Green Gold: Fishing the Weed Bed Edges
Green Gold: Fishing the Weed Bed Edge
If you're ignoring weed bed edges, you're skipping the buffet line of Stillwater fishing. Learn how to spot them, fish them, and load up on ferocious trout takes.
Intro:
Welcome to the Stillwater Edge podcast. I’m your host, Greg Keenan. In today’s episode, we’re diving into what I call the “Green Gold” of Stillwater fly fishing weed bed edges. These underwater highways are where trout ambush food, and if you’re not fishing them, you’re leaving opportunity on the table. We’ll break down how to find them, what lines to use, the flies that work best, and how to fish them for explosive results.
Main Takeaways:
Why Weed Bed Edges Matter:
Subsurface weed beds are high-traffic feeding zones for trout.
They act as transition areas between cover and open water.
Insects hatch and congregate in these areas trout know this.
How to Spot Weed Edges:
Look for color transitions from green to dark blue water.
Use polarized sunglasses to see subsurface weed texture in 5–8 feet of water.
Turn up sonar sensitivity to mark weed lines. They’ll show up as static or tall columns.
How to Fish Weed Edges:
Cast parallel to the edge and retrieve along the structure.
Target pockets and irregularities in the weedline.
Focus on ambush zones where trout cruise and hold.
Fly Line Recommendations:
Hover, intermediate, or slow sink lines give you crucial depth control.
Parabolic lines and clear camos are highly effective in 4–12 feet of water.
If you only have a floating line, use a long 12-foot leader.
Best Fly Patterns:
Top 3: Damsels, leeches, and dragonfly nymphs like the gomphus.
Bonus: Small baitfish patterns and booby flies, especially in fall or spring.
Strip a damsel along the edge or suspend a chironomid outside the weeds.
Retrieves That Work:
Faster “pause and go” strip retrieves.
Slower hand twist figure-eight retrieves for a subtle presentation.
Bonus Conditions to Watch For:
Wind pushes food into weed edges, concentrating feeding zones.
Low light: dawn, dusk, and cloudy days light up the action.
On pressured or trophy lakes: go long leader, quiet casts, and stealth mode.
Lakes Mentioned:
Corbett Lake: known for productive weed pockets and big trout.
Island Lake and Tunkwa Lake: excellent examples for stealth weed-edge fishing in skinny water.
Outro:
Weed bed edges aren’t obstacles they’re opportunities. Mastering this zone will add a deadly tool to your Stillwater toolbox. If this episode helped, share it with your crew, drop a rating, and tag me when you stick a tank off a weed line. Thanks for listening to the Stillwater Edge podcast. See you on the water and tight lines.
South Africa