Silkweed as bait

[Sneezewort]

Does anyone else recall using silkweed when fishing at a weir?
My Dad used to, and told me my Grandad (who predeceased my birth ) used to swear by it for Roach.
He would drag his hook through and float fish a small piece down off the sill.
I did try it in my youth but quickly reverted to grubs or worms.
I suspect there was more than a little hook point masking with the old shrubbery method

That said I really have an urge now to fish a weir pool again. We used to purchase a weir pool licence on top of the rod licence. Sunbury weir on the Thames was special. A better class of big gudgeon always kept us busy, burying our floats.

[Coral Maestro]

When I was in my early teens I fished the Great Ouse in the centre of Bedford with a neighbour. He suggested dragging my hook through the silkweed on the weir sill and trotting it down in the current. I must admit that I had some doubts about this but gave it a try all the same. Soon, I was catching roach regularly in the 4-12 oz class including my then personal best roach of 14 ozs.
So, in answer to your enquiry, it's a method that works well in the right circumstances. I must admit that I haven't tried it for many years but I'm sure it's still worth a go.
Here in France the problem is that you're not allowed to fish near to a weir so that makes it a non starter.

[Dave Burr]

1960's French Weir on the river Tone. Everybody seemed to be doing it and I was quick to follow. A large float, a BB shot that could be lowered next to the size 10 hook to add weight when scraping the wees off the sill, push the shot back up a foot and trot out with one of the several currents that ran through the pool.

The roach we caught were all above 'maggot caught' size, the best I had was just shy of 2lbs. Big dace also took the silkweed and all bites were solid and unmissable.

I later moved to Yeovil and the weir at Yeovilton. Same method, same results but the roach never topped about 1lb 4oz.

If you are going to do it Sneezewort, this Indain Summer is an ideal time as the weed will die back and be lost in the floods and it's a method that only ever seemed to work in clear conditions.

Good luck

[Sneezewort]

When I was in my early teens I fished the Great Ouse in the centre of Bedford with a neighbour. He suggested dragging my hook through the silkweed on the weir sill and trotting it down in the current. I must admit that I had some doubts about this but gave it a try all the same. Soon, I was catching roach regularly in the 4-12 oz class including my then personal best roach of 14 ozs.
So, in answer to your enquiry, it's a method that works well in the right circumstances. I must admit that I haven't tried it for many years but I'm sure it's still worth a go.
Here in France the problem is that you're not allowed to fish near to a weir so that makes it a non starter.

It always did attract a bigger stamp of fish it seems .... definitely worth a try again I think

[Shropshire Lad]

Yes, I tried in on a session in Steve Roberts punt at Pangbourne weir pool on the Thames and caught roach on it, cheap bait Steve remarked he need not have brought any bait with him although I did have a nice perch on worm. Silkweed is worth a go but don't touch it with your hands, use a very small fine wire treble hook and draw it through the weed so some sticks on the hook and use a largish float with some bulk shot 3/4 of the way down ideally using a centrepin as well.
Good Luck.

[Olly]

Only used it and caught on it a couple of occasions that I can remember. Once at Penton Hook weir on the Thames and at The Splash on the Ember in East Molesey. About the mid '60's. Again it was roach that were caught but not big ones.

[Kevin Foster]

Remember using it as bait off shepperton weir sill in matches with my mate Tom catching mostly bleak and roach which we sometimes used as bait for pike and chub, caught a 3:12:0 chub on double bleak bait both on a single treble which really peed off Tom because he normally beat me. That was on a Thames weir permit