Elliott Gray - Combating Weed

Weedy lakes are my favourite type of lake, and I’d say that’s very much the case for the carp too. 

Weed offers a variety of benefits, whether it’s sanctuary, warmth, food, or simply somewhere for the carp to navigate throughout the day while enjoying the sun. Regardless of why they use it, one thing you’ll pretty much always find is that if a lake has weed, then the carp will be using it. The importance of location has been discussed many times, and I’ve always found that weed makes it easier to find the carp. I absolutely love it for many reasons, like the ones listed above, and if you’re on the hunt for fish, you needn’t look much further than the weed. It can be a bit more difficult on larger bodies of water, where weed is more widespread and carp are more dispersed, but you’ll still find that the weediest areas hold the most fish. 

There are some downsides people find with weedy waters, often that they’re harder to fish. Whether that’s finding spots or landing the carp once they’re hooked, you’ve got two big issues to overcome, but once you’ve done it a few times, it gets easier—like anything. I’ve often heard people be put off by venues that are really weedy; I’ve seen it myself, and it’s not uncommon to see the weediest parts of the lake left alone. This is where you’ll find me, as I’m in no doubt that these heavily weeded areas are home to numbers of carp, especially if angling pressure in these areas is lower too. You just have to know how to find areas or spots to fish, and then how to extract the carp once you’ve hooked one. There’s not much more to it than that, as I mentioned—the location aspect is almost a guarantee. 

You’ll also find that, because the weed beds hold fish, you’ll be able to get away with a lot more disturbance and catching before the fish run scared. Compared to an area of the lake that has no weed, I’ve certainly noticed that the action can be more consistent, and the carp are more tolerant of the pressure from fishing. If they want to use that area of weed, they’ll rarely stray too far, which is a major bonus for us as carp anglers. 

Stage one is to locate the weed, which is generally quite easy by mid-summer as it’ll be on the surface. Once you’ve found the weed, you’re looking for carp backs cruising through it, or early morning shows and fizzing. These are the typical signs of fish using the weed and are what I’m looking for most of the time. It sounds simple, and that’s because it is. Carp often feel comfortable surrounded by vast amounts of weed and are therefore quite willing to give the game away. 

With the weed and carp located, you need to start thinking about where to position your rigs. Some anglers will adopt a chod rig or solid bag approach and cast straight into it, but that’s not really my style, so I’m going to look past those options. It’s all about good old-fashioned lead/marker work for me. It’s not always going to be easy; in fact, at times it can be a real pain, but you’ll find spots if you put the effort in—I’m sure of that. It might take hundreds of casts, but eventually you’ll feel that lead fall through the weed and onto clear ground. I consider it a bit like mining for gold—you have to do a lot of digging, but there’s treasure to be found! These spots amongst the weed are my absolute favourite kind of spots and can be so fruitful; it’s worth every ounce of effort to find them. Whether it’s gravel or silt, it doesn’t matter; all that matters is that you’re able to present rigs there. 

You’ll often see holes in the weed where it doesn’t reach the surface—these are generally where I’d make my first casts. After all, if there’s surface weed, there’s no point casting there. Every hole or clear patch of water must be thoroughly investigated, with multiple casts, until you feel you’ve left no stone unturned. Eventually, you will find areas; they might be tiny, but they will be there. Once you find areas to present rigs, I’d start baiting and fishing them right away. This encourages the fish to clear them off further, which is less important with gravel, but if it’s silt or low-lying weed, baiting with small seeds and boilie crumb, etc., will help make those spots better and more fishable. My favourite spots often start off small and gradually get bigger due to baiting. I’d always base my rig choice on what I’m fishing over, so keep that in mind. Bottom baits for gravel, pop-ups for light weed, etc. Oh, a little tip—use rig foam around weed; take no risks! 

Raking is often the next thing on my list, and it’s something I don’t see many people doing. I’m a firm believer that line lay is important, and you’re never going to get a good line lay over mountainous weed. Again, it can take a while, but if you have the time, it won’t be wasted on clearing a nice channel toward the spot. Simply clip a rod up, cast a weed rake onto your spot, and then start dragging it back toward you until you’ve removed the weed on your side of the spot. You can then sink your line nicely through it, which will only aid presentation and keep your lines out of the way of birds such as swans and geese! 

Once you’re happy with the areas and the spots within them, all that’s left is to land the carp you hook. This can be quite difficult if you get it wrong, depending on the severity of the weed growth. My simple advice would be to go strong—always use a braided mainline if you’re allowed, use the likes of leadcore, big hooks, and strong hook links. Take no chances in weed, as you’ll probably have to apply some serious pressure at some point. I’ll always use drop-off leads, whether it’s in-line or helicopter setups, as losing the lead will cause the fish to rise in the water and above the weed, which can really help. Beyond that, keep clutches tight so they can bust off through the weed, and apply steady pressure throughout the fight. Try not to give them any line unless you have to and keep the pressure on as you aim to steadily pump them through the weed. Give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile. If everything does grind to a halt, I keep the rod bent and pressure on until they kick themselves free. Sounds simple, right? It’s not always that easy, but that’s my rule of thumb—maintain direct and steady contact from the start. 

As I’ve alluded to, it’s not always going to be easy, but you must learn not to fear the weed and instead understand and capitalize on what makes it great. The more you tackle these situations, the easier and more familiar it will feel. Carp love the weed, and as a carp angler, you should too!