Fake weeds, worth the money?

[Jaspernuts]

Has anyone used those new fake weeds you can buy to add structure? How has your success been?

[mike morris]

I know a few guys that use them up at URL due to the lack of structure in the lake. I'm not sure how effective they were though.

[ec30_06]

I have a 5 pack that I used a lot last year. They will not make fish bite if they are not already there. A few times it seemed like fish would hang around longer in the holes near the weeds. Small perch love them on Mille Lacs but the jumbos didn't seem to care one way or another. If you have the fished pegged on one spot and don't move around much they might work for you. It can be alot of work to drill 5 extra holes in every spot when the ice gets thick. Also be careful of getting them too close to tip-ups. A big pike will wrap you up into a big mess. Overall When I do find a situation that allows me to use them without much hassle they seem to help around %50 of the time.

[Jaspernuts]

I think they would help on certain lakes. I fish a 8 ft bowl with no structure. I would think they would be a magnet in a lake like this.

[harvey lee]

Yes, laDredges weed products do work. If you worried about northerns, drop down a tip up and Ladredge's new weed line.

Check it out here.

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/sh...e=0#Post1235052

[Eric Wettschreck]

I'll be honest, at first I thought the whole fake weed thing was a gimmick. I normally fish the local prairie potholes, no structure, no weeds.

Then I used them.

Unless I'm doing a TON of runnin and gunnin, I'm using the Reel Weeds everytime. Hands down they have helped me catch more fish and are a part of my regular arsenal now. No, they do not guarantee you fish, nothing does, but they sure help put the odds in your favor.

[BIG DS]

well worth the money if you fish a lot of areas with no structure.

[BoxMN]

Well, and it might just be coincidence, but we only did NOT use them once so far out of 7 or 8 times out. That was the only time we did NOT catch anything... hmmm... I should have put them down But it was on new lake, so who knows. But I will use them going forward, every time.

[lookincalifornia]

i fished with a guy about 15 years ago that made his own from an old plastic fern. we put them down on spirit lake(ia). the crappies, gills, and bass would come out of nowhere to sit under them. i don't recall them helping our catch, but it was fun to watch

[katoguy]

If you put down portable cover it may hold fish in the vicinity, but it won't bring fish in from afar. Structure is the key. It is the reason why the public hotspots are in the same place every year. Most people don't realize that public hotspots aren’t large areas, but a particular spot or small areas that fish move through on their daily or seasonal migrations. We can all benefit by time-on-the-water and learn these nuances. Structure doesn't change from year to year!

Cover on structure is usually the key, but fishing pressure and other factors can move fish off the primary structure and on to the secondary. It can also move fish to the aforementioned cover/fake weeds. Figuring out the timing (seasonally and daily) that fish utilize the structure is even more complicated.

Bring prey and weather into the equation and things get really complex.

[sodajerk]

I used them for the first time today and had my best day of the year so far. I put down the 5-pack "Weed Bed" in a semi-circle around my shack.

I caught a 14" largemouth and 4 crappies, 3 of them 10-11 inchers. I had never caught either of those species before in the spot I was at, and the Marcum was showing lots more fish hanging around longer than they have in the past. My bluegill and perch numbers were up over the average catch at that spot as well.

One day does not a season make, but I can't complain about the Reel Weeds at all. I'll definitely be using them from now on.

[harvey lee]

Glad to hear you had a good day with the reel Weeds. One might also try their new weed line for tip up fishing as they also work well. Check the new weed line out here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTJgaa5MzWo

[Scott K]

I havent used them yet, so I have a dumb question about them, I fish out of a portable most of the time. How far out do you put them from you? And dont you have problems with the holes freezing them in the ice? If so, how do you get them back out?

[harvey lee]

I have used a few different patterns. One, I will place them in a line across the front of the portable approx. 3-4 ft in front of the house or the rear of the house. I will also place them in a V and fish in the middle. One can create any type pattern that you would like. I usually fish approx 3-5 feet away from the weeds and have never had an issue with getting tangled up. Now, if a pike were to hit my jig, that maybe a different story.

The weeds come with a small bulb type float that is the stop for depth and also holds the weeds at that desired depth. if it is very cold and the water starts to freeze, squeeze the bulb and then lift them out and wrap them up. No issues to date with them freezing them in.

[sodajerk]

I put them in a semicircle around my FT Pro and fished in the middle of the pattern. My lures were probably 3 ft from the reel weeds. No problems with tangles, but as harvey said, a running pike may cause a problem, so keep tip ups farther away.

As for freezing, the big foam float that holds the weeds upright and at the correct depth is squeezable. If it should get iced in, just squeeze it and it will pull out of the hole and will leave an opening big enough to pull the weeds up and through. Just check the holes you have the weeds in every couple hours and dip any ice build up out of them and you should be good.

[Scott K]

Thanks guys, I believe I got some of these for christmas, if not then I will just need to buy some then.

[wishing for walleyes]

I have 12 weed`ez.I took some 3/4 styrofoam and cut them out in 10 1/2 circules.I then put a hole in the center and ran my string up through the hole.I also put an aligator clip on a string on each one and clip them to the string after i drop down my weeds.Same thing as a polar tip up.I was out last week in 5 above temps for several hours and they never froze at all.When pulling up my weeds i just wrap the string and weeds around the styrofoam and stick each one in a grocery bag.Originaly i was going to stack them in a 5 gallon pail but a 5 gallon pail is 1/2 inch narrower at the bottom.My auger is a 9 inch so the 5 gallon bucket doesn`t work so great for me.The weed~ez are only $20 for 4 of them.They work great for me.Heres a picture of some weed`ez around my portable.

[fishinJohn]

I bought the 5 pack and I used them three times so far. I was in a pretty poor location all of the times; I did not see any fish on the flasher so the weeds did not help. I packed up the last time and moved to a more popular spot and caught bluegills left and right before I had a chance to think about laying the weeds out. I do think they are a good product and in a good location might be helpful. The Reel Weeds are pretty well made and designed. I plan on using mine most when it is too cold to move around.