Here in N. IL. the cottonwood tree seeds are really starting to be a pain in the tail.  Are they an issue all over?  I fish braid so perhaps that is worse that mono but trying to clean it off your line stinks.

2 minutes ago, Randy Price said:

Here in N. IL. the cottonwood tree seeds are really starting to be a pain in the tail.  Are they an issue all over? 

 

They're thick here in central MN too.  Like snowfall-type thick.  A good storm with heavy rain will take care of it but unfortunately there isn't any of that in the immediate forecast.

 

I don't usually have issues with it while I'm fishing but it clogs my AC compressor pretty good over time.  The vents get plugged up and then exhaust can't be released properly.  I had an AC service tech out last spring to do a routine tune-up and he said it was over heating because of too much cottonseed.  He recommended cleaning it out twice a year to prevent this.

We have next to zero if not zero cottonwood trees 

We have them here in Virginia and it can be a pain if it gets wrapped around your line.  I always say it’s like feeling in somebody’s underwear stuck to your line.  ?

Yep, bad in VA......completely eliminates top water until the bloom subsides. 

10 minutes ago, Bird said:

Yep, bad in VA......completely eliminates top water until the bloom subsides. 

I like to use spinners for bass and it gets caught in my line and interferes with casting.

They are occasionally a problem on one of the rivers I fish here in upstate NY.  I'm always surprised by how hard it is to get that innocent-looking fluff off the line.   Most of my rods have micro guides.  When the seeds are troublesome, I usually give up on the river and head back out onto the lake.

 

Ever have trouble with pollen?  I was sight fishing for striped bass on the flats of Cape Cod Bay one time and literally acres of pollen on the water drifted in.  It was floating and was also suspended in the first foot or two of water.  It reflected the sunshine and made me nauseous when I tried to look into the water... sort of a vertigo kind of thing.  It was hours before the wind and tide cleared it out of the area.

Between the cottonwoods and the Chara I had to hand pick-clean my buzzbait a lot last trip . Sometimes multiple cast in a row . 

There have been times when I just gave up and went elsewhere. Or went home. 

When I was a kid, I lived about 200 yards from the biggest Cottonwood tree in Illinois.  It was huge and provided shade for a large part of the neighborhood for half the day.  This time of year looked like a blizzard was happening in our neighborhood.  They suck for fishing but cottonwoods remind of being a kid so I don't mind them

I thought that I was alone with this problem. I tried to fish a frog yesterday and it was miserable. The cottonwood seeds would get stuck on my line and get reeled into my baitcaster. When I would cast they would clump up in the line guide of the casting reel and cause backlash. I can't wait for rain.......

Last trip, I spent more time picking the cottonwood out of my line than actual fishing. If the cotton is too much, I just stay home. Or, a different lake.

Living along a river valley in Northwest Iowa means cottonwood trees and lots of them. Fishing this time of year when they are doing there thing can be an exercise in futility.

I don't have any problems with cottonwood seeds on my line.  The seeds collect on my line guides and level wind.

Doesn't stop me, or make me move, but HATE HATE HATE!!!

 

scott

I keep a couple of extra reels in my bag this time of year.  When one gets to the point where I want to scream, I cut off my jig and replace the gunked up one with a 'fresh one' and keep fishing.  Once the seeds dry out, I just strip the line off and hold it between my fingers in front of the reel. Then it's just a matter of reeling in the line and tossing the seeds.

I'm in northern Illinois also.   Yes, they suck most of the places that I go to at the moment. I find it easiest to cut off the lure and slide the big ball of seed off the end when it gets too bad. 

It’s currently snowing here in Michigan because of this god forsaken tree! I dread this time of the year because it covers almost every lake I fish around here. 

Went night fishing on Friday in Central IL, threw topwater, had to clean my reel the next day because it was all gunked up with white fuzz

Braid + cottonwood seeds + micro guides =

On 6/3/2021 at 8:35 AM, desmobob said:

They are occasionally a problem on one of the rivers I fish here in upstate NY.  I'm always surprised by how hard it is to get that innocent-looking fluff off the line.   Most of my rods have micro guides.  When the seeds are troublesome, I usually give up on the river and head back out onto the lake.

 

Ever have trouble with pollen?  I was sight fishing for striped bass on the flats of Cape Cod Bay one time and literally acres of pollen on the water drifted in.  It was floating and was also suspended in the first foot or two of water.  It reflected the sunshine and made me nauseous when I tried to look into the water... sort of a vertigo kind of thing.  It was hours before the wind and tide cleared it out of the area.

 

Pollen!

 

Few days ago I was trampling through some vegetation looking for a spot to fish when I hit a clump of cattails. I think that's what it was.

 

There was like an explosion of pollen when I hit them. A 6 foot greenish cloud surrounding me. My black clothes were covered. Thankfully I'm not allergic. Even my reel was blanketed with it.

 

Also got stabbed or scraped by some sort of "poisonous" prickly plant. My knee burned all evening. Happened at the same time.

 

Caught fish though!

Yep, don't like the darn things-especially when I would prefer to be fishing topwater baits (pretty much precludes the possibility).  The line lays on the surface and picks up cottonwood "fluff" like there's no tomorrow.  

On 6/3/2021 at 6:59 AM, Randy Price said:

Here in N. IL. the cottonwood tree seeds are really starting to be a pain in the tail.  Are they an issue all over?  I fish braid so perhaps that is worse that mono but trying to clean it off your line stinks.

Yes I have this all the time, and it gets really thick on your line and sometimes it builds up so thick it's the same size of not a little larger than an actual bullet weight. And you can't pick it off. Personally I just retie because while I wish there was a solution, I have not found it yet

4 hours ago, PressuredFishing said:

Yes I have this all the time, and it gets really thick on your line and sometimes it builds up so thick it's the same size of not a little larger than an actual bullet weight. And you can't pick it off. Personally I just retie because while I wish there was a solution, I have not found it yet

If you're fishing braid, take a couple seconds and pull it off.  This works for me ?‍♂️