on fish that’s a clear indication that you should have a moving bait tied on.
Fish the channels, points, cuts, and parallel to the floating or emergent grass beds.
Simple colors such as white or sexy shad work great. If you know there are bluegill or perch around then made sure you have a couple of those ready to be tied on as well.
Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits may not look like it, but are great weedless bass lures. The front wire or blade will deflect the bait around snags and this vegetation.
Examples of best spinnerbaits and chatterbaits
- War Eagle Nickel Spinnerbait Double Willow
- Strike King KVD Finesse Spinnerbait Double Willow
- War Eagle Mike McClelland Finesse Spinnerbait
- Z-Man Original Chatterbait
- Z-Man Evergreen Chatterbait Jack Hammer
- Strike King Thunder Cricket Vibrating Jigs
- Large size fishing lures set: 2.5’’- 3’’ / Heavy weighted body: 0.25 - 0.28 oz / larger and heavier design to catch big fish
- Each trout lures comes with a sharp treble hooks with brightly colored strike-attractor sleeves
- The packing box makes you more convenient to use and restock. Rooster tail fishing lures is both for Freshwater and Saltwater
- Premium quality blade provides continuous flash and vibration. They are designed for bass fishing and trout fishing, named bass lures and trout lures as well
- Deadly on Bass, Trout, Walleye, Northern Pike and Salmon
- Color blades and matching 60 strand silicone skirts match the forage base of even the most finicky bass
- Built with a Mustard Ultra Point hook
- Pond Magic Buzz is the definitive 1/8 oz buzz bait on the market
- Improving fishing experience
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- Bladed Jig Vibrating Action – The new MadBite Bladed Jig assortment all have an irresistible vibrating action that is tournament proven to catch bass and a wide variety of fish throughout the year. Great in clear water or low visibility conditions. MadBite Bladed Jigs can be use with or without soft plastic trailers to elicit strikes even in tough conditions when other baits just don’t work.
- Multi-Color Silicone Skirts – The soft and supple silicon skirts are available in a wide variety of colors to imitate natural forage and add incredible action and movement to your lure presentations. Color options include Blue with Black, Summer Craw, Green Pumkin/Orange, White/Chartreuse and a Sexy Shad. Jig heads are hard painted to avoid paint chipping and all match the silicone shirt colors.
- Sticky-Sharp Needle Point Hooks – Every MadBite Bladed Jig uses only the finest, sharpest and most durable needle point hooks finished in black nickel plating. The sticky-sharp, heavy wire hooks stand up to hard use in heavy cover conditions and will stay strong even with the most violent hook sets.
- Money Saving 5 pc and 3pc Multi-Colored Kits – To save you even more money, MadBite Bladed Jigs are packed in either 3 pc kits or for an even better value, 5 pc kits that include the best performing bladed jig colors for use year-round. All MadBite Bladed Jigs are packed in durable plastic storage boxes to keep your jigs organized and ready to fish.
- Two Different Weight Options – Color and action are critical to catching more fish but equally as important is using the correct weight of lure to ensure your bait is working at the correct depth. MadBite Bladed Jigs are available in two most often used weights – 3/8 oz. and ½ oz. You’ll want to have a nice assortment of colors in both weight ranges to be sure you are ready for any conditions you’ll face.
- Flash of a spinnerbait, vibration of a crankbait, and profile of a jig combined in a single bait
- Exclusive hex-shaped ChatterBlade for maximum flash and vibration paired with custom heavy-duty, needle point 5/0 hook
- Work the entire water column by varying your retrieve rate—the ChatterBait won’t hydroplane on a fast retrieve
- Wide range of colors and weights to cover all deep and shallow bass fishing application, including 1/4-, 3/8-, 1/2-, and 5/8-ounce
- Customize your presentation by adding a variety of ElaZtech baits as trailers, including Turbo CrawZ, DieZel MinnowZ, RaZor ShadZ, StreakZ, and more!
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The Punch Rig - Best Lure for Heavy Vegetation
photo @venom_lures
Punch rigs are phenomenal weedless bass lures. The rig consists of a heavy flipping weight, a slender bait, paired with a stout heavy-gauge flipping hook.
Often the weight is pegged close to the hook right behind a plastic or glass bead.
Punching or flipping weights are commonly found in the 1/2 – 2-ounce sizes. The heavy weight needs to have a enough mass to punch through heavy vegetation.
Creature baits
The great thing about creature baits is they can be so versatile. It’s no wonder they have exploded in popularity.
Normally found with a longer profile, they are often found with multiple flippers and tentacles that just seem to drive the bass crazy!
