Do you have a favorite weed

[dick tabbert]

I have a personal best as far as weeds are concerned. Curly Leaf Pond Weed is a fish magnet for me and I have a hard time passing a clump without fishing it. The lakes I fish in Michigan are loaded with them. You may see a single green stalk in 10' or 15' of water depending on water clarity or maybe a ¼ acre or more of them bunched together. They tend to grow deeper than a lot of lake weeds do but they hold fish. If you are fishing larger clumps seem like they always have that clearing or ally for you to through that jig or spinner in. Then there are them holes in the weeds which you don't want to overlook drop a jig down and hang on, I've caught many fish out of them holes. I found if you find Curly Leaf Pond Weed just past the lilly pad break line because they grow in the deeper water then you have an extra bonus again a fish holding magnet which can't be passed up. I do try to fish the deeper weeds in my experience they tend to hold larger fish which may not be true for bedding fish. Weeds are where the fish are if anyone has a favorite weed or weeds share it with us but above all don't hate the weeds fish them you might have the surprised. Of a lifetime.

[Greg McWilliams]

John, You are right about the fishing aspects here, I am honored to but included with the WEED GREATS you have listed although I am not sure I am of that Caliber!!! Winter is tough but caught one a few weeks back!!!

[John Sheehan]

For a different take ,feel free to contribute to the pioneer sport of weed fishing . Join the ranks of luminary weed fishing icons Greg Mc Williams , Bruce Condello,8"Bluegill Sharon ,Patrick Bull worm Olson and others : http://bigbluegill.com/profiles/blogs/inweeds-magazine?id=2036984%3...

[dick tabbert]

I think that's where I would be is where they meet and that depends on the time of year. I found in the spring Coontail is a good place to fish and I do fish it in the spring. But as summer comes on I found that the Coontail get thicker and eventually gets so thick your boat ain't going through it and you better watch your water pump if your going to try. I have had to clean the water intake screen of many a time just because of how thick they can get. At that point it's next to impossible to fish also.

[Tony Livingston]

You're absolutely right Dick...

I'm heading for the weeds to parallel cast next to them....

 

 

IF, I can't find any other structure first! :)

[John Sheehan]

What I want to find out now is the depth preferences for the different types of weeds Coontail show up shallower I think and Cabbage a bit deeper. I think an edge where both  types meet is an important fish habitat .I'm not being scientific just my conjecture.

 

[dick tabbert]

Tony I understand where your coming from you really have a swimming hole and no body wants to feel them weeds while they are swimming. But listen this is hypothetical you can answer it if you want. You just arrived at a 100 acre lake a new lake you never fished before.  You ask somebody about the lake you never fished it before. He tells you the lake is bowl shaped with a gradual drop and it was like that around the whole lake "but" there is a weed bed on the north end of the lake. Are you going to crank the whole lake till you get to the weeds or you going to the weeds and stark parallel casting. If you want to catch fish at least more fish I know where I'm going as do you. Where there is weeds there is fish.

[John Sheehan]

   Wow!, what a Blog .Nice move Dick. I don't know how to choose just one over my two favorite weeds ,Coontail and Cabbage weeds . Both are so healthy and green looking in July in certain lakes I fish and the deep ones are my favorites .Not that it's too important ,but nice sized fish feel that way too!  http://bigbluegill.com/photo/albums/in-weeds-magazine-day-one

[Leo Nguyen]

Tony, you are hillarious. You get no scorn from me. We are more worry about larger bodies of water that create a larger beneficial environment for all surrounding species, either it be the flying, crawling, pouncing, or swimming kind. Small ponds are like your swimming pools. Take care of the ponds based on beneficial reasons which don't detriment the surrounding habitats. Your methods of treating weeds of your dislike is reasonable. Just hope you would incorporate a small plant habitat like water lillies to naturally clean your pond, or native tules that acts as both bank stabilization and filters for incoming run-ons from the local hillsides. Just watch for plants that attracts nuisant pests. How about lemon grass planted in controlled potting around the pond. Great to discourage mosquitos, excellent filtation plant, and no way will snails like to be around them. Oh..the grass do kill snails and slugs.

[Tony Livingston]

I guess I have to be the odd man out.... I despise weeds. When I toss out a crankbait for big gills and start bumping it along the bottom, I don't want it fouled in weeds as soon as I start the retrieve. That's not to say that most of my ponds don't have weeds, because brother, they do. And, because I'm trying to be a good steward and pond manager, I realize the benefits that some aquatic plants can offer, towards improving and maintaining the health of the water, and the fish.

BUT.... here it comes... in my hybrid bluegill pond I don't want any hiding places for little yoy fish. And the pondweed  varieties, (of which there are many), always seem to hold large quantities of snails, which contribute to a couple of parasite issues. In addition, the hybrid pond is also the family swimming hole, so weeds get another strike, and that makes three.......

So, and Leo you might want to turn away for this part, I treated that one pond with fluridone last year.... BAM! No more weeds, with the exception of filamentous algae which loves it's new competition free environment. A chelated copper derivative twice a year is my weapon of choice for that issue. The hybrid pond is as close to growing fish in a bathtub as I can make it, and so far it's great.

[Leo Nguyen]

Dick, lillipads are go to water plants, and no specific water weeds. The native weeds all play critical roles here, even when they are a pain to deal with.