Lake weeds

[LTZ25]

I live part time on Lake Sinclair in Ga. we have a lot of new under water grass growing over most of the lake the lake in 5-15 foot depth range , in my big cove ( about 1 mile long and 200 yards wide ) there are probably 55 houses , a neighbor stops and ask if I want to help pay for killing the grass . He says $350.00 about 4 times a year , grass don't bother me that much as I just fish AND I don't have confidence that the chemicals would work anyway . I didn't commit to my decision either way , what would you do ? Ga. power owns the lake I think they should handle the issue , because if you don't do every where it will probably fail . So the treatment guy wants $20,000.00 3-4 times a year . The more I think about it I will not give my go ahead on the project .

[Flabasspond]

I support your line of reasoning...several factors at play here- do you want to put up with the smell four times a year (chemicals AND rotting vegetation) - I know from the experience of fishing Central Florida for 45 years that it also relocates most of the fish population for months at a time. One of the other problems is effectiveness - how good will this spray job be if it has to be applied FOUR times in a calendar year??

[SoonerFan]

It ruins the fishing on the lake. I used to fish a small lake that had a great combination of grass and standing timber. Always caught solid bass there…a 6 pounder one time. It wasn’t bad to navigate and no one lived on the lake. For some reason the started killing the weeds and just ruined the fishing there. I haven’t been back in years and I don’t know anyone who has.

[Transom]

I would want that grass growing.

[SoonerFan]

I’ve heard of it being dredged or somehow harvested to be used for fertilizer. OP might Google that. Could be a reasonable compromise.

[Almag6]

Sounds like a son in law just got "in the business".

[retiredmechanic]

No way in H_ _ _ _ would I donate for that. Besides, the lake is owned by someone else.

[Transom]

Yeah I do not think it would be legal for homeowners to pollute the lake unless it was privately built. If it is a public lake nobody owns it.

[Mcjenson]

Zero chance. A guy want to clear weeds around his dock, whatever, but clearing out an entire cove is a bad idea.

[Jasonrs]

Nope not me, will ruin your cove eventually

[wareagle24]

I would say thanks but no thanks. When money is involved there will be trouble somewhere down the line between neighbors.

[DAC244]

Just look at Florida and all the problems spraying Aquatic vegetation has caused there!

[Jaredn]

I’ve been struggling at Sinclair since the hydrilla took off

[brnzbaklvr]

I have a cottage on a smaller lake up in Northern Michigan..No HOA...Some of the locals got together and petitioned the township to force the cost of weed removal onto our taxes..We have a large number of newer buyers and they are trying to turn what is basically a small fishing lake into a recreation lake...My family has owned property for 50 years on the lake and we never saw a need to remove weeds..We've been fighting it in court for a year now but so far the cost is still coming as part of our tax bill..If the cottage hadn't been in my family for so long it would be for sale and I'd be looking for a cabin in the middle of some acreage. I hardly use the lake, I usually head to the woods or to a bigger Smallmouth lake...
Lake front cottages have been getting bought and torn down and rebuilt by people with deep pockets..That has changed the total dynamic of what was once a little quiet fishing lake.

[WStorey]

Have you seen aquatic vegetation after its been sprayed? It's gross looking and will ruin the cove. Also terrible for the fish.

[LTZ25]

I’ve been struggling at Sinclair since the hydrilla took off

Me too but I haven't fished much this year .

[Manatee Mauler]

Ya want a ruined lake, let those sprayers get their claws into the homeowners that dont fish, then you will never get rid of those bastards. Chemical companies will tell the home owners how they cant let the grass get out of control yada yada yada yada. Spraying is the WORST thing you could do ( that and grass carp). Look at Lake Istapoga. Went from a top 5 lake in he country to out of the top 100 in a short time of three years because of spraying. Now its a shitty mud hole.

[Flabasspond]

Ya want a ruined lake, let those sprayers get their claws into the homeowners that dont fish, then you will never get rid of those bastards. Chemical companies will tell the home owners how they cant let the grass get out of control yada yada yada yada. Spraying is the WORST thing you could do ( that and grass carp). Look at Lake Istapoga. Went from a top 5 lake in he country to out of the top 100 in a short time of three years because of spraying. Now its a shitty mud hole.

Totally true - 'Pogie was a fantastic lake - until spraying AND the "Hydrilla Sharks" (grass carp- some grew to HUGE sizes!!)

[DaveBrabec]

The State sprays the beneficial weeds here at Clearlake and the Delta.Worst thing you could do to a great fishery

[DrewFlu33]

Happens here in Minnesota all the time too. Tons of good lakes ruined by spraying. There's a little one in particular we used to fish all the time where a guy in our club weighed 24.97 for 5 bass one year. These were largemouth, in Minnesota to be clear. Every year it took over 20 lbs to win it, and usually there were a couple 20 lb bags brought to the scales in our little 10-12 guy club tourney. Then the HOA (they think they're the LOA as in lake owners' association) got into the mix, identified some "invasive species" (curlyleaf pondweed I think was the big kicker), and got the go ahead to nuke it. They started with a stated goal of killing every piece of vegetation in the lake, and they nearly succeeded.

We tried fishing it one last time: 14 lbs won it, second was 12, and several guys could not catch a limit. It's toast now. Super sad. Even forgetting the fishing, the lake used to be really pretty. Now it's constantly stained coffee brown and stinks like pond muck. Guess they can swim without any weeds touching their tootsies now though