“ Grass in itself is great habitat for baitfish and the whole food chain .”
Grigsby explains . “ Bass love it , especially if it ’ s fresh and crisp . When you come to a lake , it ’ s a great place to start .”
Florida Fish and Wildlife has a “ no tolerance ” policy on hyacinths , an invasive plant species that spreads fast .
“ If you see a spread of hyacinths , it won ’ t last ( in Florida ), but it can be tremendous for flipping and pitching ,” says Grigsby , who has garnered nearly $ 2.4 million in tournament payouts in his pro career . “ Bass love to get under it , hide in the hyacinth root system and eat little crawfish in the bottom of it .”
grass with a difference
So where does a bass angler start on water with myriad grass varieties and greenery as far as the eye can see ?
“ You need to find something different – a point , an open hole , mounds of grass or a sharp edge ,” Grigsby says . “ Maybe
PHOTO BY ENGBRETSON UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY it ’ s a hole the size of your truck hood ; a sharp edge with deep water next to it can be tremendous . Sometimes it ’ s a gradual decline in depth or an edge with clumps like mushrooms . When I find mounds like that , I punch the middle of them or work a topwater like the ( Strike King ) Sexy Dawg along the edges . When you find what the fish really like , you can repeat it .”
Hydrilla beds become prime frogging areas when algae forms over the beds , blocking sunlight and suffocating underlying growth . The decaying vegetation creates holes and pockets where bass can wait in ambush . These become prime “ frogging ” areas , which Grigsby works with baits like the Strike King KVD Sexy Frog or Popping Perch .
He punches mats of hydrilla , hyacinth beds and other thick growth with 1- to 1 1 / 2-ounce weights and an array of relatively small soft plastics , like the Strike King Rage Menace , with few appendages to hang in the tangles . His flipping hook of choice is the Trokar TK 130 in 5 / 0 , 6 / 0 or 7 / 0 .
Transition areas where two varieties of plant life conjoin often lead to a productive pattern . The widely present hydrocotyle , also known as pennywort or dollar weed , frequently couples with other plants .
“ A lot of times I get hydrocotyle and hyacinth mixed together ; hydrocotyle with cabbage , or hydrocotyle with Kissimmee grass ,” Grigsby says . “ Often you will find this transition is what they want .”
early edges , sunny burrows
In the early morning , bass are often active and feeding on the edges of grassy areas .
“ They may be within 20 feet of the mat , and you can throw a topwater lure , a spinnerbait , a ( Strike King ) Thunder Cricket or a lipless crankbait at them ,” Grigsby says . “ Once the sun is up , they crawl under the mat and can be 20 feet inside it . That ’ s when I take a big weight and punch a soft plastic bait through . One time I was fishing a hydrilla bed 25 feet in diameter . I punched through in the center and got a 12 1 / 2-pound largemouth . If I had continued working the edges , I wouldn ’ t have gotten that bite .”
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