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A friend of mine likes to fish strip mines covered in heavy moss and normally does pretty well with them. His normal choice is a plastic worm for bass but there are times they just are not interested in the worms and he asked what other choices he had.
If you have ever fished a pond or strip mine covered in moss you know how hard it is to find open water to work your lures. But you also know that these waters can be very productive. I can understand why he likes these places. They are generally isolated, in most cases you may be the only one there, and they are productive.
With moss covered mines or ponds you have to look for open water or breaks in the moss. You normally do not have a lot of room to work your lures and very rarely can you work them deep especially if you’re fishing from the bank.
If the water is almost entirely covered by moss I will try shiners in whatever open water I can find. It is kind of like dropping the bait into a hole. I will begin fishing about three feet deep and gradually increase the depth until I get a hit or my bait is on top of the moss. I have had some very productive days using this approach.
If you can find some breaks where the moss is just below the surface try using buzz baits. They do not snag as much as some of the other top water lures. Buzz baits can be very effective and most times you can actually see a V shape coming after it. If you do don't get to excited and set the hook before he takes it. Unfortunately I have done this a couple of times.
There are other top water lures that may do well including poppers, spitters, prop baits, hard stickbaits, soft stickbaits, etc. My choices for fishing Moss covered strip mines or ponds are plastic worms, buzz baits and shiners.
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Anyone that does any amount of fishing has had to learn how to use plastic worms to catch bass. It doesn't matter if you are fishing for large or smallmouth bass worms work extremely well. They are most anglers primary bait and every anglers fall back if their favorite is not working. They are simple to use and come in many varieties.
Because there are so many varieties the choices can be confusing and you will have to experiment some in the waters you fish to actually find out works best. However there are some general guidelines on how to choose which color and size to use.
Fluorescent colors retain their color in deep waters whereas other colors turn a shade of grey. Color can be something to consider after you find the bass. If they're following the lure, tapping it, or just not hitting it and you tried different presentations, try a different color of the same lure. In general, use dark colors in water with little light penetration such as muddy or stained water, and cloudy or windy days. And use light colors in water with more light penetration – i.e. clear water, sunny or calm days, etc. Use natural colors. Big bass learn from being caught not to resort to their curiosity to react to everything unnatural. That's why natural looking baits produce bigger bass.
There are many opinions about what size to use and again you will have to experiment in your local waters to find out what works best in your waters. As a general rule use 6-7 ½ inch worms for big bass and 4 inch at all other times. Do not take this as a hard and fast rule as I fish the 4 inch worm with a lot of success catching both average and large bass
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Plastic worms probably catch more bass than all other baits put together. Reason enough to use plastic worms for catching bass. Moreover they are simple to use. They are used by beginner and pro alike. Do not let the multitude of choices available today discourage you from using them.
If you are a beginner and want to learn how to fish plastic worms purchase four different colored worms sized 6-7 ½ inches and some 1/0 worm hooks. Get two dark colors and two light colors. These will cover most water conditions.
Rig your tackle with a Carolina rig and go fishing. Cast and retrieve until you get the feel of the worm moving through the water. Vary your retrieval speeds until you get a strike. Slow is better. Not getting any hits change colors. It is that simple to begin but as you gain experience you will want to learn much more about what works best in your waters.
Here are some of the questions you will need to answer as you become more proficient at catching bass.
· Where are the bass staging
· What color worm is best
· What size worm is best
· What size hook to use with each size worm
· What rig works best. The Carolina, Texas, Floating or one of the many others
· What size line to use
· How long should the leader be
· What kind of sinker to use
· How heavy should the sinker be
Some of the best anglers I know only carry three or four different worms with them and don’t vary their rigging much but they have fished those waters for a long time and have learned what works best for them. You can learn too and catch some fish while you are it. If you use plastic worms for catching bass you will rarely be disappointed.
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