Dan, How do I fish the weeds for bass? I own several bass fishing books but have to find one that has photographs of different types of weeds and bass fishing techniques for those weeds. Yes, I know that I can use a Johnson Silver Spoon to skim the tops of lily pads. But what are coontail weeds? What do they look like? How do I fish it for bass? Thank you. Richard from Chicago, IL

Fishing in and around weeds is a must if you want to catch Largemouth Bass consistently. As you mentioned you can skim a Johnson’s Silver Minnow across the surface of the water and have success. I have a few other methods I would like you to try however. I believe the spinnerbait is hands down the best artificial lure to use in heavy weeds. Like the Silver Minnow you can retrieve it over the top of the weeds. You can however retrieve the spinnerbait as much slower speeds than you can the spoon which tends to sink much faster. The spinnerbait is much more versatile, it attracts the fish through sight and sound. With a spinnerbait you can also use the sinking of the bait to your advantage. With a spinnerbait you can cast to pockets in the weeds and allow the bait to slowly sink to the bottom with its skirt fluttering to attract a strike. The spoon would just quickly hit the bottom if fished in this manner. In different areas of the country different people use the term “coontail weeds” for a variety of weeds. The most common definition would be a somewhat thick green weed also referred to as Hornwort. A second method I like to use in heavy weed cover is to position my boat right next to the weed edge. I then use a large jig rigged as weedless as possible. I use a long rod and flip the jig into the weed pockets. You can often hook some very large bass fishing in this manner.

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