TAKEOFF
SCENARIOS
TARGETING PRESPAWN BASS IN EELGRASS hoW Justin atKins locates and catches fish in the GReen stuff By Tyler Brinks
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eelgrass is a type of aquatic vegetation that can be found in many rivers and lakes throughout the united states . its recent flourishing in tennessee River lakes such as pickwick and Guntersville has changed how bass set up during the winter and prespawn periods . forrest Wood cup champion Justin atkins began his rookie season on the flW tour in 2017 with a ninth-place finish at Guntersville by targeting bass in eelgrass with a crankbait , and he has a solid understanding of how to capitalize on eelgrass patterns in the early part of the year .
Why eelgrass ? even though hydrilla and milfoil are present at Guntersville , atkins says eelgrass is his choice during the prespawn because of where it grows and how easy it is to fish reaction baits around it .
“ it creates the perfect current break ,” he says . “ it grows in the 5- to 8- foot range on main-river bars . this time of year the fish want to be out in the river , but not directly in the current . it stops growing right around 8 feet deep , and that creates a perfect hard line .
“ the way that eelgrass grows is really tight together . it is very thick , and that blocks the current better . hydrilla is short during the colder months and doesn ’ t create as much of a break .” the rigidness of the eelgrass stalk also allows for more reaction bait tactics .
“ it ’ s a really rigid grass , and you can fish a small [ diving ] crankbait or lipless [ crankbait ] right through it . if you hook a piece of it , it is really easy to snap the rod with minimal effort and clean the bait ,” atkins says . “ With hydrilla , even a little bit requires you to rip it hard , and often you will waste an entire cast with grass on your hooks .”
Where to find eelgrass the 5- to 8-foot-deep zone is where atkins usually focuses on Guntersville , but that range can vary in other fisheries or times of year . atkins utilizes digital mapping to zero in on his favorite depth zone .
“ i change the colors on my chart to show just the 5- to 8-foot depth and then use side scan to look for eelgrass ,” he says . he ’ s also found that certain areas tend to promote the growth of eelgrass ; sometimes it ’ s based on bottom content , but primarily it ’ s a result of the plant ’ s proclivity for current .
“ it is mostly a main-river species ,” atkins adds . “ eelgrass is current-related and seems to do best on wide river bars .”
how to fish It during the winter and prespawn , atkins has a one-two punch to target eelgrass .
“ a small [ billed ] crankbait and a lipless [ crankbait ] are the two deals ,” says atkins , who prefers a highly buoyant balsa crankbait that dives 4 to 6 feet for most Guntersville applications . “ they allow you to cover water quickly , and because the grass is so thick together you can ’ t punch it or fish it as effectively with other lures .
“ i like to use a more limber rod ,” he adds . “ You don ’ t need a stiff rod to rip through the grass like you do with hydrilla .”
When faced with vast expanses of eelgrass , atkins will always start by targeting the grass edge on the downcurrent side .
“ i always start there because that is going to be the best current break ,” he says . “ from there , i might have to fish the topside of the grass because often it is a foot or so taller on the shallow side , and that creates another break .” atkins keeps his bait right above the grass , occasionally making contact and ripping it free . he experiments with casting across the edge or along it . each can produce , and it can vary by day or location .
“ i mark a waypoint each time i get a bite , and then i can start to develop a pattern for how the fish are holding to it that day . there are times when all of your fish will be in one small section of a milelong stretch of eelgrass . i find that they seem to really group up in eelgrass .”
Justin Atkins swings in a prespawn bass that was staging in a Guntersville eelgrass bed .
fLWfIshInG . com I january 2018 photo by pAttersoN leeth