Hi all,

   I fish several bodies of water that are milfoil free. There are other bodies of water not to far away that I have not fished because they are milfoil infested, and I would hate to think I might contribute to spreading it. As a boater/angler, Is this thought process reasonable or am I being overly cautious ? How would you deal with a situation like this? We have people at the boat ramps who check our boats/trailers for milfoil, but my understanding is, the smallest piece of this plant is enough to get it started.

                                                                       Thanks

                                                                                Jim

I would just stick to the milfoil lakes.    lol

We have several lakes with zebra mussels, some with curly-leaf pondweed, white perch, and of course the Asian carp. The state recommends a 1 week wait period in between trips to allow your boat to thoroughly drain and dry. I keep a bottle of bleach/water mix to spray down my bilge and livewells because I usually don't have a week between trips. If I'm going from an infested lake to a noninfested lake in less than a week I'll often go to the carwash to spray her down too. 

 

I don't think it will matter in the long run, but I do what I can to slow down the spread. 

I would just stick to the milfoil lakes. lol

Same her. Don't really think milfoil is an invasive problem...

We have several lakes with zebra mussels, some with curly-leaf pondweed, white perch, and of course the Asian carp. The state recommends a 1 week wait period in between trips to allow your boat to thoroughly drain and dry. I keep a bottle of bleach/water mix to spray down my bilge and livewells because I usually don't have a week between trips. If I'm going from an infested lake to a noninfested lake in less than a week I'll often go to the carwash to spray her down too. 

 

I don't think it will matter in the long run, but I do what I can to slow down the spread. 

Very well stated, hope everyone reads and heeds your efforts.