bass and curlyleaf pond weed

[kms399]

I was fishing a new lake this morning and had a tuff time of it. the lake is pretty large and shallow with lots of stumps, rocks, points, brush etc.. the problem at least i think it is a problem is that the lake is full of this curlyleaf pond weed. i mean it is every where every spot i tried to fish was just thick with it. the lake is pretty shallow 18 is the deep spot, the water was really green too. I talked to a buddy who said he never catches fish in that stuff. I know the lake is supposed to have good bass numbers so i guess they are there.

I guess i am just wondering what other peoples experience has been with this weed. should I avoid it or fish it differently.

a pic of this weed

http://pondsrx.com/ProductImages/curly%20leaf%20pondweed.jpg

[.dsaavedra.]

you never said what you were fishing with.

i'd fish in that stuff not avoid it! it will definitely hold fish, and its not the kind of vegetation that gets stuck all over your bait even if it is weedless.

fish a texas rigged plastic in that stuff. you might want to try a pegged weight to so that your bait can penetrate into the weeds.

[Triton21]

RAGETAIL FROG, RAGETAIL SHAD, or BUZZBAIT.

Kelley

[RoLo]

Interesting Question:

Pondweed happens to be one of my favorite weeds for largemouth bass and northern pike.

In Florida, our most valuable pondweed is "Illinois Pondweed" (Potamogeton illinoensis), locally known as "peppergrass". In Minnesota, your most valuable pondweed is "Broadleaf Pondweed" (Potamogeton amplifolius), locally known as "cabbage".

As it happens, "curly-leaf pondweed" (Potamogeton crispus) is the only potamogeton I tend to avoid, though I actively seek all other pondweeds. Curly-leaf cabbage was introduced from Europe, and among nearly 100 varieties, it's the only problematic pondweed. More importantly, it's the least productive pondweed. On my last trip to Ontario (going again this year), the deepest weedbed in the lake supported lush stands of curly-leaf pondweed. Though I was excited by its great depth, it was the least productive weedbed in Pakashkan Lake.

Roger

[kms399]

lures used

manns baby 1-

manns wake bait

zoom super fluke (did catch a 7 lb northern on this at least i caught something)

5 inch senko

rapala x-rap

spro frog

weather was 70 degrees, pretty windy, the water temp was 65 degrees, water visibility was around 6 inches. I tried to use bright colors and baits with rattles.

are there any types of weed that bass will avoid? my buddy who i was talking with said he didn't catch fish in that type of vegitation and that he avoided it.

[retiredbosn]

Believe it or not I fish a pond that has the same grass, it holds bass great.  During the spring I run a rattltrap over it and get bit all the time.  Now that the water is upper 60's I switch to watermelon green worms, lizards etc, another big producing color is black/blue and junebug.  I would say that the pond is loaded with bass and few people fish the grass aggressively.  A weightless worm, a senko, a heavy jig all will work.  Early morning run a buzzbait over it, late in the summer the grass will probably break the surface at that point run a frog or ragetail product over the grass.  The green water is from the algae and you wouldn't think green would be a good color but trust me will produce.  Good Luck

[Marty]

I've reeled in many a bass that I couldn't even see because it was buried in curly-leaf pondweed. But it's a spring weed and should be starting to disappear soon.

[Paul Roberts]

Actually P. crispus is native to N America, but introduced in some States and parts of Canada.

It's a coolwater plant that dies back early (esp in the shallows) as Marty mentions. I have a pond that is spring fed maintaining temps in the upper 50s in certain areas through the summer. These areas are densely rimmed in crispus all year.

I have caught bass in it but in my area other plants (coontail and milfoil) are predominate, denser, and attract more fish.

[RoLo]

Actually P. crispus is native to N America, but introduced in some States and parts of Canada.

Actually, P. crispus is not native to North America, and transplantation within our continent (accidental or intentional)

involved introduced plants. P. crispus is endemic to Europe, Asia, northern Africa and Australia.

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200024690

http://www.invasivespecies.net/database/species/ecology.asp?si=447&fr=1&sts=

Roger

[Paul Roberts]

Roger,

I stand corrected. Thanks good to have you back to help keep me honest .