Great for clear water and semi-murky water these work not only are these great for fishing submerged grass, these little guys flipped around tree stumps, docks, bluff walls and other vertical structures.
Examples:
- Zoom Brush Hogs
- Big Bite Baits Flying Squirrel
- Culprit Incredi Craw
- Googan Baits Trench Hawg
Beaver baits
When the beaver-style bait hit the market it filled a much needed niche in the bass fishing world. It has a large bulky profile that displaces a large amount of water and paired with a solid flipper tail, it was not seen by the bass until then.
The first beaver baits were the Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver introduced in 2002 by Bass Pro Andre Moore, who founded the Reaction Innovations company. Since then multiple other companies have come up with their own versions of the beaver bait.
One of the most interesting features of the beaver bait is that the main “tail” section can be cut down the middle to add even more action.
Often viewed as more finesse than a flipping jig, a beaver bait often is paired with a punching weight to create one of the best baits for punching grass.
Examples:
- Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver
- Gambler Ugly Otter
- Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Rodent
- Z-Man Palmetto BugZ
- Yum Wolly Bug
- Flanges for consistent, subtle action
- For use behind the DB Structure Head
- Ideal as a flipping or creature bait
- Pack of 7
- Flanges for consistent, subtle action
- For use behind the DB Structure Head
- Ideal as a flipping or creature bait
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Craw Baits
Like the beaver style baits, craw baits are also bulky and displace a lot of water and are amazing weedless bass lures. What makes them different is the craw pincer appendages will flap in the water creating an added disturbance.
However, too much of something is not necessarily a good thing. Many craw manufacturers will make the pincer appendages really big. Unfortunately, those pincer appendages will get wrapped around a branch, a twig, or something else and will prevent the lure from flipping into that deep grass.
So to solve that problem some lure manufacturers have made compact appendages that flap like crazy and will not get hung up, or will remain in a compact craw pincer shape
Examples of compact craw baits that are great for flipping into grass:
- Zoom Speed Craw
- Berkley Powerbait Chigger Craw
- Missile Baits Missile Craw
- Gambler Burner Craw
- Googan Baits Krackin’ Craw
- 2 realistic pinchers
- Long, slender body engineered to create turbulence
- Pack of 7
- Flanges for consistent, subtle action
- For use behind the DB Structure Head
- Ideal as a flipping or creature bait
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Fluke baits & Soft Plastic Swimbaits
Fluke baits are perfect for flipping and pitching into grass they’re long, narrow and bass go crazy with their soft natural feel…
And soft plastic swimbaits also have a similar body shape but have a little tail that kicks back and forth on the fall.
Made with the intention of looking like a real baitfish they are made in a variety of colors, anything from shad, to bluegill, to perch! If you’re first starting out with flipping a fluke choose a bream or bluegill color first because those are the most common forage fish you’ll see around grass mats.
Helpful TIP: If you’re flipping swimbaits make sure you pick a swimbait with a smaller paddle tail. It will prevent from it getting hung up or wrapped around a branch.
Examples of fluke baits and soft plastic swimbaits:
- Zoom Salty Super Fluke
- Berkley Powerbait Jerk Shad
- Lunker City Fin-S Fish
- Z-Man Scented Jerk Shadz
- LIVETARGET Twitch Minnow
- Ultra realistic details including scale patterns, gill plates, 3D eyes and flash foil inserted in the belly. Fishes won't be able to ignore this lure.
- Extremely lifelike swimming action. Features a hard-pounding paddle tail to create enticing kicks and wiggles to drive fishes crazy, luring them to attack.
- Work great for drop shotting. Also ideal for weightless, weedless rig. Even the easiest rig will make it a bass magnets.
- It is the perfect meal size for bass and other general freshwater species and rock fish.
- Pack of 6;Length: 2.76"/70mm; Color: Watermelon;Material: High Quality Silicone.
- 1. Lifelike Swimming Action: Tail split design with super soft material brings extremely enticing swimming action to attract hungry fishes. Closely mimics the appearance and swimming action of a real bait fish, exactly what hungry fishes cannot ignore.
- 2. Realistic Details: This shad soft plastic lure with ultra realistic details, target fishes won't be able to ignore it. The shad lure include highly detailed fish scale pattern, fish gills plate, and ultra realistic 3D eyes. With flash foil in the belly to provide reflection under the water which is good on the days when you need that flash, thus will more attract bites.
- 3. Easy To Setup: You can fish the shad bait with either a weightless hook, jighead, or small weighted hook, or rig it up as a dropshot, Carolina, Texas, shakey, wacky with an extra wide gap hook.
