What kind of weeds are these ?

[Ksam1234]

So another lake I typically fish has been overtaken with weeds like this.   It usually has some weeds poking up threw the top but this year it’s covered in this nasty stuff.  Anyone know what it is? Also the fishing has been horrible.. days I would normally catch 10-20 bass I maybe catch 1 or 2, and the past few times I have been skunked.. wondering what’s going on. 

[Brad in Texas]

That appears to be coontail with a healthy dose of algae growing in it.

 

Brad

[Team9nine]

Can't tell from your picture. You need to grab a handful and pull it out and get a clear picture. Weed ID can be very difficult without close observation. There are regional name differences, but from the stems, it looks more like milfoil or Cabomba to me.

[J Francho]

I agree, Milfoil or Cobomba.  It's not Coontail.  Better start punching it!

[Koz]

Most of that (the thick stuff) is aquatic algae. If it's not treated properly it will continue to bloom in the heat and choke off the oxygen supply.

[Ksam1234]

1 hour ago, Koz said:

Most of that (the thick stuff) is aquatic algae. If it's not treated properly it will continue to bloom in the heat and choke off the oxygen supply.

So the algae takes away from oxygen? I was wondering why there wasn’t any bass in there.  I went out todsy around 5 am and threw top water of all kinds, frogs. Poppers. Buzz baits, swim jigs, regular jigs, spinnerbaits , tried punching. Senkos. Crankbaits in the open stuff. Didn’t have a single bite.. last year this area of the lake was the best but there wasn’t all these algae and weeds. Tried all different kinds of soft plastics and nothing.. didn’t even seen a bluegill or sunfish 

[Team9nine]

49 minutes ago, Ksam1234 said:

So the algae takes away from oxygen? I was wondering why there wasn’t any bass in there.

Yes and no. Phytoplankton and submerged plants often provide much of the oxygen in a pond on sunny days through photosynthesis. However, at night and on cloudy days, that oxygen gets used up by algae and submerged plants (respiration). Typically, the lowest levels of oxygen in a pond are right at sunrise, so often, fishing can be best during the day or in the evening when levels are highest. If the oxygen levels get too low, fish can become lethargic, and in severe cases, summer kills occur.

[WRB]

Common green algae isn't a problem, toxic golden and blue green algae are another issue and often result in fish kills. Golden algae wiped out the trophy bass population in Laguna Nigel lake and blue green algae has Diamond Valley lake currently closed to public use over the holiday!

Agree the weeds look like milfoil or cabomba and fishable.

Tom

[scaleface]

My local pond got choked out by that gorilla snot . I caught a lot of big bass in it , throwing a weightless worm and plopping it on top . A senko would work well because its heavy enough to cast on stout baitcasting gear . I used a Yum Swurm  and  a big hook .

[Ksam1234]

3 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Yes and no. Phytoplankton and submerged plants often provide much of the oxygen in a pond on sunny days through photosynthesis. However, at night and on cloudy days, that oxygen gets used up by algae and submerged plants (respiration). Typically, the lowest levels of oxygen in a pond are right at sunrise, so often, fishing can be best during the day or in the evening when levels are highest. If the oxygen levels get too low, fish can become lethargic, and in severe cases, summer kills occur.

That might be why it was a little slow as I was fishing before sunlight.. should have fished later in the day then and punch threw it 

[Scott F]

2 hours ago, scaleface said:

....... gorilla snot . 

Isn't the latin name for that Apetis Boogerous?

[MIbassyaker]

Another vote for Milfoil+Algae. The snot stuff is a filamentous Algae, maybe Pithophora.  Check it out:

https://www.google.com/search?q=pithophora&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjIyZSPl4TcAhXGxYMKHWK7BBsQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=626

 

Texas A&M University has a site with aquatic plant identification:

https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/

 

Also, North Carolina State University has put out an app for iOS and Android ("Aquatic Plants") that has some nice pictures for identification too:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aquatic-plants/id876023735?mt=8

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.ncsu.cropsci.aquaticplants&hl=en_US

 

[Ksam1234]

7 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

Another vote for Milfoil+Algae. The snot stuff is a filamentous Algae, maybe Pithophora.  Check it out:

https://www.google.com/search?q=pithophora&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjIyZSPl4TcAhXGxYMKHWK7BBsQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=626

 

Texas A&M University has a site with aquatic plant identification:

https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/

 

Also, North Carolina State University has put out an app for iOS and Android ("Aquatic Plants") that has some nice pictures for identification too:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aquatic-plants/id876023735?mt=8

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.ncsu.cropsci.aquaticplants&hl=en_US

 

It looks a lot like that pithophora for sure! Almost identical, and for sure milfoil then 

[burrows]

Cheese

11 hours ago, Scott F said:

Isn't the latin name for that Apetis Boogerous?

Isn’t this the stuff you can get at Walmart for hair gel?  Gorilla snot. 

[Catt]

22 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Can't tell from your picture. You need to grab a handful and pull it out and get a clear picture. Weed ID can be very difficult without close observation. There are regional name differences, but from the stems, it looks more like milfoil or Cabomba to me.

 

 

[DINK WHISPERER]

Looks like the kind that holds monster bass to me!