I'm not sure how anyone can answer the question for sure. :whazzup: I've never landed a fish with weed still on the lure or in it's mouth. But, how would anyone know if there was weed there when the fish grabbed it. I imagine a number of cut plugs are picked up in Tillamook Bay with some weed on them. Personally I clean my gear frequently. Weed definetly won't help, so why not keep things clean.
I think most of the weed you see when you reel in is caught on the line but not necessarily wrapped on the bait, plug, or wobbler until you reel in. I think alot of it slides down the line giving the impression your gear has been fouled the whole time. Most of the time I doubt that's true. :smile: