Also have similar trees and bushes in Europe(the ones near the bank shown in my avatar), though seemingly not as worse as that cottonwood .
Nothing really helps against the line getting fouled up for good casting
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During the time , when these fluffy things are spreading , I possibly try fishing waters , where there are not too many of such trees and possibly on windy days , when most of the stuff collects on one bank by the wind .
Quiet waters are the most nasty in that way .
But this certainly also depends on the general local climate .
Also I have the impression , that local predators don't respond to lures very well at these times , certainly that does not have to do with the spreading "wool" , but with the season of year in general
!
Only know about one trick to avoid foul-up of line and especially lure , but this only works for trolling diving or sinking lures from a boat .
Watched it in a video sequence from a German pro angler , he trolled his lures in a Dutch river for perch and zander , it was a season of year , when there is a lot of dead vegetation and other biological debris drifting around to catch up with the lure .
So he just rigged a plastic or rubber bead of about 1/4" to 1/2" a few feet ahead of the lure rigid onto the main line , all the rubbish would catch up there and not reach down the lure to foul that one up
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Sadly for casting such won't work , especially not with those rather short rods common in America , in Europe we use 10 to 12 feet rods , at least for lurefishing from the bank(which most people do , I suppose ) .
Greetz , diemai
