Reel Weeds set up

[anchor man]

I'm considering trying a 4 or 5 pack of the reel weeds. If using them near tip ups is there a general idea of how to set them up close enough to the tip up, but not too close to get a hooked fish tangled up..any set up patterns that seem to work best.

Thanks

[Blainebob]

Any idea how long it takes for fish to relate to Reel Weeds? Not sure if they immediatly hang around right after you drop them down

[PerchJerker]

I've seen fish come to them right away, and other times I've had them down and not had them draw in any fish.

I have 5 or 6 weeds, I usually put them in a straight line or in a curved shape. Fish beside the line or the curve, or fish at the end of the line.

For panfish you can get away with being only a few feet from the weeds --- bigger and stronger fish would be more of a problem of course. I've had fish get tangled in the weeds on occasion and it's not too much fun to sort it out.

[hunt fish repeat]

In my experience the pattern isn't as important as the lake itself. They work very well in shallow bowl shaped lakes with little natural weed growth like upper red, for lakes with a lot of naturally growing weeds they have little effect during early ice and only nominal success as the season wains.

[gritsnham]

Whats everyones overall opinion on this product so far? I thought about picking some up but didnt want to spend the money on them...

[PerchJerker]

At times they're great, as was noted especially in basin areas that don't have a lot of other stuff to sttract and hold fish that would otherwise be roaming.

If I'm running and gunning and hole hoping I don't usually put them out, but if I'm going to be staying in an area for a while then I'll usually put them down. When I go with my kids we almost always drop down the weeds and an underwater camera, it's fun to watch what goes on down there.

[Sandmannd]

I've used them a number of times and they work at times and other times not. I have lost a bite, put down the weeds and hammered fish again for two hours. I use the "Flying V". I make a v pattern from the front of my house to the sides using five of them and that seems to work.

[Surface Tension]

I use them and am confident they work.

Have a look Here

[Gillagain]

LaDredge makes a product called the Teaser Leader. I think it used to be called the Weed Line. Anyway, it is a leader with skirts on it that mimic structure or a stack of bait fish. They come in a lot of colors, some of which glow. I use the predator version of the Teaser leader (steel leader) on my tip-ups for northerns and they absolutely love it. Using the Teaser Leader kind of takes the place of putting the Reel Weeds out when I tip-up fish so I don't have to worry about tangling up. They also make a mono version for walleyes and pannies that I'm looking forward to experimenting with this year.

[Andy Loos1432404924]

Reelweeds will definitely bring in northerns and make sure you also try the teaser leaders, they are amazing. We used them this last weekend with great success. The show that starts to air this weekend we use them for our tipups. If you have any questions about them drop me an email, I would be more than happy to answer any questions for you.

[FISHINGURU]

how long can these things be in a hole before it freezes shut and you have to ice chip them out? say you wanted to put some around your permanent or wheelhouse do you go out there every so often and try to clean the holes?

[Gillagain]

The Structure on a String has a closed cell float that allows you to adjust the depth of your Reel Weeds. Sometimes during the evening crappie bite I have the Reel Weeds suspended just below the ice. But to answer your question, this float can be completely frozen in the hole and at the end of the day, just squeeze the float and lift up to reveal a circle of open water the size of the float. The Reel Weeds lift right up through that hole - it's really slick. I've left them in all day without any problems. A few times on over night trips I've left them in overnight, but did go out during the night and chip the hole open.

[FISHINGURU]

that does sound pretty slick...anyone ever put out a bunch like a dozen?

[harvey lee]

The most I have ever set out was 8.

[wishing for walleyes]

I use the weedez.You can get 5 of them for $20.Also they are 5 foot tall.I took 3/4 insulation board and cut them out the size of a dinner plate.I then tied 30 foot of mason line on them with a hole through the center.Just like a polar tip up.The extra line i just wrap around the insulation board.One nice thing is winding them up you can use heavy gloves and keep your hands warm and dry.I have a total of 12 weeds.Here`s a picture of them in the ice.The insulation keeps the holes open under them for a long time.

[Pike Stabber]

i made my own, and of course, the manufacturer says not to do that - but i have had great success with them. i have varying lengths from 4 ft to 8ft, 12 strands total. i use them on some lakes in the BWCA because - believe it or not - they have virtually no weeds in the winter. mostly boulders and gravel bottom. putting out all of those weeds really makes a habitat for spooked fish. perch, northerns, they come in right away and they work great!!

[FISHINGURU]

nice...i been looking at the reel weeds, weedez and also thinking about making my own...maybe i'll do a little bit of them all lol

[harvey lee]

Please remember that both Reel Weeds and Weed Ez have went to great lengths to make sure their product do not harm the water or the fish with chemicals.

Some of the items you purchase in the arts and crafts stores have dye and such in them and it is not good for our lakes.

I know you can make them fairly inexpensive but what is one doing to our lakes and rivers.

Some of the cost of these product is due to research to make a safe product for our enviroment.

Something to really think about.

[FISHINGURU]

forsure harvey i agree...i've done reading about some products that you can use to make sure you don't hurt the environment....but i get lazy when it comes to making things so i'd have a better chance of gittin er dun if i just ordered some or buy them at the store lol.

have any of you both used the reel weeds and the weedez? if so whats the pros and cons between the two?

[Gillagain]

I don't have any of the Weed-Ez, but from what I saw at the St. Paul Ice Show last year it looked like you had some work to do after purchasing them. With the Weed-EZ you need to get your own weight, some kind of line to drop them down, and something to wrap the line on. Some guys were saying they use an extra fishing rod to attach their Weed-Ez. Anyway, you can't just buy the Weed-Ez and go fishing. It also looks like they are made from camo oak leaves like you see on a hunting blind, but this probably doesn't matter to the fish.

Reel Weeds are definitely more expensive, but they are ready to go and are easy to deploy and come with a storage system. You also never have to worry about them freezing in the hole and can adjust the depth of the structure with the push of a cordlock button on the cord above the float. They also look like real weeds.

I'm sure both have their place, but no matter what, it sure is cool to be able to put down structure where ever you want. I know it has made a big difference for me on many a day on the ice.

[FISHINGURU]

they say each weedez pack come with, float, line clip, sinker clip, and a mesh storage bag ( weight not included)

so the only thing you'd have to get is a big sinker.

[wishing for walleyes]

You also need some string for them. Masons string is cheap and plenty long & strong to do them all.

[goblueM]

eh, just make your own by suspending your old christmas tree down a big hole you spud thru 3 feet of ice

[jigging-matt]

I have some weed-eze, all we did was use tip-up line and made some collapsable bases for them to wrap the line on. The work slick. Just used some scrap lumber and dowel rods from around the house. Put some swivel clips on them to attach them to the line and some weights on the bottom. They seem to work well and are easy to put in and take out. Just a few extra holes.