any tips on weedy lakes

hi folks
i have just joined a water with some lovely carp, but having never fished a lake completely chocker with weed before, i feel a little lost (embarrased to say) watching most of the other anglers on the water, they seem to just launch pva bags into the middle, surley this is not a good way to tempt carp where there is absolutley loads of natural in the weed (shrimp, mussles, larvae etc)
can anyone offer me some tips (as the weed will be growing again shortly for the summer)

My tactics on weedy waters is to try and work out where the fish are. Watch the weed, you can see it "move" as the fish work there way through it. Dont be fooled into thinking that the weed is from surface to bottom, normally there are channels under the weed that the fish move through, almost like motorways. If you can find these by watching, and put a bait in one (PVA bag etc), you are on to a winner.

Having said that, most of the fish i catch from weedy waters have been stalked. I find it a much more pleasurable way of fishing. Freelined baits in wee holes etc or floaters work well on most waters.

Another tactic is to create your own feeding area with a rake and pre baiting. It does not have to be 100 yards from where u are fishing, most margin areas will produce with a little thought. Try and rake under an overhanging tree, or next to lillies etc.

Above all, use sensible tackle with a high abrasion resistant line and make sure that if u use a lead, that that lead will come of easy when a fish hits the weed! This is why i prefer freelinning and float fishing.

Good luck!

Neil the gravel pit i fish is chocker with weed so i would reccomened of course at first marker float and lead around for
clear spots if you cant find any try and locate some areas where the weed is light
and then over about a week bait over the
top of it with hemp or another cheap particale and as the carp and other fish start to feed on the bait they will course
it to disappear leaving clear gravel spots only you no about.
also try using the new partridge slow
sink leads these are cork wrapped and you can get add on weights for them they sink slowly in the weed and so your bait willnot get so clogged up aldo try using a longer hooklink than normal i use this all the time and find my baits often weed free. my
best fish last year was a 21lb common using these technics.email if you would like some more tips. Robs points above are standard
regarding tackle and i also have stalked quite a few fish on float fishing gear using an avon rod you cant get better presentation in the weed than wit a float in my opinon.

my early attempts have included using a zig rig (no success) a short pop up with dissolving cork - to allow a slow sinking bait and also finding fairly clear patches in the weed. i havn't had any luck yet but i've only put in a few nights, so i'm not expecting instant results. the only trouble with the clear patches, is they are at about 100yards range on a bar that is only 600mm wide! this is hard enough to hit accurately during the daylight, let alone during the night (because of tufted duck disturbance)

cheers for the tips tho!!

Neil, personnaly if the lake is as weedy as u mention, I wuld not go any where near the bar. Draging a fish back through weed can cause terrible mouth damage (as you probably know anyway).

Spend some time just watching the water, you may have a pleasent suprise...but keep at it...they will come to those who wait.

If the fish come into the margins in the lake you fish, fish there! If its that weedy, its much better to get over any fish you hook, rather than let it charge through weedbeds, with the associated problems of winching it back, and mouth damage. Really, I'd echo the earlier comments.... If the fish can't see you, and are relatively undisturbed, they will be in the margins. So try the almost forgotten art of stalking or floater fishing. One thing to try is to get to a really snaggy bit, with trees in the water and lots of water liles. Don't fish it, just introduce some crust or whatever- if there are fish around they will start to become agitated and you may see the weeds "humping". Be still, dont' fish. Watch what happens. Then creep away, have a think and come back with ONE rod. First work out what you are going to do if you hook a "lump". No point in losing it or (worse) snagging up. If you really and truthfully can't see a way of getting any fish you have hooked out, with minimum trauma to the fish, then don't try. Leave them in peace, and just enjoy, and learn from their behaviour! Simon

On really weedy waters I have given up the marker float approach.It is a waste of time.Far better getting up the trees if you can or as everyone else is saying fish in the edge.If it is Canadian be aware that at night it does fall over.Therefore what could look like a nice clear patch in the daylight will be covered at night. Also most will be trying to fish clear patches and the fish may be wise to that.On Ashlea Pool weed city , bombing baits through the weed to the clear area underneath worked very well, this where the PVA bag might be winning.They don't have to be fished at range though.They work just as well under the rod tips.

Can I just butt in, please. I have a similar problem with a tench water I haven't fished yet. There are patches almost clear of weed, but the bottom is that really gassy black smelly stuff, so raking is out of the question. Will feeding ( to let the fish clear the weed themselves) work? Will fish feed at all over the crap on the bottom, or will they be feeding mid water? I have seen those slow sinking cork bombs, and was going to give them a try. What sizes do they come in?