Although you’ll find that buzzbaits come in a variety of skirt colors, you really need only two patterns. Use solid white on bright days, and black when it’s overcast or at night. Blade size is more important than color -- larger blades allow you to fish slower and create more of a disturbance.

Spoons
When you want to imitate an injured baitfish struggling through sparse vegetation, and spinnerbaits or buzzbaits are a bit too loud, try a weedless spoon. Their flash and subtle side-to-side wobble often trigger strikes from cautious bass unwilling to eat other reaction baits.

Painted weedless spoons are available, but to take full advantage of the flash they can produce, you should stick to the chrome or gold versions.

Their overall shape dictates the amount of wobble, while a greater degree of bend generates more action. Most weedless spoons have a single hook on the cupped side, with a stiff guard to prevent snags.

Soft-Plastics
When you want to put your offering right in front of a bass’s nose, it’s tough to beat Texas-rigged soft-plastics. These subtle baits can be pitched to holes in weed mats or right up against inside and outside edges. And their lifelike appearance is ideal for fishing clear waters.

You’ll find an endless variety of soft-plastics available, from curlytail worms to lizards. But when fishing vegetation, some of the most popular are the relatively new creature-style baits. Their typically thick bodies work well with the heavier hooks necessary for fishing in the weeds. They are also ideal for the corkscrew-style bullet weights that prevent hang-ups.

Jigs
Like soft-plastics, jigs are a great choice when you want to fish in the heart of submerged vegetation. But because they tend to be more compact and dense, they’re often the best bait for targeting the thickest of weeds.

Use jigs when you have to punch your offering through mats floating on the surface.

When selecting jigs for fishing in vegetation, be sure to choose those with wire or fiber weedguards that prevent the hook from hanging up. Popular colors include black, brown and purple. But don’t overlook white jigs when fishing dirty waters. Tip your jig with a bulky chunk of pork or soft-plastic crawdad.

Topwater Lures
Weedless topwater offerings are ideal with warm, stable weather when bass gaze upward to feed on frogs, rodents, small birds, snakes and insects struggling on the surface. You’ll have to fish slowly with these lures, because bass need to track them from beneath the thick cover. You should also be prepared to miss a few fish.

Topwater lures made for fishing over vegetation usually have a soft, collapsible body with a pair of hooks that sit tight to each side.

Although most anglers consider the “frog” to be the top choice, it’s important to remember that this lure isn’t always meant to resemble these bug-eyed amphibians. When selecting a pattern to cast, know what you’re trying to match.