Algae blooms

[Phishn_Phool 0]

OK guys, until I moved to Florida I had never heard of this, now my lake has turned orange.  Can you catch fish when this happens???  How???  Come on some of you Florida Vets, help me.  The water temp is between 85 and 90 and if you know anything about the Harris chain, you know there are no dropoff...It's like a big bowl of orange water

                                CPR ;D

[Raul 4,106]

Don 't know bout orange algae but it just sounds bad, u shure it 's not golden algae ? that thing kills fish.

[Phishn_Phool 0]

No this seams to be a common occurance here,  They tell you not to eat too many fish whis this is happening.  It's orange in some place, brown in other and green in some other place.  I am told it has to do with the vegatation in the water.  My dream of retiring on a lake in Florida and fishing 365 might not be as good as I dreamed

                          CPA ;D

[ball_coach_1 0]

The ol' algae bloom.  My man, go golfing.

I have fished a bunch of Florida lakes, several times over (Big O', Stick Marsh, Toho).  You are a lucky man living down there.  ONE time, god forbid again, we were down at the Marsh the week of a bloom.   My friend guides that lake, and he told me when we got there....'boys, it's gonna be tough'.

He wasn't fudging a bit.

They do occur down there annually, sometimes more than once, and I hear can last for a couple of weeks.  It looks like a turnover in the water.  You can catch fish, but the majority are lockjaw.  You know by now that the Florida strain bass don't like a change in temp, pressure, or water color a bit.

On the bright side, there is enough water with great fishing down there you can go elsewhere and be away from the dreaded 'bloom'.  For example, Garcia is about 10 miles (and canal connected) to the Marsh, and the bloom had not taken that body of water yet.

Best of luck, not feeling a bit sorry for you by the way.   ;D Those wild shiners still over 15 bucks a dozen?

[Chris 106]

If its orange you have stagnant water. If its brown its dead, green is growing. If the water is orange the water is very acidic. Find the green stuff the pH will be different and you might find a whole school in one small area.

[Chris 106]

Also throw into the mix they might have just sprayed the weeds.

[Chris 106]

The more I think about this post the more I think they sprayed the weeds. If the water is going to turn over it would be in the temps around 60 degrees. A cold winter in Florida is in the 20's. When a lake turns it don't last to long at all because it heats up quick your only dealing with 5ft or 12 ft depths at the most. At 85 to 90 degree water your weed growth should be topped out and growing great. Usually when it gets topped off is when they spray them. A algae bloom is the same there as anywhere else its bright green water. Sometimes you get a high amount of pollen and will turn the water a little yellow. If the water is orange something is dying. When they spray they don't spray the whole thing they spray it in sections. You need to find the healthy green stuff because any other color weeds the bass will stay far away from.