Weedline bass from the inside out. Before I dive into this subject, I should probably define what a “weedline” is first. A weedline is the edge of a weed bed where the vegetation stops and open water begins. It’s no secret that largemouth bass relate to these weedlines. The reason is simple. Weedlines provide bass with protective cover and they serve as excellent ambush points when bass are feeding. Most bass anglers spend the majority of their weedline time with the boat in deeper water while pitching to the outside weedline. That’s perfectly fine. The bass are routinely there. But what many anglers fail to appreciate is that a weed bed typically has two weedlines. One on the deep side and one on the shallow side. Sure, some weed beds go all the way up to shore – in which case there is no inside line. But more often, there’s a stretch of sandy, gravely or rocky bottom between shore and where the vegetation starts growing. This “inside weedline” can be pure dynamite, so don’t overlook it. When I hit the water for weedline bassing, I like to start by focusing on these inside lines. It’s often where the most aggressive fish are, and the bigger fish too. Because water depths here are shallow, I use lures that run up high and cover water fast. Spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, weedless spoons lipless or shallow-diving cranks and “dog-walking” topwater plugs are great search baits for the task. Long casts, particularly in clear water lakes, are essential since boat presence in that shallow water can sometimes turn a fish off. If you tag a fish on one of these long casts, make a mental note of where the strike happened in the retrieve. It’s likely that the bass had some pals with him, so there’s a good chance of pulling two or three from that general area. To help boost your chances of this happening, set the search bait rod down and pick up your soft plastic rod. Use a Texas-rig worm, creature bait, Senko or whatever your favorite presentation is. Get a good cast’s length from where that first fish bit and cast to that spot. Allow the bait settle straight to the bottom and let it sit for 10-20 seconds. If a bass spotted the bait dropping from a distance, letting it sit gives him time to move in on it. And bass don’t mind hitting a soft plastic that’s just lying there. If no strike happens during this time, give the bait a subtle twitch or even a slow drag. Then let it sit, and repeat the presentation. No fish after a few casts? Keep moving and go back to that search bait rod. As you move, pay close attention to the curvature of the weedline and focus most of your attention on areas where the weedline makes inside turns or juts out in little points. Bass like these irregularities. Also key in on spots where the weeds are the thickest. Generally speaking, the thicker the cover the better. If the inside weedline is a bust, then it’s time to give the outside weedline a try. Approach the deeper vegetation the same way you did in the shallows, ripping search baits to locate active fish. To do this, you’ll position your boat so you can cast nearly parallel to the weedline. Again, if you pop a fish, hope there’s a school there and switch to your slow-presentation soft plastic rig. Move the boat out into deeper water and pitch into the weed edge perpendicularly. I think a lot of these weedline bass like to feed on small bluegills, so I like bait colors that seem to emulate sunfish. Green and pumpkin brown plastics are proven performers. And for whatever reason, blue and purple colors work great too. Sometimes the vegetation species vary between what’s growing on the shallow side and what’s out deeper. Certain plant species seem to be better bass magnets than others. Cabbage is my personal favorite. But reeds, coontail, milfoil and wild rice all attract largemouth too. Regardless of what types of plants are growing in your lake, keep an eye out for the plant color. Healthy, bright green plants will almost always outproduce drab, wilty, browning vegetation. Weedline bass fishing has always been one of my favorite things to do. If you haven’t done it yet, give it a try and I promise you’ll love it too. I hope some of the tips I’ve laid out here help you catch more fish. And if you have any tips you’d like to share with the rest of us, feel free to post them on the Babe Winkelman Facebook page. Good Fishing!   Babe Winkelman