I didn't say use a tight line because it makes the bait come forward as it drops. You want it to go straight down to the target area. If you are using a jig, then try to learn how to tie a good loop knot. The way a jig swings on a free pivot off a loop knot versus the stiff orientation on direct ties will be obvious to you if you simply submerge the bait below the water next to your boat. It also tends to be more weedless on the fall with a loop tie.
Vegetation is an incubator for aquatic life and a haven for bass.
Think of the shadows that the growth casts, the water depth around the growth and determine if you want to fish through or on top of the growth. I have always believed in the truism that if you find good growths of various types of vegetation on a lake, you can find bass somewhere around or in it during the day. All rights reserved.