Lilly pad removal.

[Jim Sutter]

One of the sportsmen club that I belong to, their pond has been over run with lily pads. What can they do to eliminate these pads without hurting the fish.   

[Sam]

Jim, that is one question I have never heard before. Hopefully, someone on the Forum can give you some ***.

 

You all can always put the Grass Goat on your trolling motors and cut through the pads but their roots will still be there to regrow.

 

All I can suggest is that you contact your state game and fisheries department and ask them for their input.

 

And while we are at it, can you add your location to your avatar? We can give better input if we know where you live and fish.

 

Here is the info on the Grass Goat:

 

 

 

[Gundog]

In addition to Sam's advice you may also want to contact a nearby college that has a environmental studies program. They may be able to help. 

[Jim Sutter]

Thank you for your replies. Also, I have added information to my avatar. Sorry, I do not know how to add a picture. Another question regarding these lily pads. Could they effect the quality of the water in our pond? Could they be the cause of our pond being so stained?

[slonezp]

1 hour ago, Sam said:

Jim, that is one question I have never heard before. Hopefully, someone on the Forum can give you some ***.

 

You all can always put the Grass Goat on your trolling motors and cut through the pads but their roots will still be there to regrow.

 

All I can suggest is that you contact your state game and fisheries department and ask them for their input.

 

And while we are at it, can you add your location to your avatar? We can give better input if we know where you live and fish.

 

Here is the info on the Grass Goat:

 

 

 

Sam, I've seen you post this video in a couple threads. Any real world experience? Reviews? Does it work under slow operation? What is the life expectancy? What about maintenance and sharpening? I haven't found much online but a couple videos of the installation process and running on full.

I can cut thru grass relatively well with the stock MK Weedless Wedge on full speed. Weeds get hung up when I'm running at slow speeds. 

[Sam]

1 hour ago, slonezp said:

Sam, I've seen you post this video in a couple threads. Any real world experience? Reviews? Does it work under slow operation? What is the life expectancy? What about maintenance and sharpening? I haven't found much online but a couple videos of the installation process and running on full.

I can cut thru grass relatively well with the stock MK Weedless Wedge on full speed. Weeds get hung up when I'm running at slow speeds. 

 

Slow, it is a new product.

 

I have used it once and it worked fine, just as advertised.

 

Looking forward to giving it a good workout when the temps get cooler and I can hit the water, again.

[BuzzHudson19c]

Let the pads be and catch big bass on hollow body frogs.

[Jim Sutter]

BuzzHudson19c,

Thank you for your reply. I understand what you are saying, but this is a Sportsmen Club pond where everybody fish for trout. Within a couple weeks of the last trout stocking, for the most part, no one will be their fishing but me. The trout fishermen, are complaining more and more each year, since the lily pads keep spreading out in their pond like wildfire.

[BuzzHudson19c]

5 hours ago, Jim Sutter said:

BuzzHudson19c,

Thank you for your reply. I understand what you are saying, but this is a Sportsmen Club pond where everybody fish for trout. Within a couple weeks of the last trout stocking, for the most part, no one will be their fishing but me. The trout fishermen, are complaining more and more each year, since the lily pads keep spreading out in their pond like wildfire.

 

No, I get it and it's a shared pond for all the members so it's important to keep the members happy. We have a pond at the club I'm a member of so I get the concept.

 

Personally, trout fishing stockies is the most boring, useless activity in all the fishing world. But alas, I am not the only person on this rock hurling through space. Will copper sulfide kill lilies or just milfoil?

[WIGuide]

Lily pads aren't very hearty, unfortunately. Usually, once they get torn up a little they won't come back the following year. Being that they grow out of intertwined roots so you could jump in and pull some up and see where you're at. 

[Looch]

There are pellets you can buy, you dont need anything heavy duty like for hydrilla. You throw a few pounds of pellets in, come back a few weeks later and do it again. Seen it done on an old water reservoir up the road, cattails and pads were bad. Doesnt hurt the fish or turtles

[WRB]

Lilly pads grow in soft mud bottoms, they are long steam aquatic plants that provide shade and make excellent cover for bass. The only harm they do is make difficult to fish unless you use weedless lures and line that can cut through the steams after hooking a bass, braid is your friend when pad fishing.

Get a scythe and cut a path through the pads using a boat, good project for you. Any type of plant poison is going to add to the decaying debris that will rob your pond of dissolved oxygen.

Tom 

[sully420]

Look into acquiring the services of a milfoil Harvester that should be able to cut the pads 4 Ft down. It will also Harvest those plans and take them off site

[Jim Sutter]

WIGuide, Looch, WRB and Sully 420,

Thank you for all your replies,

I will give all this information to the club officers and they can decide which path they want to take. Take care, thanks again for all this great information. Hope each and every one of you are having a great day.

[TOXIC]

First and foremost, check your state regs.  Where I fish in Wisconsin, the pads are protected.  You cant legally eliminate them.  

 

As for the Grass Goat, we fish on the Potomac in HEAVY aquatic vegetation and the Goat is a good piece of equipment.  You will still get some salad above the grass goat on the shaft of your TM going slow but it keeps your prop free to spin and still move the boat.  In normal to moderate grass, it runs with no problem.  Also depends on what type of grass you are running through.  I actually know the  boat that vid was filmed on.