Got duckweed? Try this

[.ghoti.]

My local favorite watering hole has been taken over with duckweed. Just like last year. I hadn't been there for a couple of weeks, and the duckweed now covers the majority of the surface. Which part is dependent on wind direction.

Lat year I caucght a ton of fish out of this stuff using floating worms, Super Flukes, and toads.

Was out last night and caught one on a Rage Tail toad. Missed about 8. They blew up on the toad and completely missed it. The one I caught went after the toad four times before he actually got it in his mouth.

No bites on the fluke or floating worm, so I tried something different. I wanted to punch through the weed, but stay just under the surface. The Super Fluke was just not getting through the weed well enough.

Put on a Fat Ika, reverse rigged, of course. I retreived it with a series of fast upward movements. What worked best was pulling the bait up jst far enough to make a disturbance in the weed, but not far enough to break through the surface. Then let it sink for a second and do it again.

It took a couple of casts to get the cadence right, but once I did, it worked like a charm. I was letting it sink about a foot, maybe less, before moving it back up. Rather like a vertical walk the dog motion with the rod and reel. It was a fairly quick cadence, slowing as the bait got closer to me. In effect this was an upside down plastics retreive. Instead of bouncing it off the bottom, I was bouncing it off the underside of the weed.

Most of the hits came on the fall, and I caught all of those. Some of the hits came as I was pulling the bait up, and I missed about half of those.

I greased up the bait with Megastrike to help get it through the weed, and then greased the first two feet of line.

Try this if you have a duckweed infestation. It may work for you.

[roadwarrior]

Great post!

I have never heard of this technique, way to go!

8-)

[Fishing Doug]

Thanks for the tip, Ghoti.  I am heading back to our family farm this weekend and I know a pond that has the same duckweed problem. I will have to give this a shot.

[pondhopper]

Great post!

I have never heard of this technique, way to go!

8-)

What he said!!!

[skillet]

Lemonade from lemons! Good thinking ...

                 As Ever,

                  skillet

[.dsaavedra.]

thats pretty sweet!

i kinda like duckweed. i like it most when not all of the pond is covered, just some.

i caught 18 bass in one day (my presonal record) by dragging a 7" powerworm over duckweed using an ultralight rod and reel and 6lb line! those were some awesome fights. never broke off once!

[MaxumBass]

I kinda do the same thing. I throw the Ika on top of the slop and slowly drag it to the holes and let it sink. They must think its a frog or something. You get the best of both worlds, topwater and dead sticking with one bait! Caught a lot of them on a slow retrieve, the Ika stays right on top. Kinda use it as a search bait.

JimK