It's That Time of Year Again

Duckweed is making its annual return to the area's streams and waterways. In very short order, we'll likely be seeing the green stuff everywhere we go on the water.

This photo, taken in September 2010 by my friend, Charlie, during a trip to Nawney (or Nanney, as he calls it) Creek, shows what we all have to look forward to in coming days. And, yes, I know how many of you feel--I already can hear your collective sighs and groans.

I, too, groan a bit when it comes to cleaning duckweed off my boat's black hull. Wiping it off with a rag doesn't amount to much more than a drill in futility. You just kinda move it around from one spot to another. The best way to get it off is to attach a nozzle to the nearest hose and knock it off--the sooner the better--after getting your boat out of the infested water.

On a positive note, some of the best fishing I had last year came from tossing topwaters in and around duckweed colonies. My introduction to the "good side" of  the green stuff came early one morning last year. I was motoring toward a piece of shoreline in West Neck Creek when I saw a lot of movement in a long parallel line of duckweed a few feet out in front of the shoreline. I stopped and started throwing at that movement.

In some cases, the fish wouldn't hit until I put the bait directly in the middle of the slop. Other times, they would smack the bait along the edges of the duckweed. When the fish were hitting out along the edges, I was able to use a shallow-running crankbait effectively. And on those occasions when a fish would blow up but miss your bait in the middle of the slop, you had a very distinct hole in which to toss a follow-up bait--something like a worm or other soft plastic.

Hollow-bodied frogs are the go-to topwater choice of many anglers for fishing duckweed. It's my understanding that's where the term "scumfroggin'" originated. Some, though, prefer to use a spoon. I caught a few fish last year on a Johnson's Silver Minnow, tipped with a 3- or 4-inch white Mr. Twister tail. Another successful lure for some is the Stanley Ribbit Frog and look-alikes fished on weightless hooks.

So don't just scoff at the duckweed this year. Watch for fish movement in it, and when you see some, stop and work the area over. You might be surprised at the results.