It’s no secret big bass live in heavy cover, but this fact presents a challenge — how do you get a bait in front of fish buried in the thick stuff? Professional bass angler Jared McMillan hails from Florida where fishing heavy grass is the norm. He shares his top 4 confidence baits for penetrating heavy cover and triggering bites where other lures fail.
TACKLE USED
- SWIM JIG – Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover Swim Jig
- TRAILER – Strike King Rage Twin Tail Menace
- FROG – Strike King KVD Poppin Perch
- STICK BAIT – Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Ocho
- PUNCH BAIT – Strike King KVD Perfect Plastics Rodent
- HOOK – Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover Flippin’ Hook, 4/0
- WEIGHTS – Strike King Tour Grade Tungsten Weight
- PEG – VMC Sinker Stops
- Swim jig. A swim jig is an excellent lure for covering water. It’s perfect when fishing vast flats of varying weed density and when bass are spread throughout the water column. A swim jig also mimics various forage such as shad and bluegills — this is achieved through simple color and trailer changes. Make sure to select a swim jig with a stiff weed guard to ensure it can be fished through thick cover without exposing the hook.
- Frog. Hollow body frogs like Strike King’s Poppin’ Perch can be fished at slow speeds, making them highly effective at drawing bass in for a closer look. Their unique hook and body design also make hollow body frogs the most weedless baits available.
- Stick bait. McMillan often fishes Texas-rigged stick baits slowly and thoroughly around isolated pockets or structures if bass aren’t willing to feed on top. He fishes stick baits extremely slow, letting the subtle action do the work. They’re an excellent choice when bass aren’t committing to moving baits, a common scenario in the spring when bass are locked on beds.
- Flippin rig. A heavy-weighted flippin’ setup is the best choice when bass are set up underneath thick matted grass. A heavy tungsten flipping weight drives the hook and plastic through so you can access fish-holding holes and pockets underneath.
