Steve Carney: Ways to limit the irritating effects of fishing through weeds in summer

High temperatures recently have increased weed growth in many Minnesota lakes, making it more of a challenge to properly present fishing baits. This is typical for the middle of July, and we again are faced with how to keep our baits weed-free.

Here are some tips to try to address this seasonal challenge.

Jig presentations

I still will use plastics and hair jigs well into July, but it’s much harder to coach the anglers I fish with how to avoid expanded weed growth.

Fishing in weeds requires much more concentration in order to keep jigs above weeds. Many anglers just can’t get the hang of it.

If the anglers I’m guiding are having a problem with the tempo of their lure retrieve, and they’re bringing in weeds, I have them change to “underspin” jigs that feature a moving blade.

This underspin jig can be retrieved in a constant motion and, if worked properly, the lure will not sink but will stay above the weeds. The spinning blade allows the jig to come back to the boat without sinking into weeds.

The deep weedline break

Another weed-free option is to work the bottom of the weedline and stay about 4 feet away from the weed edge. I look for the deepest water off the weedline and for pockets in the weeds, or inside turns.

The best weedlines to fish are those that have a staggered edge, with gaps and turns that hold fish. I stay away from the weedlines that feature straight edges with no unique twists and turns.

Many anglers use side-imaging to find these irregular weedlines, but I do it the old-fashioned way by using my instincts and quickly covering water.

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Spinner rigs

The spinner rig features a standard metal blade that has a small lead sinker – about 1⁄16-ounce – that rides above the weeds. The boat needs to be moving fairly fast in order to keep the spinner rig moving without sinking into the weeds.

Start the boat moving at about 1.2 mph, and then quickly throw out the spinner rig. I prefer a short, 5-foot leader on the rig.

This method requires intense concentration and can be a hassle with three anglers in a boat. But if you can handle your boat properly, it really helps you catch fish during the summer period.

When properly worked, the spinner rig stays at about 2 to 3 feet above the weeds.

Or, just find a lake without so many weeds

There are many lakes on which I guide that become almost unfishable in July because of weed growth. I typically will abandon some of these lakes in favor of other lakes that aren’t as weeded up.

Strangely, this summer has seen many lakes well behind in weed growth and others with advanced weed growth.

Knowledge of your chosen area lakes is really the key to choosing the correct lake under these conditions.