Keys:
• start by finding mats on the outside edges of spawning areas.
• cover water, and try different types of mats.
• a hard bottom is key.
• dirty water will shut them down. isolated reeds mixed with mats of hyacinths hay fields where bass spawn inner wall of vegetation photo By d. W. reed ii
Rig Specifics: medlock’ s punching setup starts with an old 7- foot, 8-inch XXh carrot stix Gold flipping stick and high-speed reel spooled with 65- to 80-pound-test braid. he notes that there are many good braids, but it’ s important for it to be smooth and quiet through the guides. he then pegs a 1 1 / 2-ounce tungsten sinker above a snelled 3 / 0 or 4 / 0 strike king hack attack heavy cover Flipping hook and a Gambler Why not in black and blue or green pumpkin.
5. Lavictoire’ s Yellow Slime Setup
Where: lake champlain When: July and august
Thomas Lavictoire Jr.’ s Stats:
Hometown: West rutland, vt. Top 10s: 22 Winnings: $ 172,006
Background at first look, the deep, clear natural lakes of the northeast might not seem to offer much to the die-hard puncher. deep and clear, sure, but clear and stable water also allows for tremendous vegetation growth, which provides ample cover for thick-shouldered largemouths that want to bury up in it.
When it comes to digging them out, there aren’ t many with more experience than thomas lavictoire Jr., who’ s won a lot of money on lake champlain – much of it by punching through thick mats on champlain’ s famed southern end.
“ my favorite time to punch mats is when everyone else starts getting miserable,” lavictoire says.“ that’ s when it’ s been 90 degrees for a week and the mats are thick and covered in that nasty yellow slime. When everyone else is out deep, i’ m usually up in 3 feet of water absolutely knocking their lights out.” the“ slime” or algae that lavictoire is talking about is the stuff that bogs down a trolling motor, won’ t let a frog even make an impression and forces an angler to clean off his bait after every flip.
“ i don’ t know why everybody thinks the bass leave when it gets like that,” lavictoire says.“ if anything, once that algae starts growing, the mats provide even more shade and food for baitfish, which in turn draws in more bass.”
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