Flippin’ Thick Vegetation: A Three-Part Series
Part II: Jimmy Mason: Flippin’ Up-Side Down
“The bass aren’t always right on the bottom when they are under matted vegetation,” said Jimmy Mason of Rogersville, Alabama. “Sometimes they hold right under the mats.” When Mason suspects the fish aren’t on the bottom, he “turns his flippin’ rig upside down” by rigging up a super-sized, customized drop-shot rig.
Mason’s weight punches through the matted grass, just like the weight on a Texas rig would, and then pulls the offering through behind it. By holding the line tight, Mason can then shake the bait so it dances up off the bottom, which sometimes is right in a fish’s face.
“Along with appealing to bass that are suspended under the mat, the drop-shot gives them a different look, which can be important during a tournament when virtually everyone is flippin’ the grass,” said Mason, a BASS Pro Tour competitor, an American Bass Anglers National Angler of the Year and Tennessee River guide.
Mason’s No. 1 clue that it’s time to pick up his drop-shot rig is when all strikes come soon after a Texas-rigged flippin’ bait punches through or as he is lifting his offering back out. If the bass are up close to the mat, not on the bottom, they have only a moment to grab the offering with a traditional flippin’ rig, Mason explained.
Defying all drop-shot stereotypes, Mason’s drop-shot rig he use to flip with commonly is anchored with an ounce or more of weight, and the offering is apt to be a 5.5-inch YUM Sooie, 5-inch YUM Dinger or a YUM Wooly HawgCraw. His “drop-shot rod” for flippin’ is a 7 1/2-foot medium-heavy flippin’ stick. He spools up with 25-pound-test Silver Thread Fluorocarbon and uses 3/O to 5/O Excalibur Tx3 Wide Gap Hooks.
Mason’s weight actually is made up of two Excalibur Tg Tungsten Bullet Weights, which he strings on to the tag end of his line in opposite directions, with wide ends butting together, resulting in sort of a diamond shape. A swivel tied to the end of the line keeps the weights in place.
The double-weight set-up creates an ideal shape for punching through a mat of vegetation and opening the hole enough for a bait to follow the weight. In addition, this set-up gives Mason eight different weighting options, ranging from ¼ ounce all the way up to 2 ounces.
Finally, using two weights together creates a clacker to attract the fish, which can be extra important in thick vegetation. The fish hear the loud clack of the tungsten sinkers hitting one another and find the bait when they come to investigate.
Mason, who does some of his guiding on grass-filled Lake Guntersville, spends his share of time punching grass mats with a traditional flippin’ rig. However, when he believes he is around fish but they aren’t biting well, elevating the offering with an oversized drop-shot rig sometimes is the key to making the bass commit.