Simple, Effective Baits For Catching Bass From Grass

Shallow weedlines, reed beds, grass flats, and deep milfoil or cabbage beds are just a few places anglers often catch largemouth and smallmouth bass during summer. A key habit for many is having several rods rigged with a variety of baits to allow for fishing different types of aquatic vegetation cover across a range of depths. Here’s a look at four of the best fishing presentations for catching bass from grass.

The Bait

• Texas-rigged 3.5” Cleanup Craw on 4/0 RedLine Hybrid Wide Gap hook or 4” Bronco Bug on 4/0 RedLine HD Flippin’ hook.

Why it Works

• Buried hook point helps the rig come through grass naturally and without snags.
• Sinker Stop keeps weight in place, ensuring a vertical drop that prevents snags and maximizes the bait’s action.
• Meal-sized profile and enticing kicking claw action help bass easily find either of these CrushCity plastics in grass, and then promptly trigger a strike.

Where and How to Fish it

• Pitch and flip the rig to wild rice, reeds, pads and cattails, into grass beds, and along grasslines. 
• Lift-drop several times before removing from heavy grass; hop, swim, and drag bait along the bottom through sparse vegetation and open spaces within grass beds.

Recommended Gear

• Myth or Oath 7’3” medium-heavy casting rod, Concept A or Modus SZ2 Baitcaster, 40- or 50-pound ProMix Braid

The Bait

• Tex-posed 4-1/4” Freeloader on 4/0 RedLine Hybrid Wide Gap hook

Why it works

• Tex-posed rigging and the Freeloader’s slow fall make it easy to work through grass without snags.
• Rapala’s Smart Injection Technology perfectly distributes salt, giving the Freeloader an enticing dying-baitfish sink that’s potent at drawing bass out of grass and triggering strikes.

Where and How to Fish it

• Make long casts when fishing the Freeloader over grass flats and along grass lines in clear water.
• Use short to medium casts for dissecting emergent cover, shoreline weeds and irregular grasslines.
• Get the Freeloader darting erratically back and forth with a twitching retrieve, before adding a pause to mimic an injured or panicking baitfish.

Recommended Gear

• Myth or Oath 7’1” medium spinning or casting rod and reel combo, 20 to 30-pound ProMix Braid (15-pound Fluorocarbon Leader optional)
• Pro-Tip: The Freeloader is also an excellent trailer for spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and bladed jigs, which are also excellent for catching bass from grass.

The Bait

• Crossover Pliers are used to place a Crossover Ring over a 5” Pigstick. For Wacky, insert a RedLine Wacky Neko hook into the Crossover Ring’s hook channel so the hook is positioned perpendicular to the Pigstick. For Neko, position the hook parallel to the Pigstick, and then insert a Neko or Half Moon Wacky weight into the plastic’s bottom end. 

Why it Works

• Smart Injection Technology precisely balances extra salt, giving the Pigstick its captivating shimmy on the fall.
• A wacky rigged Pigstick’s slow, horizontal, quivering drop is irresistible to bass and, being lightweight, won’t fall deep into grass, which significantly reduces snags.
• A weighted Neko Pigstick falls faster to the bottom, before assuming a tail up, tantalizing quiver.
• Crossover Ring and easy Neko weight insertion/removal allow for fast, easy rig adjustments when needed.

Where and How to Fish it

• Fan cast sparse grass beds and flats, and make precise casts to target openings and edges.
• A weightless wacky-rigged Pigstick is outstanding in shallow water or when bass are suspending.
• The faster drop of a Neko-rigged Pigstick is excellent for fishing deep grass, and when bass are triggered by a fast fall.
• Strikes during or just after the initial fall are common. Lifting and then letting the Pigstick fall a few times will also stimulate bites.

Recommended Gear

• Myth or Oath 7’1” medium spinning rod, 3.0-sized spinning reel, 15-pound ProMix Braid with 12- to 15-pound Fluorocarbon Leader.

The Bait

• PXR Jowler 127 “as is” right out of the package.

Why it Works

• Floating across the surface enables the PXR Jowler to avoid underwater grass snags.
• The lure’s hard-cutting, splash-n’-walk action and dual frequency knocker get the fish’s attention and exploit their predatory instinct to attack prey from below.

Where and How to Fish it

• Make long casts to cover water and sift through large grass flats, long grass points and shorelines.
• Work the PXR Jowler along the edges of reeds, wild rice, cattails and other emergent vegetation to draw bass from cover.
• Make the PXR Jowler skitter, splash and dance side-to-side with a downward, twitching retrieve. Immediately raising the rod tip back to the starting position and reeling in slack line before the next downward rod snap.

Recommended Gear

• Myth or Oath 7’3” or 7’1” medium-heavy baitcasting rod, Concept A or Modus SZ2 baitcaster, and 17- or 20-pound Advance Monofilament or 30- to 50-pound ProMix Braid.
• Note: if experiencing treble hook tangles in braid during casts, add a 36-inch mono leader to remedy the issue.

A Texas-rigged Bronco Bug or Cleanup Craw, Tex-posed Freeloader, Neko or Wacky Pigstick,  and PXR Jowler represent four distinct presentations for catching bass from grass. But this isn’t an exhaustive list.

Crankbaits, like the Dive-To, BX Brat and Ott DeFoe Garage series, are also excellent for covering water and getting strikes from largemouth and smallmouth relating to grass. The Ned BLT on a light Ned Rig Jig is another one to have, especially when conditions require downsized, finesse tactics.

To wrap up, always have a good sampling of presentations for effectively fishing various types and depths of grass cover, and for appealing to different fish activity levels.