In late August I look for bass in heavy slop, such as lily pads, wild rice, and rushes. On bright days, those fish bury themselves in the thickest goop around, but when it s overcast, they sit right along the edges. Experiment with various weedless soft plastics. Giant plastic worms 10-inchers get my vote. Super deep weededges are a viable option, but the fish tend to run smaller and dinky panfish sometimes won t leave you alone.
Nothing tops a stiff wall of cabbage and the deeper the better.
Even in the midst of summer s wickedest heat waves muskies will prowl beyond the vegetation. Wooden jerkbaits will take them, so will bucktails. Oxygen-seeking muskies also invade fields of bulrushes and pencil weeds during afternoon hours. Weedy bays seem to produce best. And don t overlook rock formations, especially if weeds are involved.