Vegetation vs. Bite 2024
Mottel reply :
I fish a pond with heavy vegetation at the bottom, and quite often, you feel resistance of the lure trying to maneuver its way through the vegetation. But how can you tell if the resistance is the vegetation, and not a fish? I don’t want to miss bites thinking it’s just the vegetation, yet again I don’t want to set the hook in case of doubt, and really all I’m doing is shoving my lure into deeper cover, eventually snagging it.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Hold the tension against the line and just wait for it to do something until you're satisfied it's just weeds. The more experienced you get, the less time it will usually take but we all get fooled from time to time.
jbmaine reply :
Setting the hook on weeds from time to time is a fact of life in this kind of fishing. But as Bluebasser 86 said, the more experienced you get the easier it will be to tell the difference. I can't always tell someone how I knew it was a fish instead of weeds when I set the hook, but after fishing this way long enough your instinct will be sharpened enough to pick up the subtle difference between weeds and fish.
Catt reply :
In a Bassmaster University video titled “Denny Brauer on flipping and pitching”, in it Denny answers viewer questions and one question was “what does a jig bite feel like?” Denny’s answer was “I don’t know but I know what it doesn’t feel like!”, he went on to say he felt 100% confident that not a single bass wrapped it’s lips around his lure and he didn’t take a shot at it.
His next commit was “observers in my boat might think I’m a complete idiot because I set hook 20 times but only landed 5 bass so the other 15 times I didn’t have a clue want was going on and they may be right but one thing for sure the other 15 times were not bass.
When in doubt, drop the rod, reel the slack, & set the hook!
NHBull reply :
@Catt Bingo!
Swings are free......
On a side note, when I am in those situations, I really focus on moving the bait with the rod and just reeling the slack. It helps me distinguish between something stopping my bait vs pulling or moving the bait.
813basstard reply :
Anything that’s not an animal on the other doesn’t pull. It sticks. Like I tell my 8 year old, if your the only one pulling, it ain’t a fish. But until you figure out what to feel for, set the hook anyway.
MarkH024 reply :
If you're able to, watch your line. If you see it moving, set the hook 
This is where a hi-vis line shines. Sometimes ripping those lures out of the weeds aggressively triggers strikes, which you most certainly will feel. But don't be afraid to set the hook on everything. And, cast back to the same spot a couple of times if you think you missed a fish.
Catt reply :
Don't be surprised when a 2 lb bass inhales your 1 oz jig without any tell-tale line movement and proceeds to sit there until you apply too much pressure at which time they spit it!
WHEN IN DOUBT!
Drop the rod, reel the slack, & set the hook!
scaleface reply :
On 8/14/2018 at 1:34 PM, Mottel said:But how can you tell if the resistance is the vegetation, and not a fish?
It can be difficult . Sometimes I get the weeds half way to the boat before figuring out its not a bass .
Dens228 reply :
The best way to learn is to set the hook and not have a bass rather than not set the hook, not get the bass, and not know you even had one. Over time you'll get the feel of the small, consistent tick-tick of weeds/rocks vs the bit from a bass.
As is often said, hooksets are free.
sfpalatka reply :
It's not unusual when fishing thick vegetation to pull up 6lbs of weeds with a 2lb fish being attached underneath it. If in doubt set the hook.
scbassin reply :
I have been BASS fishing for 46 years. Catt & I went to different schools together so when in Doubt SET THE HOOK!!
Todd2 reply :
Yup, I'm in the swing club. You can catch a Bass on an unsure swing. I've done it more times than I can remember. I also have caught a lot of tree pounders...lol
Catt reply :
On 8/14/2018 at 10:03 PM, scbassin said:I have been BASS fishing for 46 years. Catt & I went to different schools together so when in Doubt SET THE HOOK!!
Here's another one, the lightest most subtlest bite will be from the biggest bass!
scbassin reply :
How True probably 99% of the time.
Dens228 reply :
On 8/14/2018 at 9:58 PM, sfpalatka said:It's not unusual when fishing thick vegetation to pull up 6lbs of weeds with a 2lb fish being attached underneath it. If in doubt set the hook.
That's so true...Last year I was fishing in about a foot of weed infested water using a 5 inch Senko when I got a hit, as I was pulling that bad boy in I was thinking, there must be 20 pounds of weeds on this bass! It was a 48" musky! LOL
DINK WHISPERER reply :
On 8/14/2018 at 10:11 PM, Catt said:
Here's another one, the lightest most subtlest bite will be from the biggest bass!
