WEED

 

Here's one of the carp landed this morning coming ashore with
a pile of weeds around it. The weed is thick right now in many 
places, but the carp are still hitting.

It's everywhere, and if you are fishing for carp in this hot weather, you are dealing with weed. We are in the peak time of the year for weed.

The carp will use weed to their advantage.  Many times the carp will move along the shore just on the edge of the weed and the weed lines.  Those are the best spots to bait up and put your bait on the bottom.  In some places the weed will have avenues of clear passages going right through it. Carp will often use these weed free zones to also move around.

The biggest problem with weed comes after you hook a fish.  It will often run into the weeds for cover. You don't want to put really hard pressure here but rather you want to ease the carp out of the weed with pulls of the rod tip.  Often their moving around will free them from the entrapment of the weed.  You also want to beef up your line when fishing weed. It will require a minimum of 15 lb. test line with 20 lb. test being an even better choice when targeting larger fish.

This morning I got out and fished a weedy shoreline.  I landed 2 good size mirrors on maize and an artificial fished on the hair.  I fished the edge of thick coontail the weeds as described above.  Just like I said, the fish headed right for the thick weeds when hooked. Slowly I eased them out and got them onto the shore. This type of experience is typical for carp fishing at most places at this time.