6 tips for fishing aquatic vegetation

Terry “Big Show” Scroggins finished the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series season ranked third overall in Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points, and few anglers in the world fish aquatic vegetation more effectively than Scroggins.

He’s won more than $1.5 million in his fairly short professional career, and he graciously provided the following simplified tips for picking apart the weeds more proficiently.

1. First, find the haystack in the hayfield, before you look for the needle

“A lot of fishermen become immediately overwhelmed by a lake full of vegetation. But really, it’s as simple as finding something different or unique among several other acres of aquatic vegetation,” says Scroggins, a former autobody technician. “Focus on finding the pocket, focus on finding a point, focus on finding an isolated floating mat of hyacinths amid several acres of hydrilla or milfoil. The point is, look for something that sticks out, or something unique,” says Scroggins.

2. If you hate picking weeds off your lure after every cast, try using a much bigger weight

“Nobody likes to pick weeds off their lure after every cast, but a lot of that aggravation can be avoided if you’ll use a super heavy 1 1/2-ounce weight to rocket your lure through the pads or grassbeds, as well as when pulling the lure back up through it on the retrieve,” says Scroggins. “A weight that big scares a lot of anglers. I even see some Elite Series anglers trying to fish with weights in the weeds that are way too small, but I’m telling ya’ – go big!”