Think "WEEDLESS"
& think "SURFACE"
says Big Dave Webber

INTRODUCTION
At this time of year (mid-summer), when rivers may be low and quite weeded-up, of you’re fishing for predators, big chub, mega-perch and of course pike, you have to think “SURFACE” and think “WEEDLESS” when it comes to your lure-fishing.

FISH CARE FIRST
Firstly I should emphasise that unless you’re fishing below a nice big weir, dissolved-oxygen levels are often lower in the warmer months and so it’s vital to release fish with the minimum of handling and stress after ensuring as far as possible that they’re well-recovered.

LURE CHOICES
If you’re having to fish across the surface, across lily-pads and weed-beds in order to cover the water, there are several weedless, surface lures to help you make the very best of the conditions on your way to success.

Frogs, Mice & the Like
First come the frogs, closely followed by the mice! Here I’m talking about soft plastic lures with upturned hooks, plus some hard-bodied types such as the Heddon Zara Mouse, a weedless version of their all-time classic Meadow Mouse.

I have to say that I’m pretty much convinced that the particular type of surface lure, be it a mouse mimic or look-alike frog, isn’t all that critical – after all they’re all seen in silhouette from below and they all seem to get grabbed with pretty much equal ferocity when the fish are “on” i.e. are actively feeding, especially off the surface.

Moss Boss is THE BOSS
Another big favourite of mine when it comes to thinking SURFACE & WEEDLESS is the all-time classic Moss Boss, originally designed by Swamp Fox Lures and now marketed by Heddon/PradCo.

That said, the single big upturned hook on the Moss Boss and many other surface weedless lures needs to be firmly crushed before you even think about using it. The hook point itself may also need a bit of sharpening too.

STRIKING, not too soon
Once you’ve cast-out your chosen weedless surface lure to the far bank or on to a bed of weed or lilies, with any luck you’ll soon find that it gets well and truly grabbed, often explosively, on its return journey across the surface

And now to one of the key things in successful surface lure-fishing … don’t strike too soon – it’s not easy, but you just have to resist striking as you would normally do when fishing sub-surface lures.

You’ve got to wait a second to allow the big predator to turn down with the lure. You could try saying “Moss Boss” between the “take” and your strike, and that should see you alright!

Otherwise, like many other disillusioned surface lure-anglers, you’ll soon start to blame the weedless surface lures themselves for all those missed “takes”, when in fact 9 out of 10 times, it’s all down to your striking too soon. Don’t say I haven’t told you!

THINK !
One thing's for sure, surface lure-fishing really takes some beating for skill, excitement and success where other lures are unfishable. Don't be daunted by weedy swims .... think "WEEDLESS" and think "SURFACE" and fish those lures that will reach parts and catch fish that other lures can't reach!

Dave Webber

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