Weed rakes

[James Furness]

Does anyone have any instructions for a good weed rake as I'm planning on fishing a water that gets very weedy (dont worry its not Top Pool!!). I had a look at some standard rake heads in B&Q the other day, but they didn't look very heavy and not sure if they'd actually sink through some of the heavier weed!!

Cheers.

[Chesh]

wouldnt worry about going for a conventional rake head, unless you intend on throwing it in using a rope attachment.. you can get them, maybe build a small one that you can attach to your line..

Julian has a corking one that i think he built himself... he may be able to shed some more light on how he got hold of his.. think he built it himself

[gazza]

From Aprils' Carpworld

[kevw]

I got one a few years ago when turfing the garden from a local builders merchants, think it's used for tarmac. Is really heavy duty, about 6 ft long and the head is 2ft wide. Would be ideal for doing margins etc.

[Julian Grattidge]

The kind of rake to use depends how much weed you are looking to shift and from what type of water. I’ve used rakes that have been too light so that they don’t sink, or too heavy so that they rake the silt but no weed!

Also you’ve got to look at the size of the head in comparison to how far you hope to chuck it (off a boat/throw by hand) and what strength of rope you will need.

After years of messing about with them, I’ve made my own little rod cast weed rake. I basically took a long tent peg, cut off the hook end, and fastened a swivel head in the middle. Thus, when faced with weed, I just slip off my hooklink and put on my rake. I can then alter the weight by attaching different sized leads dependant on how far I want to cast or what type of weed I’m looking to shift, etc.

I have found this method to be invaluable when fishing weedy waters, as you can do it at the start of your session without spooking fish, and as some types of weed grow so fast (i.e. Canadian) you can just have a quick run through the spot each time you fish it to ensure you have perfect presentation.

Using 12 or 15lb mainline you’d be surprised just how much weed you can pull in once you get it moving – and if you get it stuck you can just give it a few sharp jabs and it will come free every time – never been snapped or stuck yet.

Picture here: http://www.northwestcarp.co.uk/Carp-Articles/Product-Reviews/gizmo.html

Jules

[shaun]

Originally Posted by gazza

From Aprils' Carpworld

nice idea but has anyone tryed it yet

[gazza]

The article was by John Claridge who used the rake to help him bank the Big Orange from Yateley's Car Park Lake at a weight of 45lb.

[northernbadger]

Jimmy know the water you're fishing if its the same one you had that 20 from. For the pads you need to get in with chesties and physically rake them out with a standard garden rake. A really heavy thick rake btw otherwise you're just gonna bring in the pads and not the roots/stems(whatever). No chance throwing in a rake head attatched to some rope, it will bring in the canadian but not the pads.

[James Furness]

Originally Posted by northernbadger

Jimmy know the water you're fishing if its the same one you had that 20 from. For the pads you need to get in with chesties and physically rake them out with a standard garden rake. A really heavy thick rake btw otherwise you're just gonna bring in the pads and not the roots/stems(whatever). No chance throwing in a rake head attatched to some rope, it will bring in the canadian but not the pads.

Yeah its the same lake. Cheers for the info! Will pop down to Focus or somewhere and get myself a decent rake then!!

[northernbadger]

Make sure you've got a wading staff or a landing net pole for when you do it. Had some close calls in the past when completely misjudging drop offs.