TheMinimalistFisherman Loc: Northern Illinois

Hey fellas,
I'm hoping you can help me either identify or come close to identifying the following types of weeds. I have been fishing extremely clear borrow pits lately, and the bottom is a mixture of rock and sand and some mud. The shoreline is very steep, and that continues underwater in most places. In depths from 0 to about 12 feet, there are a lot of what look like "mounds" of weeds that only grow to 1-2 feet in terms of height. You can see areas where the bass have cleared away spots for beds, even where the bottom pitch is steeper than 45 degrees. It's pretty wild actually.

You can see the bass cruising above these underwater mats... but do you have any idea what they could be? I haven't seen a lot of this in Illinois - and they are loose enough that the bass swim straight into them when I release them. This stuff covers a lot of the bottom and creates really cool nooks & crannies where it would otherwise be boring flat bottom.

(Pictures 1, 2 and 3 show them underwater from the kayak, and then above water you can see how they look, and that they grow right up to the shore. Sorry for the low quality.)

Then, out about 15 feet or so, these other weeds are growing straight up - they have smaller leaves, but they sit right off the back side of the mats that I mentioned above. (See pic #4)

Do you have any idea what these are? I'm not having much luck identifying them... and to be honest, I've never paid all that much attention to cover like this - but if you get a big mound of this with tall grass on the shoreline, and the tall weeds behind them, it has been really productive.

Any help is appreciated - thanks!

ripogenu Loc: norfolk, MA

looks like it might be anacharis. not really good enough photo to be positive.

TheMinimalistFisherman Loc: Northern Illinois

I better go back and get better pictures - thank you for the suggestion!

TheMinimalistFisherman Loc: Northern Illinois

UPDATED PICS - any ideas?

Weed Type 1


Weed Type 1


Weed Type 2

Fishdadd Loc: NE Ohio

I’m more interested in the fish you are releasing. 😬 I do a lot of Ohio pit fishing. What are they hitting out there?

TheMinimalistFisherman Loc: Northern Illinois

Well I tell you what brother - it's hit or miss. Early morning I have been having good luck with wakebaits pitched up super shallow, but with transparent finishes. Once the sun gets up it's hard to beat a small stickbait on straight fluorocarbon and a light wire wacky hook. It gets interesting when you need to get down deeper though... the drop-shot is something on my list of to-dos, but I'm just not really anxious to try to catch 'em right below me in crystal clear water.

If you can find any overhanging bushes and pitch way, way up in 'em on some sort of a weedless, weightless plastic - I mean skip it right up in there - that can work in certain spots too.

You having any luck with anything?