- 4. Multi-Purpose: The soft plastic bait can imitate a lot of natural looking motions and fish of all sizes will attack them. These soft baits are great for bass, trout, panfish, crappie, rockfish, mackerel, smallmouths and stripers fishing.
- 5. Specification: Soft and life-like baits work great, these shad lures are made of high quality soft plastic, very well made lure as for durability and flexability, don't tear easily. A variety of colors available: Color: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09,10. Length x Weight x Quantity : 7.5cm/2.95" x 1.8g(1/16oz) x 6Pcs, 10cm/3.93" x 5g(1/6oz) x 5Pcs, 12cm/4.72" x 8g(2/7oz) x 5Pcs. Different color of the lures according to different fish species.
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Worms
Many anglers overlook worms as a good bait for thick grass fishing. But that can be farther from the truth. Worms are also long and thin and can shimmy their way through the heavy vegetation which makes them exceptional weedless bass lures.
If the water you’re fishing is fairly clear, then flipping a worm into that vegetation should be one of your options.
But the key to finding a good worm to use as a pitching bait is to make sure it isn’t super long and flexible otherwise, you’ll risk getting wrapped around a branch or something. Some of the worms also come with an added kicker tail.
Stick baits are great baits for flipping into grass. They’re long and thin, and not overly flexible, so you don’t have to worry about getting hung up.
Shorter straight tail worms can be great flipping baits too, especially if they have a little flipper or paddle tail.
Examples of best worms for fishing submerged grass
- Yamamoto Senko
- Yum Dinger
- Mister Twister Poc’it Phenom Curly Tail Worm
- Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm
- Missile Baits Quiver Worm
- GREAT FISHING BAIT - The 5" Senko is a staple in the fishing world; The original soft-plastic stickbait is the #1 choice of anglers everywhere; The Senko has spawned thousands of imposters, but nothing beats the original soft stick bait
- UNMATCHED QUALITY - Versatility is a key attribute of the Senko, allowing it to be fished in a multitude of ways that all end up putting more fish in the boat; The only wrong way to fish a Senko is to not fish with the original Senko
- PERFECT FISHING LURE - The ORIGINAL soft stick bait is the bar by which all others are measured; The secret sauce to the Senko fishing bait is the formula; We invented it; We perfected it; And no one else has ever gotten close to it
- BEST CHOICE FOR ANGLERS - Beyond the perfect design and formula lies the Senko's ease of use; There's almost no wrong way to rig it, and whatever your preferred way is, the Senko soft fishing bait is the ultimate fish catcher
- SENKO SERIES - There's a Senko in the lineup for every possible application; Whether you fish it weightless, wacky-style, on Texas or Carolina rig, on shaky head or flipping jig, this slab of plastic will revolutionize your game and increase your catches
- GREAT FISHING BAIT - The 5 Senko is a staple in the fishing world; The original soft-plastic stickbait is the no1 choice of anglers everywhere; The Senko has spawned thousands of imposters, but nothing beats the original soft stick bait
- UNMATCHED QUALITY - Versatility is a key attribute of the Senko, allowing it to be fished in a multitude of ways that all end up putting more fish in the boat; The only wrong way to fish a Senko is to not fish with the original Senko
- PERFECT FISHING LURE - The ORIGINAL soft stick bait is the bar by which all others are measured; The secret sauce to the Senko fishing bait is the formula; We invented it; We perfected it; And no one else has ever gotten close to it
- BEST CHOICE FOR ANGLERS - Beyond the perfect design and formula lies the Senko's ease of use; There's almost no wrong way to rig it, and whatever your preferred way is, the Senko soft fishing bait is the ultimate fish catcher
- SENKO SERIES - There's a Senko in the lineup for every possible application; Whether you fish it weightless, wacky-style, on Texas or Carolina rig, on shaky head or flipping jig, this slab of plastic will revolutionize your game and increase your catches
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Lizards
Let’s get something straight… bass hate lizards. During the spring, lizards and salamanders will raid a bass nest and will eat thousands of bass eggs throughout spring.
The lizard bait is slender, long, and can slip through small cracks and openings in the vegetation.
Keep it simple when it comes to choosing a size and color for flipping grass. Lizard baits between 4-6-inches will do just fine.
If water is clear or if the bass are skittish, downsize to a smaller lizard.
You really need only need four colors. For clear water, green pumpkin or watermelon red flake works great. stained to muddy dirty water, have a couple of packs of either junebug or black/blue.
