Take heed when Seth Feider starts dropping knowledge about bass fishing submerged grass. Feider has cut his teeth chasing largemouth bass in fertile fields of submerged grass beds of milfoil, hydrilla and coontail with the simple goal of quickly locating fish then milking the school before moving on. He shares his 5 core rod and bait setups for accomplishing this goal with several additional nuggets relating to rod and reel selection, line choice and bait colors. *Product listing below.
- Texas rig. The first rod Feider grabs, a Texas rig excels as a search bait thanks to how cleanly it comes through cover. Feider prefers ringed EWG hooks over regular EWG and straight-shank hooks — they allow for more range of motion, keep the bait straight on the fall, and deliver exceptional hookup and retention properties.
- Compact tungsten jig. After catching a few bass on a Texas rig, Feider often pitches back with a compact tungsten jig. Jigs present bass with a bulkier profile, which often triggers bigger bass. The compact nature of a tungsten jig is an ideal blend of smaller size and big profile — this blend can generate a lot of bites and big fish.
- Heavy flipping jig. Bass in the fall months love big jigs. Feider reaches for beefy flipping jigs when targeting fall bass. He adjusts his equipment to a 7’6” heavy power rod spooled with straight braid to drive big hooks home.
- Pitching plastic on a Tokyo Rig Heavy Duty Wide Gap hook. A Tokyo-rigged plastic drops vertically through cover with ease while delivering a unique action on the bottom. It’s a great option for targeting pressured bass conditioned to an onslaught of Texas rigs and jigs. Feider uses lighter tungsten with a Tokyo Rig and shakes it on the bottom (like a drop shot) instead of hopping it. He also prefers using flatter beaver-style baits to maintain a horizontal position (increased water resistance).
- Wacky-rigged worm on a Tokyo Rig Worm hook. Feider pitches a wacky-rigged stickbait on a Tokyo Rig round bend worm hook to mop up any remaining bites. In this scenario, he scales his leader material down to 14-pound test for refinement, which also has the strength to handle fish in cover.
ADDITIONAL TACKLE USED:
- VMC Ringed HD Wide Gap Hook
- WOO! Tungsten Flipping Weights
- Big Bite Baits Craw Tube
- VMC Sinker Stops
- OutKast Stealth Feider Jig
- Strike King Rage Menace Grub
- OutKast Tackle RTX Flipping Jig
- BioSpawn VileCraw
- VMC Tokyo Rig
- VMC Tokyo Rig HD Worm
- BioSpawn ExoStick 5″
- Daiwa Tatula Elite Series Casting Rods, 7’3″ / Medium-Heavy / Fast
- Daiwa Tatula SV Casting Reel, 8.1:1
- Sufix 832 Braided Line, 30lb
- Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon (for leader), 14- to 20-pound
When it comes to rods, Feider has downsized his flipping and pitching combos to 7-foot medium-heavy power rods thanks to advancements in braided line. Thanks to braid’s no-stretch properties, Feider feels braid adds a full power, effectively making a medium-heavy a heavy-power rod, but with less fatigue and better fish-fighting properties. All flipping and pitching rods are equipped with fast reels in the 8.1:1 gear ratio range to provide quick pickup/response. Feider spools up with a 30-pound braided mainline mated with a fluorocarbon leader with a Super FG Knot for stealth and a little give (14 or 20-pound depending on presentation). Apply this strategy to take your grass fishing game to new levels!
