Vanbassin Posted January 19, 2015 Posted January 19, 2015 Hi Guys I went fishing this weekend at a new lake, a beautiful lake, clean water amazing structure everywhere, but over run by Hydrilla, worst I have seen so far!! What effect does Hydrilla have on the lake's eco system and what is a known "Cure" for this pest? As i see it more and more often in our small ponds and small lakes. Quote
Super User BrianinMD Posted January 19, 2015 Super User Posted January 19, 2015 The cure for this "pest" is generally chemical treatment to kill it. But generally there is no reason to do it, everything from baitfish, crawfish to bass will thrive in it. Learning to fish it properly can have outstanding results. 2 Quote
Vanbassin Posted January 19, 2015 Author Posted January 19, 2015 Hi BraininMD, I agree it can be very productive and I know how to fish it, but if its from bottom all the way to the surface, surely fish cant thrive in it? Quote
Super User gardnerjigman Posted January 19, 2015 Super User Posted January 19, 2015 Hydrilla for me is a benefit, not a pest. Get creative and figure best ways to fish it. Hydrilla is usually loaded with "caves" and "tunnels" holding baitfish, other forage, and big bass! Quote
ClackerBuzz Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 Hi BraininMD, I agree it can be very productive and I know how to fish it, but if its from bottom all the way to the surface, surely fish cant thrive in it? they sure do thrive in it. i have a pond that get's choked out with milfoil and there are some monster bass in there..along with pickerel, huge crappie, bluegills, catfish and carp. i have a different out look on the milfoil. it is considered an invasive species by many but why poison our waters with chemicals and spend millions of dollars over the course of 20 yr to try and prevent the inevitable. environments change and often we do more harm trying to prevent it. requiring boat quarantine is as far as i'd go to prevent it from spreading. no sense in poisoning the waters we swim in and drink from to stop an unstoppable/harmless weed. plus a natural solution will come farther down the road so patience is a virtue. one of my mt lakes is treated with chemicals every season. there are tons of boaters/children etc that play in the water all season. i voiced my opinion to a resident who proceeded to tell me that the chemicals were perfectly safe and the children were in no harm. i asked the woman if she's like me to add the same ratio of chemicals to her swimming pool and water softener. she frowned in disgust and walked away. i guess that was a 'no' Quote
Vanbassin Posted January 21, 2015 Author Posted January 21, 2015 Thanks guys, seem you never to old to learn something new!! I will look at Hydrilla in a different way now!! Quote
Preytorien Posted January 21, 2015 Posted January 21, 2015 I know a bit about what you mean. There's a pond I go to sometimes and it's great fishing during pre-spawn, spawn, and a little after post-spawn, but by mid-late summer, the hydrilla is so thick that it's tough to fish. Of course since it's a pond and no boats are allowed, understand I'm fishing it from the bank. It's tough to fish almost any lure, but when it's a warm summer evening, throwing a frog on there will result in some great fishing. Quote
Super User Catt Posted January 21, 2015 Super User Posted January 21, 2015 Ya just gotta learn how to fish it I like punching matted Hydrilla with a Rage Structure Bug & the lightest weight I can get away with. Off the bank I keep my cast as near to vertical as possible, 10-12' maximum with an 8' rod. Now is the time to remember what structure is where under the grass! My favorite technique is Top Water but not just frogs, a Senko or Fluke is deadly & so is a big ole straight tail worm. 1 Quote
BassCats Posted January 21, 2015 Posted January 21, 2015 Hydrilla is your friend. When TXPW kills hydrilla they usually end up killing the lake for a year or two as well. Or they put invasive carp in that destroy the lake and then they have an oxygen problem with the lake. Quote
Super User gulfcaptain Posted January 21, 2015 Super User Posted January 21, 2015 Another trick you may do, I would suggest early in the mornings, get yourself a rake with the teeth, tie a rope to the handle...about 30 feet or so. Now you can toss that out and pull sections of weed out making a channel to fish that will roughly be about 18" wide and the weeds around will fill in some reducing the canopy giving you better success with frogs or whatever else topwater, but also let you run other baits below down the channels that the bass will use to forage as the baitfish will use these as a highway to move about. Get yourself a few channels around where you want to fish. Should take no more then a couple hrs for the fish to settle. Quote
Super User Sam Posted January 22, 2015 Super User Posted January 22, 2015 Van, what Gulf Captain writes above is one of the best options for you to try. Another is to get a paddle and use it to make a hole in the hydrilla. Wait an hour or so and fish the hole. You can make a number of holes and fish each one in rotation. 1 Quote
Super User gulfcaptain Posted January 22, 2015 Super User Posted January 22, 2015 Van, what Gulf Captain writes above is one of the best options for you to try. Another is to get a paddle and use it to make a hole in the hydrilla. Wait an hour or so and fish the hole. You can make a number of holes and fish each one in rotation. Okay, no more giving away secrets....lol 1 Quote
Super User Catt Posted January 22, 2015 Super User Posted January 22, 2015 Hi Guys I went fishing this weekend at a new lake, a beautiful lake, clean water amazing structure everywhere To some it doesn't sound like much but when you make these "holes" do it over structure! 2 Quote
Vanbassin Posted January 22, 2015 Author Posted January 22, 2015 Thanks for all the Secrets guys!!! Quote
dave Posted January 23, 2015 Posted January 23, 2015 Remember also that hydrilla grows in a canopy. Matted on top, open underneath. That's part of the answer to "how do they thrive?" Quote
einscodek Posted January 23, 2015 Posted January 23, 2015 Ya count me in the hydrilla lover camp theyre not great for trebled lures but fish love the stuff.. small fish love to hide in there big fish hunt for smaller fish & critters etc.. Quote
Penguino Posted January 24, 2015 Posted January 24, 2015 Hydrilla is perfect for fishing frogs and punching jigs Quote
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