Now it’s time to punch a mat

It’s been a long, hot summer. That’s not all bad, though, because that means the mats and the grass will be thick in most of our waters. And, where there’s thick mats and grass there’s almost always a bass or two. I love it!

I fish Southern mats in a very precise and logical manner. First, and this is critical, you need to pick the right mat. I like the ones that have a canopy over them, a place where a bass can hide and ambush prey. I also want holes and indentations in the mat. Some of the best ones will have spots that look like someone cut a slice of pie out of them

Another thing about fishing mats is that you want to hit the right spot with every cast. What you don’t do, or at least what I don’t do, is throw your sinker and lure way up in the air and hope it startles a bass into biting when it crashes down on top of the crust.

What you should do, or again what I do, is make precise and highly accurate flips and pitches into high percentage spots — holes, cuts and other obvious ambush points. And, you do it with a soft, almost finesse-like entry.

Something else that doesn’t work for me is to make repeated presentations into the same spot. I’m a two-hop guy. I put it in where I would be if I were a bass, let it fall and then hop it two times. If I don’t get a bite doing that, I move along to the next place that looks good.

The right tackle is important, too. I’ll tell you what I use. It’s not the only stuff that’ll work, but it is some of the best.

Rod: 7-foot, 6-inch medium heavy Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris Signature Series Titanium rod — the white Carbonlite models are also good for this technique

Reel: Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris Signature Series Titanium reel, 6.2:1 gear ratio

Line: 65-pound-test Stren Braid

Weight: 1-ounce Bass Pro Shops XPS Tungsten Flipping Weight

Hook: 4/0 Trokar Big Nasty Offset Worm Hook

Lure: Luck E Strike Drop Dead Craw (Black Ice)

As you move up north, more towards Canada, the mats will get thinner and smaller, but there are still plenty of good ones around. They fish just like the ones in the South.

At the same time you’ll run into lots and lots of heavy, thick grass. It won’t get heavy enough to make mats, but it’ll still hold bass. Most of them will be in or around the holes in it. They’re great places for a bass to ambush something to eat.

Being precise and easy is just as important in grass as it is with a mat. Close to a hole isn’t good enough. You have to hit it right on the nose. My two-hop rule stays in place, too. Anything more than that is a waste of fishing time, at least in my experience. (Of course, wasting your time fishing is a matter of perspective. It still beats working.)

I use the same tackle as I would for a mat except that I downsize my sinker to a 3/4 or 1/2 ounce, and I respool with 50-pound-test braid. Regardless of how thick the grass might get, it’s never like a mat.

Take advantage of the grass while you can. It won’t be long, and it’ll be dead and gone.