THE RETRIEVE
I keep my boat moving and use a fast retrieve when I’m covering water looking for active bass. When I get a strike or see a bass following my lure, I’ll slow down and start to fish the area more thoroughly. Then, I’ll make several passes back and forth to determine exactly where the bass are holding.
It’s important to make constant contact with the grass when fishing the swim jig and vibrating jig, because it causes the lure to change direction and speed. The change in action is what causes a reaction strike. Most of my bites come as I’m pulling the jig into a grass clump or as it breaks free. I rarely get bites reeling the bait above the grass without making any contact.
If a bass short strikes my lure during the retrieve I continue reeling through the bite without changing speed. I’ve learned by keeping a consistent retrieve speed after the initial strike rather than speeding it up or slowing it down increases my chances of catching the bass interested in my bait.
THE TAKEAWAYS
Fishing shallow vegetation is relative to the body of water you’re on. Whether the shallow vegetation you fish is 1- to 2- or 8- to 10-ft deep, a swim jig and vibrating jig will still produce; but you may need to change the weight of the lure or line size to keep the bait in the part of the water column you’re targeting.
IF YOUR LAKE IS FULL OF VEGETATION, DON’T LET IT OVERWHELM YOU. PICK ONE SECTION OF THE LAKE AND FISH THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF GRASS AVAILABLE TO YOU. AFTER YOU DETERMINE WHICH TYPE OF GRASS THE BASS ARE IN, YOU CAN EXPAND YOUR SEARCH ON OTHER PARTS OF THE LAKE AS WELL. SOON, YOU’LL GAIN MORE CONFIDENCE AND BECOME MORE EFFICIENT FISHING SHALLOW VEGETATION.
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