Presentation
one issue with fishing mats on northern lakes
such as champlain is the sheer amount of grass
available. it can be overwhelming to figure out
where to start. For lavictoire, it’s important to
forget the grass and focus on the bottom.
“i’m going to look for depressions, high
spots, ditches, points and bottom com-
position changes when i’m grass fish-
ing,” he says. “the grass is a constant,
so you’re looking for things to con-
centrate fish in the grass. some of
my best spots are areas where
the mat suddenly gets super
thick, which is an indication
of a high spot. you want to
focus on anything differ-
ent on the bottom.
sand and rock transi-
tions are also excel-
lent places to look.
“i’ve found that
the biggest and high-
est concentrations of
bass are usually up
under the thickest and nastiest
part of any mat,” he adds, “so i’ll start out in
those areas, particularly if they’ve got that slime on
them.”
creek or ditch
mouth
high spot
indicated by
thicker grass
point
high spot
indicated by
thicker grass
point
point
Keys:
• the thickest mats provide the most
shade, and are preferred by bass.
• yellow algae is a great indicator of a good,
thick mat.
• look for variability in bottom, depth or mat
thickness to find the sweet spot.
• don’t be afraid to fish shallow – sometimes
in less than a foot of water.
Rig Specifics:
lavictoire relies on a 7-foot, 6-inch shimano crucial flipping
stick and high-speed reel (8.1:1 gear ratio) filled with 50- to
65-pound-test powerpro braided line. his most productive
rig is a 3/4- or 1-ounce pegged tungsten sinker, a 5/0
Gamakatsu superline eWG hook, and a green pumpkin or
black and blue venom flipping tube. he likes the tube
because it slides through the mat better than baits with lots
of appendages.
keeping it clean
74
Punching through yellow algae – more commonly
known as “yellow snot” in Lavictoire’s neck of the woods –
requires frequent cleaning and the most weedless presen-
tations. Lavictoire has developed a system to help him
clean off his bait and maintain his efficiency.
“When they pull the bait out and get ready to make the
next flip, a lot of guys will actually let the bait swing back
into their hands briefly,” he says. “I have taken that a step
farther, and, instead of grabbing the bait, I just grab the
‘snot’ above it and pull it off in one motion as the bait goes
into the next flip. You develop a rhythm after awhile and
automatically clean your bait off after each flip.” ■
FLWFISHING.COM I FEBRUARY-MARCH 2017