This week we return to the Finger Lakes of upstate New York, specifically Cayuga Lake, for the seventh Elite Series event of the season. I fished here my rookie season in 2014 and finished 17th, but none of that matters now.
The lake is in a much different phase this time around. Last time we visited the grass was high and matted, and I flipped and threw a Senko a bunch. With it being two months earlier when I launched Monday I noticed the grass is much less prevalent, which was to be expected.
Even with less grass I still expect it to play the key role in this year’s event. There will be fish caught on docks but there aren’t enough docks on the lake to sustain four days of this field fishing them exclusively to win, at least I don’t think so. I still think it will be a grass flipping deal, there’s enough of it and this place is so big that someone will find the right stretches.
Last time here I caught some good smallmouth so they might play a role this year. One reason I can see that is because we’re coming off this full moon which always seem to get brown fish stirring. I saw a whole lot more smallmouth up shallow on Monday. In 2014 the smallmouth were mostly out deep when we got here in August. I think we will see more of them weighed in this year.
I need a good finish at this event and the next several Elites so I plan to target largemouth in the grass. To do that I plan to rig up flipping baits on a MHX FS 904, which is a 7-6 heavy-action rod with a Winn grip. It’s an awesome rod and I absolutely love getting to fish with it. I will flip a Zoom Z Hog on a Mustad 4/0 Grip Pin Max flipping hook, 50-pound Vicious braided line.
I will most likely go with a 3/4 ounce tungsten weight. I could get by with a 1/2 ounce but on a place that has so much grass a faster fall with let me cover a lot more water. The grass here is thick under the surface and the 3/4 will penetrate it quicker and with more efficiency. Keep that in mind when you’re faced with long stretches of grass. Go heavier first and then if you find the sweet spots you can switch to a lighter weight.
So that’s the plan for this week after one day on the water. Y’all stay tuned on my Facebook page and here on Bassmaster.com and let’s see how the week plays out.