There are several ways of dealing with silkweed depending on its thickness

There are several ways of dealing with silkweed depending on its thickness. If the weed is relatively light then the simplest answer is just to lengthen the hook length so that the bait is able to free-fall onto it. The velocity of the bait can be reduced by using Solars dissolving foam over the hook. The foam will hold the bait above the weed until it melts, at which point the bait will sink to the bottom. This rig is quite effective, particularly with semi-buoyant baits, but does require the fish to pick up the baits confidently. A more sensitive alternative is the long tail paternoster. When fished in conjunction with a floating bait this rig can be tailored to present a bait just above the weed. I normally use this rig with a long tail length of a minimum of two feet with a very short hooklength, often no more than four inches long. The only down side with this rig is the likelihood of the bomb tail becoming snagged when playing a fish. This is something that has dogged me for quite a while and has led to several adaptations. Having a heavy lead or feeder dragging several feet behind a fish is a recipe for disaster. Either we have to jettison the offending weight, or move it to a position where it is out of harms reach. Using different rigs, both of these options are available to us. My favourite rig for ledgering has to be the fixed paternoster. This is without doubt the most tangle-free and sensitive rig available. The trouble is, it also suffers from tethering. When using light weights, the simplest way of dealing with this is to use a weak knot to attach the lead. A double turn blood knot will do the trick, or tie a few granny knots in the tail link. The trouble is, this will not work when casting heavy weights or feeders, at which point is becomes potentially very dangerous. Sea angling companies sell various types of breakaway systems. Although these can be incorporated, they are generally quite cumbersome, but do not let that stop you from trying them for yourself as they do allow the lead to fall away without weakening the line. Adapting the rig is where most of my recent thoughts have been directed. Basically, we are trying to stop the lead from dragging behind the fish. This can be accomplished in several ways. Firstly, we can use a semi-fixed hook link which will slide down to the lead when enough pressure is applied. This can be accomplished by tying a stop knot below the hook link swivel, or using gummy stoppers. The problem with this rig is that the hook-link swivel effectively acts as a guillotine and can cut the main line. The only way I have found to effectively stop this is to use a heavy link of lead core or thick nylon. There is no doubting though that when set up correctly this can be a very effective rig. The second rig that I have been playing around with works on a different principle. With this rig the hook length and lead link are joined together and attached to the main line with a second swivel, in a similar manner to the beach anglers wishbone rig. To give more of a bolt effect, the hook length is fixed in position with a gummy stopper. When playing a fish the stopper will move down the line, pulling the lead link through the swivel. Eventually, the link becomes fully extended and the lead moves in front of the fish. Although effective, this rig is not perfect. Unfortunately, if the main line should break the fish can find itself with no way of releasing the lead. The only way to make this rig safer is to use a light hook length, but until perfected it’s use is not recommended. Stringy forms of weed, such as Canadian pond weed and millfoil can be some of the most difficult to deal with. Unlike those already described, we are talking about an often dense bed of weed stretching several feet off bottom with some strands reaching higher than others. There is no doubt that fish will feed within these weed beds, but presenting a bait to them can be impossible. The best we can normally do is to encapsulate the rid in a PVA bag so as to reduce the chances of it snagging on the strands. Rather than using a small dense bag I will often use a lighter lead and fill the bag with dry material, so that its descent is slowed. This will stop the bait from being dragged too deeply into the weed. To increase the chances of the lead sitting on top of the weed I will use a flat sided lead, such as those made by Korda.

Fishing in weed is a day to day problem for me now. Rather than being frightened by weed, look on it as part of your fishing. If you are fishing in weed, then the chances are the fish will not be far away and when fishing amongst weed, presentation becomes much less of an issue. All of a sudden heavy lines and thick hooks become a viable proposition, and believe me there are times when you will need them. Learn to live with weed and I guarantee you will catch more fish.