Many anglers think the ol’ lizard has fallen out of fashion. But the surprising answer is ‘no’. In an article in Bassmaster magazine, a Zoom Baits employee reported that they are selling more lizards more than ever.
Examples of best lizards
- Zoom Lizards
- Yum Lizards
- Berkley Powerbait Power Lizard
“The thing that makes a soft plastic lizard special is the flat belly paired with a tail and legs that have great but subtle swimming action. As for the reason you don’t hear about it more – I think it’s because guys don’t want to spotlight it. They keep it kinda under the collar. But again, come check my boat, and you’ll find a box full of lizards right now."
Mike Iaconelli via Bassmaster interview
- Package length: 16.51 cm
- Package width: 12.192 cm
- Package height: 0.762 cm
- Product Type: FISHING HOOK
- Package length: 16.764 cm
- Package width: 12.192 cm
- Package height: 1.016 cm
- Product Type: FISHING EQUIPMENT
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Flipping Jigs
Saving the best for last, flipping jigs are by far the most used baits for flipping grass and are outstanding weedless bass lures.
Flipping jigs made out list of the top jigs for bass fishing.
Designed specifically for this purpose, the best flipping jigs have these main features: arrow-like pointed noses, a stout-but-flexible weedguard, and a thick unbendable hook. Many times you’ll also see them paired with a bait collar and a loud rattle.
The pointed jig head allows it to slide through cover and be incredibly snag proof.
The weedguard are often color matched to the jig head color to give it a more natural appearance.
The hook you’ll see on most flipping jigs are thicker and stronger than your standard casting jig. You need a stout hook that won’t bend under all the weight from the fish and the grass.
You’ll also see on the better flipping jigs is a collar that will hold the soft plastic trailer in place. As your jig is smashing through the grass you don’t want your trailer to slide off the hook.
Finally you may notice the jig will have either one or two rattles. The rattles will call the fish in like a dinner bell and get the attention of some of the biggest bass.
What are the best jigs for grass fishing?
The jigs that will most likely give you the most success are jigs that are normally considered larger in weight. Half ounce-to-three quarters ounce jigs are best go-to size if you’re just getting started.
If you’re punching floating mats… use a much heavier jig than that. Jigs that are ¾-1½-ounce normally work great.
In submerged grass that has less than 8 to 10 ft depth, reach for a half-ounce size, and anything deeper than 10 to 12 feet, go for a three quarter ounce size.
But wait…there’s an exception… If it’s windy automatically upsize your jig by a quarter ounce no matter what the depth is. This will allow you to stay in contact with the bottom much easier.
- Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover Jig
- Missile Baits Ike’s Mini Flip Jig
- Trashmaster Cover/Flipping Jig
- WEED GUARD DESGIN: Penetrates brushpiles and drop through grassbeds with equal efficiency
- JIG FEATURES: Flat-bottom 18-degree rise, black nickel light wire hook
- ATTENTION SEEKER: Baby Boo Jig has a proven record of catching the big ones
- EFFECTIVE SIZE AND COLORS: 60-strand ultra fine silicone skirt patterns; 5/16 oz lure weight
- TOUGH AND DURABLE: Strong hard coat paint with Plasti-Keeper Spike
- Compact head design
- Super-strong custom Siwash hook
- Large 0° line tie
- Ideal for flipping in clearer water
- WEED GUARD DESGIN: Penetrates brushpiles and drop through grassbeds with equal efficiency
- JIG FEATURES: Flat-bottom 18-degree rise, black nickel light wire hook
- ATTENTION SEEKER: Baby Boo Jig has a proven record of catching the big ones
- EFFECTIVE SIZE AND COLORS: 60-strand ultra fine silicone skirt patterns; 5/16 oz lure weight
- TOUGH AND DURABLE: Strong hard coat paint with Plasti-Keeper Spike
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Best flipping jig color
The color is more important than the brand. The color needs to match the surrounding forage such as green pumpkin, watermelon, sprayed grass, black and blue, and all black.
Depending on the time of year, use different soft plastic trailers. On a regular day (slight breeze, no clouds) a Strike King rage craw or a Berkley chigger craw works great
If the weather is cold and you decide to fish deep grass, you should thread on a Zoom Super Chunk or even an Uncle Josh Pork Chunk trailer.
Don’t forget about pork chunk trailers and cold water… Pork trailers will remain flexible and will maintain it’s natural appearance. Soft plastic baits in the cold water become stiff and will lose action.
One last thing to remember when you’re fishing bass that are held up in deep thick vegetation you want to use a trailer that has a narrow profile. This allows it to slip through the vegetation much easier than a big bulky profile.
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