Is it always silkweed I'm fishing over?

A lot of anglers say they are fishing “in weed” but don’t really know what type it is, and it’s really useful to have an idea of what that weed is because it will give you a very good indication of how you should be fishing. However, don’t be fooled into thinking that there is just one type of weed out there. With the exception of possibly Canadian Pondweed which can really take over and form a big impenetrable bed, a lot of the time there will be various different types of weed in your swim. I’ve swum in areas that have no weed at all, some that are just solid Canadian and others that are like the botanical house in Kew Gardens with loads of different underwater shrubs covering the floor. Brasenose 2 on the Linear complex is one of the prime examples of variation and to the left of the main ‘Point’ swim there are more plants and different types of weed in a small area than I have seen in any other lake.

The reason I’m saying all this is that if you know what weed is in front of you, you can have a much better idea of how to tackle it. Nothing is insurmountable, but you need to be fully aware of what the problem is before you can solve it. In an ideal world you will bring a bit of weed back on the lead or rig and this will give you an idea as to what you are up against. Have a few chucks around with a bare hook or a grappler and try and catch as much as you possibly can. If you keep coming back with one type you know it is fairly prolific and the coverage will more likely than not be pretty even. If you get more than one type there will be holes in it and undulations in the coverage.

Weed types