Tom Maker explains how, contrary to popular belief, weedy venues can sometimes be easier to fish than you might think. Here’s why…

Let’s face it, most anglers are afraid of weed. Specifically, they are afraid to fish venues that are weedy and they’re certainly afraid to fish in or near the stuff, largely because they feel that they don’t have the ability to do so or that it’s a lot more difficult than it actually is.

In fact, in a perverse kind of way, fishing a weedy venue (within reason) can almost be easier than fishing a venue with absolutely no weed at all. What I mean by this is that a featureless lake with no weed whatsoever is going to offer up its own difficulties in terms of where to present your bait. Where do you start if you have very little to go on? Turn that on its head and imagine a venue with a bit of weed in it for a moment. I’m not talking the ultra-difficult lakes where the weed is top to bottom across its entirety, but more the kind of venue readers of this article are more likely going to encounter. If you are at all competent with a ‘leading’ rod then you have a far better chance of pinpointing where to present your baits, ie the clear spots. It’s almost like the carp and previous anglers have done the work for you as there will be clear areas in the weed, you just have to find them.

Distance is also not necessarily always an issue as, if the only clear spot in your swim is 30 yards out then that’s where you fish. I also think that anglers have a fear of whether or not they are going to be able to land a carp hooked in a weedy venue. Sometimes this fear can be paralysing to the point where so many anglers will avoid even a slightly weedy venue like the plague.