How To Fish Lily Pads

How To Fish Lily Pads For Bass

Looking to catch a big bass? Lily pads are a great place to start. Fish them the right way and you can catch yourself a huge fish. What is the best approach?

In this post we will discuss seven tips on how to fish lily pads for bass.

Topwater lures: Topwater lures are probably the best way to fish lily pads for bass. The fast majority of them on the market are 100% weedless. This allows you to fish even the thickest of cover without getting snagged up.

There are many different ways to work topwater fishing lures. You can use them to mimic a frog hopping from lily pad to lily pad, you can use the ‘walk the dog’ approach or you can imitate a dying baitfish. The key is to draw as much attention to your bait as you can. Whichever method you choose, you will no doubt have much success using topwater lures.

Fish the edges: When fishing lily pads many fishermen limit themselves to only using topwater lures. These are very effective in catching bass. However, if you only fish topwater you are limiting your options. When approaching lily pads a great place to start is to fish very edge.

This is effective because it allows you to fish from a distance, thus avoiding the risk of spooking any fish. Shallow water crankbaits as well as spinnerbaits work great when fishing the edge of lily pads. They create a lot of commotion and cover a lot of area in a short amount of time.

Drop it in the hole: If you have fished the edges and you have tried fishing above, but are still not having any results, try bringing the lure right to them. A very effective way to do this is with a jig.  Simply rig up a jig with a fat trailer and pitch it into any hole. Allow the jig to sink, wiggle it around a little bit and bring it back. Repeat this process until you land yourself a big bass. This approach can be especially effective when fishing deeper waters.

Timing is important: On cloudy days, bass are more like to roam freely. However, on a sunny day, bass tend to remain close to cover. This offers them easy access to food, cooler waters, and a sense of security. If you are not getting any bites in the open water it may just be the right time to come in and fish the lily pads. Since bass tend to stick tight to cover make sure you spend time fishing any structures such as: logs, stumps, falling trees, etc.

So we have mentioned some important tips to keep in mind when fishing heavy cover. However, it doesn’t stop there. Just as important as it is to select the right fishing approach is equally important to select the right fishing gear. So let’s talk about some of the gear you will want to have when fishing lily pads.

Braided fishing line: Once a bass is hooked up the first thing he is going to want to do it dive deep into the weeds. In order to get him out of the cover you are going to need a fishing line with little to no stretch. Braided fishing line works great in giving you that extra power you need to haul that fish out of cover. Another added benefit is that braided fishing line is much more abrasion resistant. This will give you that added assurance that your fishing line won’t snap on some log or anything else that maybe in the water.  Generally it is better to go with a lighter pound test when pitching and flipping and a heavier pound test when fishing topwater.

Fishing Rod: When fishing lily pads you are going to need a powerful rod. A good fishing rod that will give you this added power is a heavy rod with a fast action tip. This fast action tip will give you more accuracy and more sensitivity, but at the same time the backbone you will need to bring the fish out of cover.

Think about your approach: If you have ever thought about using a kayak for fishing this may just be the right time to start. Kayaks are great when fishing lily pads as they allow you to sneak up very quietly. Also, because of their maneuverability they allow you to get into much tighter places that you just simply cannot go in a bigger boat.

Now it’s you turn. Share with us in the comments below how you like to fish lily pads.