I fish a nice lake that has a few houses around it, it's about 20 acres and is by-in-large an excellent place to spend a few hours fishing.

 

To control insane algae blooms in early spring, they released about 20 grass carp in the lake, which now have stripped the lake of all vegetation.

 

Of course you can imagine the fishing success has dwindled here too since the loss of vegetation.

 

I overheard a resident talking about how the lake management is getting ready to install 6 aereation pumps in the lake.

 

My question is what do the aereation pumps do? Will this cause problems for my fishing at this lake?

 

 

They provide oxygen for lakes/ponds that struggle with natural source of oxygen. They also help in the winter from having a kill off. The idea to put grass carp in a 20 acre lake was idiotic. So if those are the same people making the calls,  you might as well look for a new lake to fish. You can't fix stupid.

the fish are still there, you just have to change your game. find what they are relating to now that there is no vegetation, maybe its a piece of underwater structure. and try to catch or snag a few of those carp and remove them when no ones looking...

The aeration system helps to prevent a severe thermocline from developing and killing off all the bass due to lack of vegetation no longer can provide dissolved oxygen via photosynthesis. Decaying matter on the lake bottom uses up the DO. Carp can breath both DO & oxygen, bass can't they breath DO and suffocate if it gets too low levels.

The lake management needs to remove the grass carp by electro shocking them and netting the stunned carp. The aeration system will reduce the algae blooms, then the vegetation can reestablish itself to balance this ecosystem. No magic bullets in lake management.

Tom

Yea, I've overheard people before talking about carp and how they now wish they never would've put them in. If I ever catch one I'll be putting my survival knife through it's spine, they just destroy things. No matter the arguments people say, I've seen it in several lakes where carp have wiped out everything bass/bluegill call home.

 

Hopefully the aereation will provide enough oxygen for vegetation to once again flourish.

 

In the meantime, how do I catch carp when they're so easily spooked?

You stated the carp are grass carp are you sure?

The common carp are bugle mouth, amber color carp with a sucker type mouth. The grass carp are silver color with a normal looking fish mouth. Bugle mouth can be caught using whole cooked corn or white bread dough balls. Broad cast a hand ful of corn kernels where you plan to fish, come back about 20 minutes and keep low.

Thread on about 3 corns kernels on a #6 bait holder hook or a dough ball about the size of a grape, small split shot about 12" up line. Cast to where you think the carp are and let the bait sit.

Carp are hard fighters and fun to catch.

IF the carp are grass carp, call your DNR and they will remove them.

Tom

You stated the carp are grass carp are you sure?

The common carp are bugle mouth, amber color carp with a sucker type mouth. The grass carp are silver color with a normal looking fish mouth. Bugle mouth can be caught using whole cooked corn or white bread dough balls. Broad cast a hand ful of corn kernels where you plan to fish, come back about 20 minutes and keep low.

Thread on about 3 corns kernels on a #6 bait holder hook or a dough ball about the size of a grape, small split shot about 12" up line. Cast to where you think the carp are and let the bait sit.

Carp are hard fighters and fun to catch.

IF the carp are grass carp, call your DNR and they will remove them.

Tom

 

I guess I'm not completely sure of what kind they are. I know that in our local Indiana DNR pond guides they refer to grass carp as a vegetation management option as they're apparently sterile.

Haven't seen snake heads yet in my local water. I hope the bass, giant picketed and pike will eat there babies if we ever do get them. I have seen large gold fish and some sort of pink & white sunfish shaped fish. Somebody's released pets.

They did talk about putting in Chinese grass carp to control the weeds at one time but there using a weed chopper type paddle wheeled boat and they killed a 12# lmb here. Our state record is 12#14oz.

Is bowfishing legal there? go have some fun lol. if not a giant treble hook will do the trick, put a worm on it and if anyone ask you are fishing for monster catfish.