One of the benefits of global warming no doubt, but the phenomena of weed beds not completely dying off, as we have come to expect, has been a growing feature of winter fishing on a growing number of fisheries throughout East Anglia and probably the UK as a whole.

The effects of this are that where as in the past the remnants of Summer plant and weed growth has been a minor nuisance during the Winter, this lingering weed and even new shoots that are starting, keep the weed up off bottom . This provides the ideal camouflage for hiding any heavy bait from the prying eyes of the pike. The result is that unless the pike can smell it, there is little chance of getting a take!

So what is the answer?

Well there are a couple of things to do to overcome the effects, as we can't dispose of the weed ,we have to make it work for us a little. Firstly you can reduce the weight of the terminal tackle, e.g. weights and type of bait. The problem from this comes back when you need to cast any reasonable distance, light leads don't get the bait out, particularly in head winds, put on a bigger lead and the light bait gets pulled down again.

Enter the buoyant bait

This can, in combination with adjustments in terminal tackle, provide assistance in getting the bait back into view. The points here are to consider increasing the length of hook trace (and uptraces) and the link to the weight. Don't attach the weight directly to the reel line/uptrace, instead, using a large eye run ring, attach the weight via a nylon link (50% of main line BS) of 12 to 18 inches in length to help keep the rig on top of the weed. If the weed is deeper, allowing the bait the opportunity to settle before tightening up will allow the buoyant bait, as illustrated here, to rise up attractively and be visible to the pike. Don't pull the reel line over tight when setting the indicator or cocking the float, to avoid pulling the bait back down into the weed.

To further enhance the attractiveness you should consider adding some additional attractors in the form of flavourings and oils to the bait, either by injecting with a syringe (remembering to take extreme care not to inject this or any air into yourself!) into the body of the bait, making some cuts in the flesh of the bait to release natural juices, particularly baits like mackerel, smelt, herring or lamprey.

Optionally add flavours and oil to a foam pellet and insert this into the baits body cavity via its mouth, water pressure should then force this to release the oils after casting.

Finally, there is always the option to leger a live bait instead of a dead bait, which will both struggle to stay free of the weed, creating both visual stimulation and vibrations to attract the pike to investigate!