what are the types of aquatic plants anglers should be most aware of or be able to recognize?

 

if there's a chart with photo's that'd help. i hear about hydrilla but dont really know what it looks like, the same for other types of weeds.

this is hydrilla, what other weeds are there that everyone should be able to identify?

Milfoil for sure.

like this?

You don't have hydrilla in Maine, so identifying it will be pretty tough.  eurasion milfoil, domestic milfoil, coontail, water willow, water chestnut, elodea, duckweed, lillies.... are a few.  What's more important than actual ID of the plant, is recognizing the plants, their growth patterns, and correlate your catches to to the weeds.  Sometimes, biters are in pockets of this species, sometimes they are on the edge where two species intersect, sometimes it's outside edge near docks.... you get the picture?

When you can get a good visual of weed lines below the surface (In clearer water), the pockets and edges are no-brainers.

 

The real mystery for me is the heavy weed cover lakes when the weed-tops are 2 to 5 feet from the bottom and look nearly solid....but there are inevitably invisible bass that come out of nowhere to hit a passing spinnerbait or rattletrap ticking the tops.  

You don't have hydrilla in Maine, so identifying it will be pretty tough.  eurasion milfoil, domestic milfoil, coontail, water willow, water chestnut, elodea, duckweed, lillies.... are a few.  What's more important than actual ID of the plant, is recognizing the plants, their growth patterns, and correlate your catches to to the weeds.  Sometimes, biters are in pockets of this species, sometimes they are on the edge where two species intersect, sometimes it's outside edge near docks.... you get the picture?

cool man haha and wow i didn't know it wasn't up here. and yea i get it a little more.

Fanwort??? Dunno if y'all have it there but there its all over here....

Yeah, I don't think ID'ing the weeds are that important, just knowing how the bass relate to it is what you need to figure out. 

true^ makes sence.

Milfoil and Hydrilla are the main two down here in Alabama I believe.  

I feel that it is important to identify weeds. I have found that the fish in my area, when given the choice, will be in or around one plant over another. Some weeds are emergent and some stay under water. Learning more about weeds has made me a better fisherman.

Don't complicate the situation.

Do as the guys say to do and fish the weeds, grass and pads, always looking for breaks, wood and where foliage meets rock or other types of foliage.

When you can get a good visual of weed lines below the surface (In clearer water), the pockets and edges are no-brainers.

 

The real mystery for me is the heavy weed cover lakes when the weed-tops are 2 to 5 feet from the bottom and look nearly solid....but there are inevitably invisible bass that come out of nowhere to hit a passing spinnerbait or rattletrap ticking the tops.  

 

Sometimes I have no idea where they come from. Even with great visibility high sun and good polarized glasses I don't see them till they pop out. There like ninjas.

It sounds to me like you are interested in more than just catching fish.  You seem to have interest in the ecosystem surrounding fish and hope to utilize a greater knowledge of the ecosystem to improve catch rates.  With that in mind, I would absolutely suggest continuing your research and learning more about the differnt types of vegatation.  You will find different plants will hold different fish and different populations of fish -- but a more generalized approach of understanding how the fish will relate to any general vegatation is more important IMO for simply catching fish. 

 

The specifics is just a pattern within a pattern - focus on the broad strokes for finding fish (weedlines, holes, etc.), then narrow it down to pinpoint your targets (a weedline of Hydrilla vs pondweed for example).  Even if you don't "know" the name of it, you can still recognize the difference and utilize that to continue improving your pattern.

 

Francho gave a good starting list and you can find a quick intro here:  http://www.mainevolunteerlakemonitors.org/mciap/MaineKeyToCommonNativeAPS.pdf And based on your pictures I believe you are already utilizing the Maine DNR site which has some pictures as well as diagrams.  What's the worst that can happen by learning to ID the plants?  It may or may not make a bit of difference in your fishing - but you will be more educated and that's always a good thing!

 

 

 

EDIT:  Here is a map that shows current infestations of invasive Aquatic Plants in Maine.  This may help you identify what you see:  http://maine.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=126b9dbc59f44f969f74739bc9bc4ade

haha preech^ most definately man