Here's how to get into the weeds and on to fish

Bass, pike, muskies, walleyes, crappies, bluegills, and perch all spend a good portion of the early summer period buried in the weeds. Arguably, more game fish congregate in emerging weed beds than in any other type of structure this time of year. Paradoxically, these same weed beds are often devoid of fishing pressure. Weeds can be intimidating. It often it takes a specialized approach to pick fish from the jungle.

I break down weed fishing into five approaches.

The easiest in the spring and early summer period is to fish over the tops of emerging weeds. I cast crankbaits or jig and plastic combinations without the worry of getting hung up, or run crawler harnesses either directly behind the boat or on short leads behind planer boards — crawler harnesses weighted with a split shot sinker will work their way nicely over emerging weeds.

The second approach is to pick apart the openings in the weeds themselves. Nosing the boat directly into the weeds, I will drop a jig into any gaps or visible breaks in the weeds. It’s up close and personal. Slip-bobbers plopped into these same openings will help you keep your distance if fish prove to be skittish.

Working the outside edge of a weed bed is often the most productive zone throughout the entire season starting in spring. Once you run a weed bed a couple of times a distinct edge becomes apparent. The outside edge lends itself to a variety of offerings. Trolling cranks along this edge, working live bait slowly, snap jigging Rapala jigging raps, or trolling bottom bouncers and spinners will all put several species of game fish in the boat.

Sometimes you can’t dink and dunk around the edges; you just have to go in after them. In these situations, I rely on superlines. Berkley Fireline or Suffix 832 Performance braid allows me to throw my bait into the thickest of weeds and have confidence I can pull a fish along with several pounds of weeds over the gunnel. For walleyes, I pitch jig and plastic combinations. When hung on a weed, snap the rod quickly and let the jig free fall. For bass, heavy jigs and plastic trailers are fished in a similar fashion.

As weed growth accelerates, some bays become so choked full of weeds none of the previous techniques prove efficient. Mostly a bass technique, throwing weedless topwater baits can prove ideal. Once again superlines are a key part of the equation. Topwater frogs are also pretty standard. Make long casts to cover large portions of the weed bed. Work the bait quickly across thick mats of weeds, pausing in any openings, however small. Strikes are violent as water and weeds and fish explode skywards.

With these five approaches and corresponding lures, weed beds can be broken down into manageable places to fish. They can be messy, they can be frustrating, but they are well worth the effort. After all, you want to fish where the fish are.

Bret Baker is a lifetime resident of Cloquet. He is a proud husband, father, educator and outdoorsman. Bret began guiding fishing trips when he was 16 years old. Today, in his 40s, his passion is to introduce people to the tremendous outdoor adventures available in our region.