FS Digest

My local jighole is a public lake, surrounded by homes with large lawns. A few years ago it was clear, but the constant use of fertilizer on the neighboring lawns have turned the lake into a veritable jungle of water grass. I don't exaggerate at all when I say that sometimes I expect the lake would eventually become a grass carpet that a man could walk across. It's near impossible to not pull up a knot of weeds at every cast. How would any of you go about fishing a pond like this?

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by SammelRdSnake

charlykilo Loc: Garden Valley Ca

Go weedless lures? I like top water .

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Very sad to see that happen to a body of water. I have noticed in recent years, around where I live in NW Michigan, that public awareness of what happens to lawn fertilizer run off and folks are being extra cautious by not bothering to "pimp up" their lawns anymore.

As for fishing in that kind of stuff, I would throw in the towel and give up unless I could find some sort of open water in that lake to get a lure down and in sight of a fish. Before totally conceding, and if there "are" fish to be caught, especially bass, I would stick with topwater weedless baits like scum frogs, etc.

mistred64 Loc: Grayslake, illinois

I know the situation exactly. My parents built a cottage on a decent lake in central Wisconsin. I was about 10 when they bought and I loved being there every other weekend and summer vacations. The lake was shallow as it was a dammed off river to create a lake. Narrow but 13 miles long and it was somewhat weedy but also many lilly pads. It was a good fishing lake. We caught many Northern Pike and jumbo Perch. Over the years it became more choked off with weeds and the nice lily pads got swallowed up. As you say you could walk across the water. Our fishing spots became impossible to fish. You couldn't go more than 40 feet without putting the motor in reverse to get the weeds off the prop and sometimes you had to lift the motor to clear the water intake. Then they started using weed cutters that cut 2 channels lengthwise and there really wasn't any fishing on the lake, just frustration. Years passed, dad passed, and after a year or two mom and I sold it.

Andyconnor Loc: Ohio

Seedless flies help but the weight of lily pads will pull off flies if the fly goes under
the pad and you start the back cast

Andyconnor Loc: Ohio

Poppers

Jwid Loc: Lake Killarney, Ironton, MO

Hollow body frog.

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

If you're fishing from the bank,then as Jwid said, hollow bodied frogs, and I'll add Mice, Bugs, and KVD Popping Perch. All are hollow bodied and Weedless.
If you're fishing from a boat, yak, canoe, etc. then punch through the pads or mats with a heavy jig and narrow trailer, 3/4-1oz. Drop them to the bottom, bounce them up and down a few times, retrive and flip them to another spot, and repeat.