This is the absolute truth right here! I've had many a giant tungsten weight come flying right at my face after setting on nothing. ????
Mobasser reply :
As others have said, set the hook! Doing this will increase your catch rate for sure.I also agree that the biggest bass can strike the lightest. One theory is this: small bass compete for food much more than big ones. Those 8 pound+ fish eat when they feel like it. Sometimes, you just get a " sense" that something is slightly different. If so don't fool around. Quickly take up slack and set the hook.If it's not a fish- so what? Reel in , quickly check your bait, or re rig your Texas rig, and fire off another cast. But always set the hook
GReb reply :
On 8/14/2018 at 10:11 PM, Catt said:
Here's another one, the lightest most subtlest bite will be from the biggest bass!
Yep! Caught a 8.5 lb one day on a brush hog. Didn’t feel a thing. Just noticed my line move about a half inch to the left. Had I not been looking at the line in the water I’d have likely never known before he spit it out
Ksam1234 reply :
I have to say unless you know 100% it’s weeds always set the hook. I started fishing a jig a lot this year, that was my fishing resolution to get better at jigs. I was out fishin last week and I swore I had weeds on my jig every few casts but when I reeled it in now even a single weed residue was on it. I thought to myself something is wrong. The next time I felt that “mushy” feeling everyone mentions. I swore it was weeds bc I felt no tick or tug but I felt mush.. I set the hook anyways and what do ya know.. it was a fish. Nice 3 pounder. So now I set the hook on all the mush until I can get better at telling the difference
Mottel reply :
On 8/15/2018 at 6:55 AM, Ksam1234 said:I have to say unless you know 100% it’s weeds always set the hook. I started fishing a jig a lot this year, that was my fishing resolution to get better at jigs. I was out fishin last week and I swore I had weeds on my jig every few casts but when I reeled it in now even a single weed residue was on it. I thought to myself something is wrong. The next time I felt that “mushy” feeling everyone mentions. I swore it was weeds bc I felt no tick or tug but I felt mush.. I set the hook anyways and what do ya know.. it was a fish. Nice 3 pounder. So now I set the hook on all the mush until I can get better at telling the difference
But if your pond is very weedy, you’re going to be setting the hook every cast?
The pond I fish at has a lot of vegetation. When I reel in after each cast, I always feel pressure either from vegetation or maybe a bite but I don’t know. I would be setting the hook 100x if I set it whenever I feel pressure.
Catt reply :
On 8/15/2018 at 8:19 PM, Mottel said:But if your pond is very weedy, you’re going to be setting the hook every cast?
The pond I fish at has a lot of vegetation. When I reel in after each cast, I always feel pressure either from vegetation or maybe a bite but I don’t know. I would be setting the hook 100x if I set it whenever I feel pressure.
With experience you learn to distinguish between the two but even after 60+ yrs fishing vegetation there are times I'll go "Wait! What!".
Those are the times we're talking about ????
Ksam1234 reply :
On 8/15/2018 at 8:19 PM, Mottel said:But if your pond is very weedy, you’re going to be setting the hook every cast?
The pond I fish at has a lot of vegetation. When I reel in after each cast, I always feel pressure either from vegetation or maybe a bite but I don’t know. I would be setting the hook 100x if I set it whenever I feel pressure.
I don’t mean set the hook on all pressure. Sorry to not clarify. I can tell what weeds are for the most part , but there are times as @Catt had said that your not sure. And I noticed a lot of the times I wasn’t sure I didn’t bother to set the hook. So now if I’m unsure at all I set the hook until I get better at detection.
BassNJake reply :
Sometimes I set the hook on a laydown because the branch will pull back when I apply pressure.
I not only mark this spot as a potential spot to fish but also to come back and check it out once they drop the water 20 feet like they do on my lake.
I have named one of these laydowns the jig whisperer as every year I'll grab half a dozen jigs off of it when the water is down.
FishDewd reply :
On 8/14/2018 at 9:42 PM, Dens228 said:The best way to learn is to set the hook and not have a bass rather than not set the hook, not get the bass, and not know you even had one. Over time you'll get the feel of the small, consistent tick-tick of weeds/rocks vs the bit from a bass.
As is often said, hooksets are free.
They're not free, they cost about $5 a pop for snagged jigs. Lol
Dens228 reply :
On 8/15/2018 at 11:46 PM, FishDewd said:They're not free, they cost about $5 a pop for snagged jigs. Lol
Ha, I'm lucky in that fishing mainly from a kayak I can just paddle to the other side of the snag and pull it free.
