I read through alot of archives about this and still have some questions. After they spray and kill weeds, supposably the spray lays on the top of the water and any aquatic vegetation, (unless chemical specific) dies....does this mean most deeper vegetation lives? And then that would mean the fish would flood to those areas im assuming? Would docks that are on steep drop off where there were never weeds be more appealing to fish (in this lake they really werent)? I read to fish moving deep water.... They are spraying my lake today, and im fishing Thursday and Saturday.....but definitely not eating any...haha 

 

thoughts? 

A lot depends upon the type of compound they are using to treat your weeds, and the type weeds you have. If they are using a simple contact herbicide, then the only vegetation that will likely be affected will be in the shallows immediately in the area of the spraying. Deeper weeds, especially those offshore a ways would likely not be affected. That doesn't mean the fish will use them though, as it also partly depends upon  how much treatment and how many weeds you had. If they die off suddenly and there were a lot, the decomposition will eat up a lot of the available oxygen and the fish may not have an option of going deep. If it's a slower systemic type kill, oxygen shouldn't be a problem, and the fish will probably be a mix of those that gravitate to whatever shallow cover remains, and those that move a little deeper into unaffected areas and greener weeds. A lot is just guesswork uness you can get the name of the chemical used and the type of vegetation being treated.

Aquatic plants die and slowly decay using up dissolved oxygen and not replenishing it through photosynthesis. Bass and baitfish will leave the dieing weeds and move to greener pastures.

Tom

 

Aquatic herbicides used by your DNR are registered & approved,

and will not kill fish or contaminate their flesh.

 

Plant life withers and dies, long before decomposition causes oxygen deprivation.

All the same, baitfish lose their interest in wilted and off-color vegetation, and gamefish

soon follow suit. This is why we're always told to look for the 'greenest' vegetation.

 

Roger

Approved weed control chemicals do not kill fish, they relocate them.  Here in Florida, we have many lakes where hydrilla has topped out in deeper water.  Fisherman get used to fishing these areas.  When that hydrilla is sprayed, many conclude the fish are killed along with the weeds.   Unless the lake is floating with dead fish, the bass moved along with the bait fish.   Years ago, we had a tournament coming up in Lake Istokpoga.  Anglers were catching bass in deep water around topped out hydrilla.   A week or so before the tournament, the entire lake was sprayed.  Dead floating weeds were everywhere.  It was a sad sight.   With no deep cover to fish, we fished the pads.  Those pads were loaded with giants.   It took nearly 30 pounds to win that tournament.   Another time, this happened in the Kissimmee River.  Don't let weed spraying kill your confidence.  The fish are still there, you just have to find them.

Clear Lake in NorCal is always rated as a top bass lake nationally. California has very few natural lakes with bass populations Clear Lake is the exception. Every year there is a big controvesary over weed abatement chemical treatments by the residents and bass anglers. Clear Lake also has a month of algea bloom turning the surface to pea soup.

The weed abatement and algea bloom starts about now in early summer. Pictures of fish kills and poor fishing for about 2 weeks fill the local bass forums with complaints.

The chemical treatments are not harmless to some fish if over saturated and it happens on a regularly. Looks like hell but the bass fishing recovers restoring the lakes reputation annually.

Tom

The Harris Chain was the poster child for what can happen when weed control is not managed correctly. In the late eighties, local agencies and bureaucrats decided the best way to control hydrilla was to kill it all before it started. They declared hydrilla an invasive plant to be destroyed by any means possible.  Volunteers rode around the lakes reporting any hydrilla they could find.  Massive treatments were undertaken by untrained and unqualified people. The result was our lakes were a pea soup of algae blooms year around. Fishing declined and no one went in the water.  Since then, hydrilla has returned, the water cleared, bass fishing improved and no one asks "What's wrong with the water?"

 

Hydrilla is no longer an alien plant in Florida, it's as native as palm trees.  It must be managed and maintained on a regular basis or it tops out the entire lake.  This costs money.  That's the real problem.

@Captain Phil I agree 100% 

 

Toledo Bend was a legendary grass fishing lake & was ranked #1 national two years in a row.

 

Since that ranking both Texas & Louisiana started spraying Gaint Salvinia, couple that with extremely high of colored water the following spring,  an extreme drawdown, 90+% of the grass is gone.

 

Many anglers claim the lake is ruined because they can no longer catch like they used to.

 

The bass simply adjusted but sadly the anglers have not!

If they are spraying and you see dying vegetation from spraying, I would go somewhere else to fish and not come back for at least a month.  In Florida we are constantly dealing with fenatic spraying.

16 hours ago, geo g said:

If they are spraying and you see dying vegetation from spraying, I would go somewhere else to fish and not come back for at least a month.  In Florida we are constantly dealing with fenatic spraying.

Florida's hydrilla problem is unique.  Unlike northern lakes, we do not have the winter temps required to keep hydrilla under control.  Some places like Rodman for example, can be drawn down.  In other waterways, this is near impossible due to conflicting interests.  If Florida is to maintain decent fresh water fishing and water quality, a substantial budget needs to be dedicated to hydrilla management.  Fishing license money is not enough.  What we need is a dedicated source of funds that can not be hijacked for other purposes.  The question is, "Are Florida fisherman willing to pay for this?"