There is a large movement by sportsmen, especially anglers to protect grass in lakes. While allowing grass to and limiting the eradication of aquatic vegetation in lakes is the right thing to do for fish and waterfowl, the drawback is how to navigate through it. Small watercraft have the most trouble getting though the grass. Boats with bigger motors can go through just about anything, but there are a few things to keep in if you decide you need to go through, or fish in the grass. Jet-skis, jet-drive boats and boats with motors under 25hp need to stay totally out of the grass. The jet drives will burn up when grass clogs the intakes, and small motors don’t have enough power to cut and force the boat through the grass. Under-powered boats, such as a large boat with a smaller motor need also stay clear of lake vegetation unless it is thin or scattered enough to not hinder navigation.

The first thing is to know which grass grows in deep enough water to run a boat in. Some grass grows in very shallow water, and many grasses grow in both deep water and shallow water. When you see a patch of grass, it should be a clue that it may be growing on an area too dangerous to drive a boat in. Grass also has a tendency to collect floating items, such as logs, trash, tires, old dock posts with nails in them, or other things that float in the lake or river. Items that are collected in a grass patch may be well hidden, and can do severe structural damage to boats and motors, and cause bodily harm. Often objects in grass are floating just beneath the surface, held down by the grass, and cannot be seen. Safety is the primary objective in any boating situation, and it is unwise to run a boat through grass patches if you do not know how deep they are, or what may be hidden in them. Often boat lanes are cut through large grass areas to allow for navigation, and when there are no boat lanes, the best decision is to go around grass patches in safe water.

Know your water – make sure you have a topographical chart of lakes you navigate on which contain grass. A topographical lake chart will show humps, ledges, underwater islands, etc., and will tell you how much water is over those structures. Grass usually grows on shallow areas. Some areas may be too shallow for grass to grow on, or may be dry during low water periods inhibiting growth of grass. These shallow areas are especially dangerous, since there is no visual clue as to where they are on the water. You may go through a grass patch toward a clear water area, assuming it is open safe water, and wind up grounded.

Getting through the thick stuff – If you must go into the grass to fish, or through it to get somewhere else, and you do not know the depth or know if there are objects under it, stop, trim up the motor ¾ way so that the propeller and water intake vents remain submerged, and proceed off plane. Keep the RPM’s up so the grass will not clog the propeller, and so that the water pump will have plenty of intake force to provide the motor with adequate cooling water. When or if the engine begins to cavitate, or begins to struggle to move forward, stop and put the motor in reverse. Back out of the collected pile between the motor and transom and proceed again. Always put the motor in reverse and back up after being in the grass. This washes the grass that has collected between the motor and the transom away from the motor. If you try to get on plane, and the propeller cavitates, stop and repeat the back up process, using plenty of RPM’s to blow off the collected grass. This also clears grass away from the water intakes on the lower unit, allowing your motor to operate without overheating. A water pressure gauge is a great idea. If you see you are getting to low or no water pressure, do the back up process to clean the grass. If that doesn’t work, you may have to trim/tilt up and manually remove the grass from the intakes by hand. Never proceed without water pressure. If you get an over heat alarm, do the same process. If the alarm continues, let the motor cool after cleaning all grass, and try again. On outboards, grass will clog the water outlet stream, which should be coming out of the motor. As long as you have water pressure, there is no problem if the stream is not flowing, but it should be cleaned and free of debris after each trip. Usually a small wire will clean it, or you may have to remove the cowling and pull the hose to clean it. Always have a push pole or long oar if you know you will be on a lake with grass. Using a push pole to get to the fish in very thick grass is much better than using the motor.

If you know the depth, you know there are no stumps under the thick grass, and you are sure it is safe to go through the grass, running through it is not a problem. It is still advisable to go around it. Running through patches of milfoil, maiden cane, hydrilla, pads and other grasses will not normally cause a problem if you remain on plane and keep the RPMs up. Smaller motors will need more throttle, usually ¾ throttle and up to stay on plane and keep good water pressure. Outboard engines that are 50hp and up can usually do fine on bass boats or other planing boats above ½ throttle. If you loose water pressure, or the boat begins to struggle, loose RPMs, give it more throttle and get out of it. If water pressure drops below minimum levels, the over heat alarm goes off, or you begin to plow, shut down, clean the engine and proceed off plane with the motor trimmed up, or until you can find a clear area to get back on plane. Always take the shortest route through the grass possible.

Summary – Think safety first, don’t go into grass on water you do not know, and know your lake by using a topographical chart – keep an eye on water pressure, and be aware of overheating – Trim up when going into grass – Always use reverse and back up to blow grass off of your motor and away from your propeller and water intakes if you’ve been in it off plane, poling through it, or using your trolling motor – Never try to get on plane while in thick grass – Carry a push pole or long sturdy oar.

Good luck, there are bass in the grass, but they are not worth wrecking a boat, destroying a motor, or getting hurt.