Big Indiana Bass

FLW Tour Pro Todd Hollowell searches out and fishes grass beds on lakes all over the country to catch oversize bass. Whether he's punching the heavy hyacinth mats of Okeechobee, or flipping plastics in the milfoil at places like Champlain, Kentucky Lake or Geist Res., there are three items of terminal tackle he says anglers don't want to leave home without.

#1) Bobber Stops: These little $0.79 pieces of rubber aren't just for crappie fishing with slip bobbers. According to Todd, they are the ideal way to peg your sinker on the line without the risk of damage you might incur with a toothpick or similar item. "The beautiful thing about it is when I catch a fish, it will go ahead and shove the sinker out of the way, so you get a good hookset, but I punch 1-1/2 to 2 ounce weights with that bobber stop and it doesn't move until I swing."

#2) Braided Line: A lot of people have tried braid and found out that they don't necessarily like it. However, according to Todd, you really need to be using it around grass. "I like braided line when I'm fishing in grass. I don't care for it a lot on my moving baits, but I definitely want it when I'm fishing in the grass." Whether he is throwing a topwater frog over mats, pitching a Senko to weedlines, or flipping into holes and pockets in the vegetation, Todd has braid spooled up. "Braid cuts through grass. It's strong and doesn't stretch. You don't even need a net - just flip them in the boat. It's game over when you catch them on braid."

#3) Sharpie marker: You might have guessed the first two, but chances are this one may have slipped under your radar screen. There are three things Todd likes to use a Sharpie for when fishing grass bass. One is to color the tail of his plastic trailers. "If you've ever seen a shad, a lot of times it's tail will be black. So when I'm fishing shad pattern lakes, or if it is in the fall, if I'm using a trailer on my spinnerbait, a lot of times I'll just take a Sharpie and color up the tail and make it black." Todd says this is a quick way to make your bait look more like the baitfish bass are feeding on, and makes your bait a little different than what other anglers might be throwing.

The second use is for coloring up the bottom of a frog. "If you've ran out of or don't have a black frog in your box, you can take a white or green frog and with your black Sharpie, color up the bottom of your frog", he says.

Finally, according to Todd, "after using braided line for most of the season, that nice original dark green colored braid you use will have become a lot lighter, almost fluorescent. That can be too bright for a bass at times." In those instances, Todd simply uses the Sharpie to color the last couple feet of his line and make it dark again. "That way, the only part the fish is going to see is dark and camoflouged", he states.

So the next time you're headed out to a lake containg any type of green vegetation, follow Todd's advice and be sure to have these three items stashed in your boat somewhere. Chances are, you'll land more bass because of it.