When you encounter open pockets, let the Moss Boss flutter downward for a couple of seconds. Bass commonly follow a lure through the densest stuff but won't inhale your offering until it plummets into an opening. Openings in weed mats are also prime targets for a jig 'n pig or weedless plastic worm. Again, give them plenty of time to strike. You cannot fish pockets too slowly.
Heavy cover demands heavy equipment.
Spool-on 17 pound test strength Berkley XT, and you have created a bassin' machine. The flippin' stick provides enough leverage to winch-out hog sized largemouths. Early fall bass location, and attitude, can vary greatly from what you will encounter during late fall. In late October and November expect resident bass to use shallow water less frequently. Historically, they'll migrate to what is left of the deep outside weed edge, and timber regions if available.