I found a small pond ive been fishing for the past few days,and it has lots of lillypads arround the banks...(and since I dont have a boat,I'm fishing from the bank)...and ive tried grass frogs and weedless topwater rats,and a few large plastic minnows rigged up Carolina style,and it never fails,I'll make 10 casts or so and not get hung,but then I get hung on the stems of the pads and end up losing the lure b/c it won't break free......does anyone have any advice for me,or any lures that I should try so that I can stay on top of teh pads and not in 'em. And there's plenty of nice ones in there,they're always poppin at what I throw at em,But if they take it down and then spit it,NEVER fails,it gets hung in the stems and won't come free. ANY lures or advice would be GREATLY apreciated....It's gettin pretty tough to go out every other day and lose 2, $3.00 grass rats and a few soft plastics.
I fish in Virginia and my favorite lake is loaded with pads. I have a boat, but that doesn't keep you from getting snagged. If you cast into pads you are eventually going get caught. It's the price you pay.
My favorite lure for the lily pads is a plastic Zoom Horny Toad or a Yum Buzz Frog. These don't float like scum-frogs, but they are slow sinkers.
I rig these plastic frogs texas style with a 5/0 Gamakatsu wide gap worm hook. These are very tough hooks. Once rigged, they are VERY snag free and you can skitter then across lily pads with ease (mostly). My favorite technique is to cast beyond the pads, pull it up onto a pad, let it sit there for a second, then slowly pull it off.
I use a palomar knot to tie on the hook, since it doesn't reduce line strength.
My favoite rig for this is a 6'6" medium-heavy trigger rod (Browning Medallion GT), baitcast reel (Abu Garcia C4 5600), and 14lb test mono (Sufix Seige). Some people say that's too light for lily pads, but here is what I've learned:
1) it's light enough that I can get long, and more importantly, accurate casts, but heavy enough for every fish I've ever caught (had then throw hooks, but never beak loose),
2) the 14lb test line won't overload the rod (I'd rather lose a fish or a lure than break a rod). 30, 40, or 50 lb test braid some people use is overkill in my opinion, and can definately overload a rod - but that's just me.
3) if I do happen to snag a lily pad stem, I can take my towel, wrap a few loops of line around it and pull - hard. More times than not the hook will just tear thru the pad stem.
4) if you do lose one of these frogs, its a fraction of the cost of a singe scum frog. I buy 25 hooks in a pack, and the frogs come 5 to a pack for a little more than the cost of a single scum frog.
BTW, I sometimes use a 7' rod, similar reel, and 20lb test, but I've never really needed it.
I fish the pads often in small ponds around central Florida. I have the best luck with either rubber lizards or stick baits. I rig them on a 5/0 hook with no weight, and try to target openings (holes) in the pads to cast to.If there are no open areas to work, I will fan-cast areas making sure to immediatley start my retreive as the lure hits the pads, and always hold my rod tip up. The lizards give a little better action on a quik retrieve, but the stick baits cast further(allthough they do fall apart quiker from snagging). With no weight on, you should be able to keep the head up by holding your rod tip up. Just try to avoid the "V's" in the pads, as they are sure to catch anything pulled by the line once it is caught up. Most of your strikes are going to be reaction using this method, and the fish will often miss the bait. I find the best way to land them is to pause and lower my rod tip as soon as they hit, wait about 2-3 seconds untill I am sure it is in the fish's mouth, then set the hook and try hard to keep him on top of the pads. From shore, be prepared to wade out to detangle larger fish, as they are harder to slide over the top of the mat. Finnally, I advisde using braided line as it will allow you to pull out most of your snags without sacrificing your hook and having to re-tie.
Will
I have fished a swamp in VA for the past 8 years. There is no way to get through the woods with a boat anyway so I WADE. If the pads are growing, it can't be but so deep. Plus, all i have to worry about is Alligator snapping turtles...no real alligators. Pretty fun for me to catch them on buzzbaits, floating worms and rats/frogs. I use beefy tackle though. I am not shy to use 20lb test on a Shimano Curado on an All Star Pro Team Heavy action 6'10" flipping stick. If he hits...he's mine. Hope this helps.
Hey sky chimp...what lake are you talking about? One of my favorite lakes is in your backyard. Yep, NNCP right on Jefferson Ave. There is an incredible shad population in that lake. Let me know and maybe we can share lakes. I fish one that is loaded, I mean Loaded with wood.
Hey sky chimp...what lake are you talking about? One of my favorite lakes is in your backyard. Yep, NNCP right on Jefferson Ave. There is an incredible shad population in that lake. Let me know and maybe we can share lakes. I fish one that is loaded, I mean Loaded with wood.
Chickahominy Reservoir. I've been hitting that lake frequently lately.
I like Lee Hall Reservoir at NNCP, too. Lots of standing wood. I've caught some good bass there, but other fish I like going after, particularly bluegill, tend to be small. I like Chickahominy since it's a well rounded lake - it's big, lots of different structure, lots of different depths, lots of different species (all with good size). I also like it because I can use a gas motor on it.
Here's a pic I took this spring of my son. I didn't focus on the lily pads, but you can see them. There's a big expanse of them to the left just out of frame, and a huge expanse in the background. In fact, there's lots of good sized expanses throughout the lake.
Yeah, i used to hit the Chick heavy when i lived in Sandston. The grass got on my nerves though. Good bass bite in the morning but once the sun got up....bite was dead. I never got it figured out so I quit. I heard the ring perch in there are really good average size. The Chain pickerel are huge too. Good lake overall.
I don't suppose you will be hitting that any time soon. The chick is high in Richmond and the lake will surely be busting at the seams. Hope you didn't get flooded out.
The Chickahominy Reservoir gets mucky with algea as it gets hotter. Last time I was there, there was only a foot or two between the surface and the algae. Even my weedless stuff got coated in thick, green hair. It can get pretty nasty. But I still have good luck with bass, even at mid day. The bass love those lilypads and I catch them at 1, 2 or 3pm on hot, sunny days.
The lake is great for all sorts of fish from stripers to bluegill. I've never caught a striper in the lake, though, and never caught a bowfin there, which the lake seems to be famous for. We've caught a lot of other fish besides bass. Here's a few:
I found a small pond ive been fishing for the past few days,and it has lots of lillypads arround the banks...(and since I dont have a boat,I'm fishing from the bank)...and ive tried grass frogs and weedless topwater rats,and a few large plastic minnows rigged up Carolina style,and it never fails,I'll make 10 casts or so and not get hung,but then I get hung on the stems of the pads and end up losing the lure b/c it won't break free......does anyone have any advice for me,or any lures that I should try so that I can stay on top of teh pads and not in 'em. And there's plenty of nice ones in there,they're always poppin at what I throw at em,But if they take it down and then spit it,NEVER fails,it gets hung in the stems and won't come free. ANY lures or advice would be GREATLY apreciated....It's gettin pretty tough to go out every other day and lose 2, $3.00 grass rats and a few soft plastics.
Tell me where it'at. No, really try a Horny Toad soft plastic bait with a large texas rigged hook. But you will have to set the hook real hard to connect.
Freakin Lillypads!!
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