Spraying Pond weeds

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

What is safe for fish?
I have been spraying cattails with RoundUp, but I have been getting in the water & spraying towards the shore so very little gets in the water - on a 2.5 acre bass pond.
But, I have a weed in our catfish pond that has many leaves on the surface, small narrow shaped like an arrow head. It is taking over the pond.

 

[callmefence]

Round up Should be fine. It's what I use.
There are some products made for the purpose. I'd urge you to do further research.
The biggest danger is to much dying vegetation at one time depleting oxygen.
Kill just a small spot at a time or aerate.
If you have 110 near the pond I have a very inexpensive system I can gather up some pics.
Cows can work as well.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Thanks - no 110 anywhere near the pond. I will definitely try it in small amounts. The catfish pond is only about 1/4 acre.

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

You can wash your hands with Roundup. Carmex (sp?) works well, but keep it in small doses. Just like Fence said, you can get the balance off pretty quickly if you aren't careful. I lost a whole pond a few years ago......

 

[bird dog]

It sounds like pond weed. We have a variety called Texas pond weed.
http://diy.sepro.com/floating-leaf-pondweed

It can be beneficial up to a point. It is very good for small fry to survive. Makes it hard to fish from the bank though. Like the others have said, spray a little bit at a time but leave some if you can.

 

[greybeard]

I have a larger, different variety, pond lily of some kind but it is a bass haven.
I've been on a massacre with them rascals every day for a week now and no let up in sight.
It's hard to get a little boat thru the tangle mess that is underwater but worth it.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

It sounds like pond weed. We have a variety called Texas pond weed.
http://diy.sepro.com/floating-leaf-pondweed

It can be beneficial up to a point. It is very good for small fry to survive. Makes it hard to fish from the bank though. Like the others have said, spray a little bit at a time but leave some if you can.

Yup - that's it! these are Channel Catfish and they spawn in the fall - around Sept?

 

[bird dog]

"Yup - that's it! these are Channel Catfish and they spawn in the fall - around Sept?"

I don't know about New York but around here they spawn when the water gets close to 70 degrees which is right about now. I bass fish a lot and sometimes in May when when they are ready to spawn, they get real aggressive and will smash a spinnerbait or a plastic worm. When you see Pond Weed out on a reservoir, its always worth of a cast or two. On my ponds I fish it with a plastic frog.

 

[greybeard]

"Yup - that's it! these are Channel Catfish and they spawn in the fall - around Sept?"

I don't know about New York but around here they spawn when the water gets close to 70 degrees which is right about now. I bass fish a lot and sometimes in May when when they are ready to spawn, they get real aggressive and will smash a spinnerbait or a plastic worm. When you see Pond Weed out on a reservoir, its always worth of a cast or two. On my ponds I fish it with a plastic frog.

If I had taken my phone with me yesterday, I'd show a channel cat caught on a silver spoon.
Sometimes a frog or worm rigged weedless works good here, but spinners and spoons are king right now..from about 9am till 1 pm as long as the wind isn't blowing, then it all dies down till later in the afternoon. That grass and weeds and lilies are like air conditioning for the fish.

I do need to spray some of mine but lost my little 25 gal sprayer in the flood and I can't carry a backpak sprayer.

(also need to set some trotlines or get the scouts out here again and fish all these mud cat out. They were all gone till last year's flood and now they have just about taken over again.)

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I love to bass fish the lily pads with a weedless minnow. Favorite way to fish. Love watching that ripple in the water as the Big Mouth gets ready to lunge after the minnow.

 

[callmefence]

https://youtu.be/Pv6OvaQ1aAU

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

https://youtu.be/Pv6OvaQ1aAU

LOL That's the biggest I ever caught. Mostly 2-3# - which give you a nice fight on an ultra-light.

 

[greybeard]

And a slew of these little suckers, one right after another. Every once in a while will catch one about twice that size...

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I am soooo jeolous!!! We cannot bass fish until 6-15 after spawn. Although, I have been known to fish my own pond privately. We snip the barbs off some of our lures to catch & release at my pond - unless we are fishing for dinner. Phil has a 16 x 20 cabin at the pond and we cook (well he cooks) over a fire a few nights a week during the summer.
I do not allow anyone else to fish our ponds.

 

[BC]

You might refer to this site for help identifying aquatic weeds and it also has control methods - both mechanical and chemical.
https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/

 

[greybeard]

This fisherman don't know how close he is to certain death.

There's a set conibear right along the shoreline 5' in front of him.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I hate the Blue Herrons - it's bad enough that they eat tons of minnows, but they will stab a large fish & it goes to waste. I have found many good size dead fish with a hole in them.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I hate the Blue Herrons - it's bad enough that they eat tons of minnows, but they will stab a large fish & it goes to waste. I have found many good size dead fish with a hole in them.

100% correct, nothing but a varmint worse than a Mexican buzzard.

 

[bird dog]

The herons are excellent locators of bait fish on the large lakes. Its foolish to ignore them when trying to locate bass or crappie. They can be a real nuisance on small ponds though. Another reason why some pond grass or equivalent is needed.

I have a good friend that calls the herons professionals. You ask him after a bass tournament where he caught his fish and he would state, I fished where the professionals were.

 

[greybeard]

I've never seen more than one or 'maybe' 2 of those herons on my place at any given time. The widest part of the pond isn't all that big, but the finger canals that lead into it have a lot of shoreline. All I've ever watched one catch is minnows and crawfish and an occasional frog and there's no shortage of any of those. I have lots and lots of grass on my pond, till you get out in the deeper part. I've watched one of them come coasting into the top of a big pine by my pond many evenings right before dark, I guess roosting for the night.
I guess I'll let him live unless he causes any problems other than sometimes pooping on the little dock.

Now, there are some long legged white birds that do seem to eat a lot, as I see crawfish shells and mussel or clam shells all over where they are, but again, I have so many fish and so much cover, I don't think they can put a dent in the population, and I have seen them with snakes in their beaks, which don't bother me one bit. good riddance.

My son is supposed to start bringing a couple of friends from work and start taking some of the bass out. I'm over-run with them and he's real good fishing those lilies and I ain't all that crazy about it.

I did hang a good sized choupique (some call 'em bowfin or grinnell) this morning. Not worth anything but the fight and he put up a tussel too. Hit a silver spoon, but they're liable to hit anything from cut shad to a crank bait to a live minnow or worm.