Oh sweet summer time, long days of 90 plus degree weather means one thing to a bass fisherman…SLOP FISHIN!!
Slop as it is referred to by anglers, is when vegetation forms a large blanket like coating over the water. There are several forms of vegetation that can create these vast regions of slop fields. Lily pads that were once scattered across the water have taken an area by storm and now have other forms of vegetation filling in the open water pockets that once existed. Duck wart is another example of vegetation that can make up some prime areas for slop fishing. These areas look like a sea of green floating a top the water. Duck wart can either be very thin or thick, based on how much vegetation is bunched up below. The other forms of slop are either grass lines that been folded over and are now lying across the top of the water and the last sloppy area are areas where the wind blows any form of debris into a secluded pocket or corner.
Determining what kind of slop the bass are in is important because on many bodies of water, such as the Mississippi River, you could spend days upon days fishing fields of green matted vegetation and not be very successful.
Two other factors that I take into consideration when locating bass within the slop are, if there are any other forms of cover located within or near the slop. The other factor being if there is any current running through the slop, many times bass will position themselves in the slop that is within close range to the current.
The main lure that should be used when slop fishing is a soft plastic hollow bodied frog, that is brought a top the floating mat. My two favorite traditional frogs include the Snag Proof Bobby’s Perfect frog and Ish’s Phat Frog. These high quality frogs you use high performance hooks that help you hook the bass and keep em on until they get in the boat. As for colors, I like to keep it simple by using a white, black or brown frog. However it sometimes works to use a bright, non-traditional color like Sexy Ish to help attract bass in murky or heavily vegetated waters.
Having the right tackle is imperative to hooking and landing bass out of the thick cover. A line that is strong and has no stretch is key, so I spool up with 60 lb. Seaguar Kanzen braid and use a 7’2” Wright & McGill Tessera Series Frog rod, because it gives me the backbone I need, but also has a soft tip so I can give some action to my frog when bringing it across the water.
Slop fishing is an art of bass fishing that gives an angler a huge rush of adrenaline and accounts for numerous quality bass over the summer months and into the fall. I look forward to seeing you on the water in the green stuff!
Glenn has been fishing tournaments for over ten years, spreading his passion and knowledge of the sport via articles and videos, for more information check out www.glennwalkerfishing.com. You can also catch up with Glenn on his Facebook page.