River Cabbage

[charliepff]

Hello Everyone,

 

My wife and I were fishing the Potomac today and we were really having some issues with the floating weeds moving down the river. Texas rig was working ok for the most part. We seemed to be confined to this as there were a lot of weeds in the current. I was wondering if anyone has any tricks to dealing with this. 

[gall]

The one part of a creek I fish is the same way. summertime it's grass fields and now its all dying off. I use braid with a leader which kinda helps "cut" through it some but not a whole lot. The other thing I do is target current seams or riffles. For the most part they are pretty clear and any grass that does come by is quickly gone. Sorry couldn't be much more help, I'm dealing more with the leaves then grass for the most part. 

[charliepff]

Thank you short fish for the help. I am sure the leaves here will pick up shortly. They are starting to fall now. I agree about the current seems. We will pick them apart more next time we are out. It seems like it is worse this year for some reason. 

[Frenchman83]

Sounds like a great time to throw a swim jig!

[gall]

No problem at all, I do fish a spot in the summer time that is heavy with grass, and I mean i try to target above them and work down current. That might be an option for you unless you're doing that now. Are they thick patches floating down? The other thing you could look for is before a riffle of there are larger rocks. They seem to do a  good job of "filtering" the clumps by that I Mena it seems to pile up on the leading edge of the rocks. In my experience those spots will usually hold at least one good fish, they create enough of an eddy to makeit a prime time spot. 

[charliepff]

I did notice where we were getting hits at seemed to be in the deeper moving water away from the floating grass. I noticed later in the day that throwing up and bringing the lure down seemed to keep me grass free, well, as grass free as possible. I did not think of the swim jog either. Especially since they seemed to be in the deeper riffles. So getting to the bottom faster in the rocks most likely would have helped. Thank you for the help.

[Pro Logcatcher]

Superline can cut through that. Whenever I see weeds on top, I always pick up a frog!

[Spankey]

I'm dealing with the grass and leaves also at this time. Both will get worse as time moves on for me. I just throw worms, tube, creature types and grubs more. Saturday I struggled to catch a smallie. Lock Jaw and they seemed nonexistent. All conditions seemed perfect. Caught 2 Greenies in heavy wood build up at a bridge piling. A Rat-L-Trap save what I thought was going to be a skunked day. Was greatfull and lucky for the 13" and 14" Greenies. 

[gall]

Yeah luckily my waters I can switch areas prety easily and have no grass areas but always will have leaves. Spankey I know what you mean I saw some holding off a lone bolder tries everything in the book, but they weren't having it. Then last week I connected with a 19" stud on a fluke around a large branch holding in a an Eddie. they were fighting to get it and he's the one that took. 

[charliepff]

Nice. I think the water being so low in the Potomac is messing me up too. So besides the fishing pressure, that makes it even worse. The leaves are starting to make things interesting on the Shenandoah now. I will need to pay attention more around the eddies, especially the deeper ones.