Finding the weedline?

[Alan]

I hear so much about "Fish the weedline" here. But, could someone explain just how you know where the weedline is and starts? I know it may seem like nothing to seasoned anglers, but for a newbie like myself, I am wanting to know.

[pikehunter78]

Alan,

I consider myself an average fisherman--one step above an Amateur . I think I crossed the line between Amateur and Average when I learned how important weedline identification was. Weedlines are where the predator fish patrol for baitfish moving in and out of the weedy cover and they're normally pretty easy to find. This is how I do it... Electronics are usually necessary, but not expensive ones-- I just have a $99 basic model. Start by looking for emergent vegetation near shore; pull your boat alongside it--but not in it-- and look at your bottom picture and depth. you're probably in very shallow water and the bottom graph looks erratic with bumps or even spike like structures coming up (Heavy vegetation directly beneath you). Get on your trolling motor and slowly start to move deeper while keeping your eye on your depth finder picture. As the water gets deeper, you'll notice the bottom starts to smooth out. This is because the deeper you get, the less light penetrates to the bottom, and the weed growth thins out. It's this zone between thick slop and smooth bottom that's known as the weedline. I'm primarily a pike fisherman and always fished weedy areas (bays, flats, etc) but never concentrated the weedline itself. I found that by trolling the weedline areas, which are normally a little deeper, with Sucker Minnows on large jigs or certain artificials, it has increased both my fish frequency and size average.

I find that most weedlines in the south and west metro lakes that I fish set up at about 10 feet in the spring and spread as deep as 20 feet into the late summer as the water warms.

Concentrate on this area and try different baits, you're guaranteed to find something that works eventually.

Good luck!

[elusivecrappiecatcher]

I to have been wondering the same thing, thanks for the clarification on this.

I must look like a dipstick on the edge of the weeds casting away lol.

[Alan]

Thank you, I have a cheaper sonar myself, but I am still trying to figure out how to get the best reading. But this is good information, thank you..

[TrophyEyes]

Right now it should be at the 17ft. Break for the weedline. If you can find the edge you can find the fish. I have an aqua view and under water it can be very distinctive and one foot of water deeper can make the difference. The other thing that is over looked very often is bottom composition change from sand to rocks, sand to gravel, mud to gravel, mud to sand and so on. Those changes hold fish and higher end electronics will help you decipher those changes. After you have figured out bottom composition, start learning about thermocline and oxygen levels in the water column and you can have increase success in the summer months with suspended fish.

[bgreen82]

i'm glad someone asked this. i knew it was out from the emergent vegetation but i am still relatively new at reading my elec. thanks for the info. i may be heading out tomorrow for some pike.