I've only lost one jig this year.....Unfortunately it was in the mouth of a very large bass that snapped my leader at the kayak.
FishDewd reply :
On 8/16/2018 at 12:18 AM, Dens228 said:Ha, I'm lucky in that fishing mainly from a kayak I can just paddle to the other side of the snag and pull it free.
I've only lost one jig this year.....Unfortunately it was in the mouth of a very large bass that snapped my leader at the kayak.
Yeah... bank fisherman problem lol. I can usually tell when it's a snag though.
Fishingmickey reply :
Mottel, Bite detection can be very tricky. One of the things I have learned over the years is how a bite feels. Getting hung in vegetation, running into limbs/sticks/logs feels dead. When a fish hits or bites it feels "alive". A jolt or tap that moved up the line and is felt by my hands. What I am meaning is instead of me bumping it into something. It is something bumped/grabbed/hit it. I wasn't moving it or if I was it just feels like a different sensation. When I am fishing soft plastics in vegetation I try to use the lightest jig head or worm weight I can get away with while still getting a decent sink rate and casting distance. I hang on the veg then pull and jiggle the bait free and then if it gets "knocked" right after it is freed it's likely a fish you can tell it is alive. There is no substitute for time on the water. Fishing at night is a really good way to improve your ability to detect bites. Hope this helps.
Fishingmickey
the reel ess reply :
For starters, when you use a weighted T rig, you'll usually feel the telltale "thump-thump" so you'll know that's fish...could be bream though. For a jig it's different, and I'll admit I'm not the best at it either. But veggies still won't move. Bass will. Sometimes you feel the thump with smaller fish, but usually, for me, it's moving line that tips me off. Reel up any slack fast and set hard. I've found that some baits fish will hold longer than others. A Berkley Powerbait they'll carry around all day. This covers up a lot of fisherman error, giving you lots of time to set a hook.
geo g reply :
When fishing plastics in heavy weeds go with heavy braid or floro. You will be able to determine a bite from weeds easier. The fish will not be spooked by the line, and weeds don't pull back, only fish do. Do not leave slack in your line, this helps with subtle bites. The more you do it the better you will get at it. The correct line will help a lot. I never use mono for plastics, any more.
Mottel reply :
On 8/15/2018 at 10:51 PM, Ksam1234 said:I don’t mean set the hook on all pressure. Sorry to not clarify. I can tell what weeds are for the most part , but there are times as @Catt had said that your not sure. And I noticed a lot of the times I wasn’t sure I didn’t bother to set the hook. So now if I’m unsure at all I set the hook until I get better at detection.
But what if you set the hook into vegetation that you’re not sure about, and it gets snagged? How often does that happen?
Derek1 reply :
If it’s just veggies you should be able to get it out. Setting the hook should free it up.
Ksam1234 reply :
On 8/16/2018 at 2:17 PM, Mottel said:But what if you set the hook into vegetation that you’re not sure about, and it gets snagged? How often does that happen?
I fish from a canoe and 99% of the time I get my lure back. But if you set the hook into weeds you shouldn’t get snagged so bad that you can’t pop free.
Koz reply :
Occasionally I'm fooled by weeds or some sort of structure, but the best way I can describe it is that the vibration I feel in the rod and line is different when a fish hits it. And of course, the line moving in a different direction is a dead giveaway.
Also, the vibration you feel depends upon the rod you are using. Some are more sensitive than others. NOt all medium heavy fast action (or other types of rods) are equal when it comes to sensitivity. Upgrading my rod opened up a whole new world of fishing for me.
A few here have mentioned snags. There are all sorts of tips regarding vibrating the line and lure retrievers online. But one thing I do is put on a heavy fishing glove, then wrap the line around my hand and start applying pressure. Using the glove ensures that the line - especially braid - does not slice my hand or cause any pain. More often than not the lure pulls free.
Troy85 reply :
On 8/14/2018 at 10:11 PM, Catt said:
Here's another one, the lightest most subtlest bite will be from the biggest bass!
This is so true. The bite from my PB(9lb), was so lite that I wasn't even sure if it was a bite or not. I remember thinking to myself, was that a bite or did my worm just land on a submerged stump. I just set the hook to be safe, I'm glad I did.
Glaucus reply :
On 8/16/2018 at 12:19 AM, FishDewd said:Yeah... bank fisherman problem lol. I can usually tell when it's a snag though.
But not a wade fisherman problem 
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