Pond with "snot" weeds

[grid]

The pond behind my house has this agae/weed something that feels like snot.  It seems to be everywhere.  How in the world do you fish this mess?  I try to find the open areas and seem to do alright with spinners.  What other techneques could I use?

[jaskoh]

My girlfriend's lake has the same problem.  By mid summer it gets so bad that it is impossible to fish.  Anything short of a heavy jig won't even get through the stuff.  I keep telling myself that I am going to get out there with my trilling motor and a rake.  Does anyone know if this type of algae effects oxygen levels in small lakes?  

[Guest avid]

George posted about this not long ago.

It's called "spyrogyra"  

I avoid it if at all possible.  It will cling to and clog anything.  

I'm sure it provides cover, but any bass that may be under it is safe from me.

[roadwarrior]

The moss is spirogyra:

http://www.micrographia.com/specbiol/alg/filamen/fila0100.htm

Several of my ponds are infested with this stuff right now. It makes fishing very difficult. This weekend I fished a frog Saturday morning and a Slug-Go yesterday. I caught one nice size bass each morning, but they became entangled and completely covered up in moss. I had the same experience last weekend and probably won't fish these ponds again until they clear up. The strike is pretty cool, but that's it...no fight, just mess.

[grid]

it makes me so darn mad!  I have to pay covenant fees every year to have it mowed.  There is an apartment complex nearby and all the dirty butts from there come over fish and leave their trash.  The dang geese love the pond and just crap up the place.  Now, I have to fight this SNOT *****.

I feel better now!

[moby bass]

Yeh, we have the same problem at our neighborhood pond, spirogyra and all kinds of other weeds so bad it is almost impossible to fish, and it's still early in the season.  The geese are also another major annoyance.  Previous owner used to have the pond sprayed with some chemicals to control weeds but he

has since passed on and no one else is taking any care of the pond.  I feel if it keeps going like it is, it will be completely clogged in a few years.  

[nyumetsu]

sounds like some great muck to play around with a frog, but roadwarrior's story kind of puts a cap on that.  contact the landowner/park authority?  I'm sure somehow they'll clean it up or give somebody some permission to.  sudden overgrowth means screwed up ecosystem

[hi_steel_basser]

There is a place here in GA, Charlie Elliott PFA, that has a version of this junk. It turns black when the water hits about 80, and is almost impossible to fish. It wouldn't bother me so bad if it wasn't such an awesome fishery in the spring, when this grass is green and stringy- snotty.

[jomatty]

i fish a pond that is clogged with that stuff and i usually only bring the frog rod when i go there.  the strikes can be a lot of fun when you see them coming from 5 feet away but like rw said it takes the fight away.  instead of fighting the fish you are hauling in the weeds.  

[Peter E.]

We have that happen, at a pond I fish. We clear it up every year by fertilizing it.

[jaskoh]

We have that happen, at a pond I fish. We clear it up every year by fertilizing it.

With what?  I looked into chemicals and they are pretty expensive.  Looks like it would cost me 300+ for an acre and a half lake/pond.

[Peter E.]

well I have no idea what brand he uses but he buys it at the local co-op, it turns the water green then in a week the algae is broken up, in the next week it is gone. Knowing the owner as I do it can't be to expensive.

[Tpayneful]

I have a pond behind my office that has the floating mat of slimy vegatation.  It covers most of the pond except when the wind is blowing hard for a couple of days.  The wind will blow it to one end or the other.  Yesterday I was fishing the edges with a footloose crankbait and a fluke.  While I was fishing, I saw a bass try to eat a dragonfly twice.  So I picked up my horny toad and cast it into the hole.  I got bit immediately and caught the fish.  It was about 2.75lbs.  Another guy in the office catches them on a fluke.  So I would say fluke, frog or maybe a chatter bait.  

[grid]

I'm going to try a frog tonight.  Will let all of you know how it works.

[bassassinator]

I wonder what grass carp would do for you. Do they eat that stuff?

My brother used some chemical on his small pond last year. It knocked it right out.

As far as the expence, I dont know what he spent but I think it would be worth 2-300 if it would help produce fishing again!

We as fishermen spend far more than that just for a weekend fishing trip so in the grand scheme of things, the $300 would be a drop in the bucket!

[Shad_Master]

Be careful what you wish for -- a local city pond near my home was a haven for 4-5&6 pounders about three years ago, but the pond was full of weeds and very hard to fish.  Put forth the effort and get rewarded.  But the local neighborhood complained to the city and they decided to spray -- the result was that all of the vegitation in the water died and as a result the spawns have been stunted -- now you are doing good to catch a bass larger than 10".

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Just buy 138 bottles of this , squeeze it into the pond and within hours it will clear up

[.ghoti.]

My local sportman's club treats this stuff with copper sulfate. It's very effective and if it wasn't cheap they wouldn't be using it. Any local farm store will have it, and somebody who knows how to apply it.

Cheers,

GK

[Autiger1291]

I have a pond near my house almost exactly like that. I would say it is about four feet deep in the middle. That spyrogyra is everywhere. I fished everyday for about two weeks and then I didn't fish it for 4-5 days and the amount of spyrogyra has doubled. I have heard of copper sulfate being used. Sounds like a good idea. Anyway I have had alot of success with Horny Toads and wacky rigged wave worms. It is alot easier to keep the spyrogyra off the Horny Toads FYI.

Will

[grid]

Tonight I went out around 8:30.  I was using a Wat. Red Pearl Horny Toad.  I had three good hits right from the start.  Bad thing is I did not hook them.  Can someone tell me the best way to fish these Horny scoundrels!  Thanks!

[Autiger1291]

There is a good topic on that in the tackle section right now. Here is the link: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1178483705

[Dan:]

I just fished a pond with this crap and I took RW's advice. I used a slug go and walked it over the surface of the stuff and then paused when I got to a hole. It worked! I ended up dragging in a bass covered with snot but it still worked. Had 2 come off and about 4 hits using this method.