Reel Weeds...how to

[aquafang]

Just curious. How do you leave your reel weeds under your permanent wheelhouse? Do you submerge the float? Has anyone found a certain formation of the weeds to be better? V funnel line , Maybe just cluster them???? Mostly want to know how you leave your reel weeds for long periods and them retrieve them.

thx.

[harvey lee]

I would put the Reel Weeds around your house in in a pattern on the side or end of the house. They do not have to be located right under the house.

As far as a pattern to use, I have used the V shape and also 2 lines intersecting together but you can play with any pattern you think might work and if you experiment with different patterns you may come up with one that might be better than another.

You just let the little float lay on top of the ice and when its time to go home you can grab the float and squeeze it and pull the weeds up. It may be a little harder if you let them freeze in for a week or so. I would pull them every few days or so to make sure they dont get locked in the ice after a week or longer.

If you have a underwater camera, you can watch fish swim in and hang around those weeds and see how they will react to them.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I dont know how it would be possible to leave them out for long peroids of time and still get them out. I am interested to hear how peoplehave done this with permanents... I have only used them with portables.

[harvey lee]

I have seen them left out for a day or two but you do need to chip out some ice to retrieve your weeds. If its real cold they almost have to come out each day but if its in the thirties, then 2 days will work with a little chipping and be careful not to whack the float or string.

If your staying overnight for a few days then one can go out every 4-6 hours and clean the hole a little.

[Tyler Holm]

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Just curious. How do you leave your reel weeds under your permanent wheelhouse? Do you submerge the float? Has anyone found a certain formation of the weeds to be better? V funnel line , Maybe just cluster them???? Mostly want to know how you leave your reel weeds for long periods and them retrieve them.

thx.

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Personally I would cluster them around your shack and take them out (or drill new holes) each day. It would be ugly if you let your hole entirely freeze over.

I've only used them with my portable, but I like to put them just far enough away so I don't mark them on my transducer. 2-6' depending on the water depth. If you do start marking one, you can raise it up and suspend the weeds a few feet off the bottom until it's no longer in your transducer cone. Staggering weeds like this can be deadly.

[andrew chadwick]

Im pretty sure I read somewhere it is illegal to leave them in overnight. You have to remove them every time you leave the lake.

[Kodiak]

i wonder if they will be banned due to them working so good?

[ice-man/vexilar-king]

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i wonder if they will be banned due to them working so good?

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Give the no fun state a chance they will. I aslo have heard that you can't leave them out but have no hard facts. We put two by each hole out side the house on the opposite side the fish are coming from and one by each hole facing the schooling fish. the far wall of weeds acts as a blocker and they seam to stage on the singles. I will be using that cheap cluster from nature vision as a blocker this year and spread the Ladredge out a little more. We have down a weed bed next to the permanant. It works!!! Make sure if you are in a thick pike area that they are far enough away from your hole they don't tangle it gets messy.

[aquafang]

Well, I bought my reel weeds at scheels in Fargo yesterday. I bought the 5 pack and the camera cable pack.

Can't wait to try them out!

[bigtimeelectric]

watch out I have a catch cover in the middle of my house I put my camera down so I can see all my lines well I got the bright idea to put them weeds on my camera cable well I fish about 24' so that far down my minnows from stationary bobber holes actualy swam into the fricken weeds to hide and got my lines tangled in there. haven't bothered since but I can see where they would work. as far as drilling a hole outside your permanent everyday that would be ok but sometimes the ice sags and you can flood around your house so I have a policy against drilling holes that close to my fish house... I can see the ice forming boyz it won't be long know

[LMITOUT]

I pull my weeds out when I leave my permanent. If there isn't much snow on the ice to bank the house, my holes tend to shrink as the day goes on and I nearly lost a weed string or two overnight after I woke up to find the line was frozen to the side of the hole. If you can keep the line in the center of the hole you may be OK.

[harvey lee]

Your correct, if the line is in the center and you clean these holes out every so often, then you can get away with it.

Now, if its very cold and you let them sit for a day or two and dont look at them, you are going to have a freeze in problem.

[IcemanMN]

I was thinking of makign little plywood boxes with one of those small coleman lanterns that fit on a 1 pound tank. We use them in our tipup boxes to keep the holes clean. I think they would work great for reel weeds.

[nofish]

I was thinking of buying some of these and was wondering how many would you get? the 2 pack or the big pack? I am sure the more the better, but on a tight budget would a 2 pack be enuff to suck them in? a few is better that none I would assume.

appreciate any comments. thanks

[Deitz Dittrich]

Anything is better than nothing... However, I usually put 4 out...

