With more and more anglers fishing, Glenn Walker says bass are feeling the pressure.

With record fishing license sales over the past two years, more and more fishermen are taking to the lakes and rivers in the Midwest. While this is a great thing for the fishing industry, and the fact that more kids are getting outside and fishing, the amount of fishing pressure that fish, and specifically bass, is unmatched.

Whether it is a certain lake or river, or maybe it is just a key weed line or backwater lake on a river system, fishing pressure takes its toll on fish and makes it frustrating for the anglers pursuing them. If you have identified or know that this area holds good fish, the chances of them moving are slim unless there has been a drastic change.

Sometimes, getting fish to bite after they have been heavily pressured can be done by making one change: decreasing your line size. Decreasing ine size is less visible in the water, and it imparts a more natural action to your lure. Other line changes that can aid in getting pressured fish into biting also include switching from a braided to fluorocarbon line.

One great approach to targeting bass that are hanging around shallow water cover is to flip a Texas-rig. Well, after those bass have seen a Texas-rig over and over from all angles, they have become conditioned to them.

This is when I’ll scale down to the smallest weight I can get away with; many times, this has me going down to a 3/16- or 1/4-ounce tungsten weight from my normal 3/8- or 7/16-ounce weight. Behind that weight, I’ll scale down my plastic bait offering, many times going from a full-size plastic creature bait to a smaller, junior-sized plastic creature bait. By doing this, I can still present the same bulk and appearance to the bass, but just in a compact tasty morsel for them to indulge in.

One of my favorite ways to target bass that have seen their fair share of lures along weed lines is a Neko Rig. Since I’m fishing this around heavy cover, I’ll use Seaguar Smackdown braided line as my main line, but then use an 8- or 10-pound test Seaguar Gold Label Fluorocarbon line as my leader. This combination gives me the strength and confidence to fish around heavy cover, while maintaining a stealth-like approach. My Neko Rig is most likely a 5-inch soft plastic stickbait like a Senko or Zoom Zlinky, rigged on a size 2, Lazer TroKar TK137 Pro-V Finesse Hook.

Multiple casts to the key areas of structure are sometimes needed, as heavily pressured fish may need to see your bait a few times before they’ll bite. As I’m fishing a boat dock, laydown or a section of vegetation, I’ll approach the cover quietly and under control, using my Minn Kota Ultrex. Once I get near that cover, I’ll drop my dual Raptors, or engage my SpotLock if I’m fishing offshore. By doing this, I won’t disturb the cover by getting too close to it, along with outputting less noise in the water from running my trolling motor.

When you are making multiple casts to a target, sometimes those casts need to come from different angles. The angle at which a bass sees your bait, as it relates to the cover, current and shade, will influence when they’ll bite it.

Be aware of when the fish you are targeting have been pressured into being tough to catch. If this is the case, slow down, downsize and be methodical with your presentations and you can continue to have success on the water.

If you like bass fishing, you’ll appreciate the tips and techniques you’ll find in every issue of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.