It appears there has been some confusion in the literature about it. It is considered invasive and introduced in most states and Canada, but believed to be native to some areas.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=POCR3&mapType=nativity&photoID=pocr3_002_ahp.tif

...

This plant is introduced to some part of the PLANTS Floristic Area, though it may be native in other parts. ...

http://www.invasivespecies.net/database/species/ecology.asp?si=447&fr=1&sts=

...

Geographical range

Native range: Eurasia, Africa, Australia and North America (Global Compendium of Weeds).

...

But, the paper most cited, Stuckey 1979, states it's a Eurasian species introduced to NA in the early 1800's. I didn't find any rebuttals and am not going to look any further LOL.

http://www.nysgextension.org/glhabitat/epacd/pages/plants/PDF/pondweed.pdf

...

Curly pondweed, Potamogeton crispus L., is native to Eurasia and apparently was introduced into the United States in the mid 1800's (Stuckey 1979). Prior to 1900, the distribution of P. crispus was the northeastern United States. By 1930 curly pondweed had spread westward to several states of the Great Lakes region. The species has since spread across much of the United States ...

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a908426785~db=all

...

Potamogeton crispus (Curlyleaf-pondweed) is an exotic macrophyte which has been introduced to the North American continent in the last century. P. crispus often grows to nuisance proportions at the expense of native macrophyte communities.

...

I wonder if its exotic status might contribute to its lack of fish holding ability (if that is the case) as it's possible it doesn't attract native insects (??). Interesting thought, anyway.

[RoLo]

Paul, distribution is a tough nut because it's in constant transition (chronological).

I usually refer to several distribution maps then lean to the more modest range.

Don't mind me...I have a penchant for botany. Then again, anyone who responds

in "P.crispus" syntax has the same penchant

Roger

[retiredbosn]

Is there a website or other book that shows common aquatic plants?   I obviously was way off with my identification of the plants in my local pond.  Thanks

[Garnet]

The pond weed I fish grows very fast hits the surface and dies off.  The lake will look like a red carpet.

In my area bass isn't open when this is happening and the bass are spawning.

Garnet

[Paul Roberts]

Is there a website or other book that shows common aquatic plants? I obviously was way off with my identification of the plants in my local pond. Thanks

All I have are a pamphlet offered by Cooperative Extension in my old home state of NY on aquatic vegetation management, and an old lab manual from a limnology class I took 30 years ago LOL.

There are a bunch of internet sites full of photos and more info than you'll care to read. You can even print out your own book I suppose.

Google: aquatic macrophytes, or Potamogeton, and click away. Then look for sites from a university in your state. One will almost surely have material that pertains to your region.

[Jeff H]

Isn't the Curly leaf more of a hard bottom weed compared to Broad leaf?

I see a lot of both in the lakes I fish (pretty clear water) in northern MN.  I located this fantastic isolated little hump on one lake that crowns at about 6'-8' and sits in about 26' of water.  The curly was all around the south end at the base with coontail and also some isolated patches further out on the same end.  The crown is covered in broadleaf, coontail and whatever else.  Where I was taking the best fish was on that south end but more to the west side I guess where there was a distinct 12" drop around the 20' zone.  When I'd hook them you know they were tearing through the Curly because it would come floating up, along with some coontail.

It's also mixed in with other weeds along our shoreline and we have a lot of bass using this area, especially early in the season.  So, what I'm getting at is, if it's mixed in with other weeds like this, how bad is it?  I haven't been turned off by this stuff yet, but I don't experience it in lush beds of it's own.

I need to pay more attention to this stuff, it's fascinating.

[Paul Roberts]

Don't mind me...I have a penchant for botany.

Don't mind you at all. The devil's in the details.

Isn't the Curly leaf more of a hard bottom weed compared to Broad leaf?

Jeff, nice post.

It doesn't seem to be where I live. In most waters where I'm at it eeks out a short term living and is most prevalent in pond basins (silty bottoms) in large part bc the shallower stuff dies back as temps rise.

Right now individual plants are thick in some of my ponds, already reached the surface and drooping over. They'll die back and leave sparse beds just outside (deeper) the milfoil beds. The progression from shore to depths in my ponds is:

milfoil, curly pondweed, thread-leaf pondweed, Chara.

I don't notice substrate being involved. Again, the spring-fed pond has the densest beds I've seen and they don't die back until fall there.