[shooter_mcgavin]

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i wonder if they will be banned due to them working so good?

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Give the no fun state a chance they will. I aslo have heard that you can't leave them out but have no hard facts.

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Why do you think the state would ban these?

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

well i think its a great concept but when you look at these little weeds its obvious they are made in china for about for cents and they sell a two pack for some ridiculous price i believe it is like $25. So i was thinking about it and i think im just going to use some of my aquarium plants with a rock tied to it so it sinks and just put down some of those. Then just tie some fishing line to it and put a little float on the top so when you move you can just pull them up and take em to the next spot! sounds like it would work to me what do you all think?

Ryan

[LuckyNorm07]

People have tried to do this(in a previous post) A do-it yourself kit and so far it has not worked.. i love this product and feel it does help to bring in the fish(or atleast keep them around alittle bit longer). I think it would cost more to buy all those fake plants and then put it together.

[BoxMN]

FWIW, the Reel Weeds have been "designed" to work properly and not break up and litter the bottom, or fall apart becoing useless the next trip. I was thinking the same, but when you look at them, you realize the string goes THROUGH the weeds themselves, making the tougher and less liekly to break.

Also, they look really good, and have no dye in them like some Xmas tree branches I thought of. And the weight they use combined with the foam holder/wrapper makes it easy to wind up and store. They also have the little clip to adjust the depth (prolly about $1 each).

Anyway, I thought the same, but when you figure they are about $10 a piece but are high quality and ready to go, it doesn't seem worth it to save like maybe $8 each and have one that will fall apart. Just my two cents though And given I have not used them yet, just anticpating, but I had to justify it to the War Dept. so you get to rationalizing pretty good! ha!

[S.D. Ice Angular]

You would be wise to skip the homemade version attempt.

If you want something to work out of the box just buy them...

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

Hmm im not trying to sway any opinions here i just think they are ripping us off by selling them for such a steep price. seems like a lot of money to me when an aquarium plant a rock some fishing line and a float only cost a few bucks. Just my opinion

Ryan

[slipperybob]

Okay, then maybe I'll go to the pet store and check out what prices are going for aquarium plants. Then when the St. Paul ice show comes around, I'll figure it out if it's cost effective?

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

Do what you want i just tore down my aquarium so i have a lot of plants! I will try it out this year and see how it works, it just seems like you would save a lot of money using these plants and obviously it wont hurt the water or fall apart because i have had them in my aquarium for 2 years now and the dye hasnt come off and the fish havent been hurt by any chemicals or anything.

Ryan

[ReelWeeds]

A little background on Reel Weeds...it took nearly 5 years to find a plastic or even a product that would withstand the elements a Midwest winter can offer. Reel Weeds are not made in the same fashion that your heated aquarium weeds are made. In fact when we first started developing reel weeds we tested aquarium weeds which are meant for heated aquariums and discovered they became brittle and fell apart in extreme conditions. We tested all sorts of products including fabrics, while some worked the first time down the hole-moving them to another hole created all sorts of problems. LaDredge Outdoors uses only the highest quality material in manufacturing all of our products. Sure, we could have saved everyone money by cutting corners and using less expensive parts, but we believe in providing quality products, as we are avid ice-fisherman ourselves. As newcomers in this industry, our reputation must be earned from each of you and that only comes by offering you the best products at the most affordable price we can. Which is what we have tried to do.

In regards to trying to make your own, I can't blame anyone for trying, I can only lend you our experiences and the testimonials of those that have tried before you.

Please stop down at the St. Paul Ice Show (booth 511) and see for yourself. If you have any questions I will be glad to answer them for you.

Bill Lorimer - LaDredge Outdoors

[harvey lee]

Every year this same conversation comes up about making your own and I do understand why. I tried it a few years back and all I can say from my expierence is that I could not find the right material to make this product as good or a safe for the water as laDredge has done for all fisherman.

They have a very well designed product that works great and does not fall apart like the ones I tried to make. I look at them in the corner of the shop and figure that one day I will throw them away as they are not of much value to me anymore.

I think if one really compares what LaDredge product looks like and how well it works that the price we all pay for this product in the long run will be better than anything we can build.

One can do as they please but in the end, I do believe we all end up buying this great product laDredge makes for us now. I know that these plants one buys at the pet store work great in the aquarium, but place then in the cold water, pull them out and let the weeds freeze and you may see a different result. I dont know if one can compare the two different water conditions and then the freezing part of it. They also make a very nice unit to wrap the weeds up very neatly to store them.

I personally do not believe that they are overpriced in any way. Just my .02 cents worth from what I have learned in the past.