Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations American Pond Weed

I have a 28 acre lake that is seeing more and more Amierican Pond Weed show up until it is on its way to becoming a problem. The lake is built for water skiing and fishing so weeds on the shoreline are fine but out in the middle are a problem. The average debth is 7-8 feet when the lake is full.

I have been applying Aquathal K with out much success. It does kill the leaves but the plant keeps coming back and the chemical is expensive. Just wondering if there is a better product or less expensive one. I use Eraser for fenece lines and as you know it cost far less. Will this product hurt my fish or kill Amierican Pond Weed?

Pond Rookie,
Kenny Vaughan

Welcome to Pond Boss!

Do you have any grass carp in your pond?

They do eat american pond weed, I'm pretty sure.

I don't have any carp. Any idea how many I would need to control this weed in a 28 acre lake? Do they come with any unwanted baggage?

Kenny

Thanks for the welcome! I am a long time reader and fan of POND BOSS.

Some will say to stock many grass carp per acre, and that strategy is based on getting the weeds eaten as soon as possible. The down fall is that you end up with more grass carp than you need to maintain the weeds in the future.

While the sterile ones don't reproduce, they are not so easy to catch when you want to thin their numbers.

Also, many say that they hog fish feed and scare other fish away, those other fish being the wanted benificiaries of the fish feed.

I'd only go 2-3 per acre and for you, that could be close to 100 fish. You wouldn't see any immeidate impact, but you would see the weeds start to dissappear in pockets. Then after a die off of weeds, the next weed growing season would have the grass carp keeping it more under control.

I only have experience with one pond and grass carp.

Let's see what others have to say.

I generally believe in 10 per acre and they do relish pond weed.

The only down side is that when they get big, and they do get big, their appetite wanes. However, by then, they do a pretty good job of maintaining the salad. I like them for pond weed. I like them a lot.

Hopefully not at the same time in a 28 acre lake.

Sorry couldn't resist.

Do you have any problems with shoreline erosion from the wave action?

Cecil:

Haven't you ever heard of high speed trolling??

I'd say five per acre or less if there's any chance automatic feeders will ever be employed on the lake, or pellet food by any method of delivery. But if there's no chance of feeding, ten per acre would get it done quicker than five or two. I prefer none but then I likes to feed the bluegills.

ok, my opinion is a little different. I think you can sotck 20/acre or 5/acre in the middle of the summer and you see little diff. Overall you need enough. The grass carp stocking numbers are all the place on this site. It is more about goals of what you want longterm.

Most any numbers "if enough" will do "the work" the spring after the stocking. Question is what is "the work". For many of our metro ATL lakes that means not a single plant growing in the pond. This menas to me 20/acre on ponds less than an acre but really we look at the amount of shallow water and then determine. OR 10-15/acre for say 1-5 acres then maybe as little as 5/acre on big lakes and we get total control. It is a math thing 5 in 1/4 acre pond and you lose 2 your in trouble. 100 in 10 acre lake and you lose 10 no big deal.

Ok so now onto ski jumper 28 acre lake. If total control probably start with about 5-8/acre if you got some shallow shorleine areas. However you mention you do not mind around shoreline and you probably realize american pondweed is one of the better plants to have for fish protection. So partial control is goal. I say 2-3/acre. Same answer as Sunil but for diff reason. This way they should help and you might spot spray remaining nusiance areas. I personally like Rewad vs. Aquathol for pondweed it will smoke any it touches. Also get them in priro to spring greenup. So there is my take.

Ski,

I have 7 in my one acre pond. I have a lot of pond weed, but also a BUNCH of chara as well. The guy I bought the fish from told me I needed 8 but I went with 7. I would have went with 5 but like Greg said I threw a couple more in just in case I lose one or two of them. Plus like I said I have a big chara issue as well. I put them in my pond this year. So I will let everyone know how it goes next spring results wise. They were all 8 inches long when I put them in my pond.

RC51 If you caught that monster out of your pond,was a tail of one of your grass carp sticking out of his mouth? Generally,I reccomend GC of at least 10-12 inches to stock.

Ski J - IMO too many grass carp will tend to make the water more turbid which detracts visually but helps keep new growth reduced. I also agree with Sunil and Greg. Initially I would stock 2-4 per acre and next 2 years use some Reward for spot treatments. It will take proper numbers of grass carp about two yrs to get weeds under control. Then in 2012, if weeds are still a problem add a few more based on how many weeds are still developing in the main ski traffic areas each summer. IMO it is best to add the fish this fall so they get some growth yet this year and they can start right away eating new growth in 2010.

rc I agree with bernie easy for 14 inch bass to eat a skinny 8 inch guy. Look to see what you have left on a warm day you can see them sunning or crusing. You may havbe to add a few more.

Bill maybe diff up notrh but golf courses have grass carp at 40/acre type density and not turbid at all so I do not see that happening from grass carp here.

Bernie,

Hey bud, no that Bass did not come out of my pond. I caught him in a lake down here this summer. I don't think at this point I have any bass over 14 inches in my pond. Or at least I have not caught any yet. I have been weeding them out as most of my bass are in that 10 to 12 inche range. So hopfully 4 or 5 of my GC will make it.

Wow! Lots of good info. I really appreciate everyone taking time to share your experience. I will try the Reward also. What about Eraser? Not sure if its intended for water but sure makes a great weed killer and the cost is about a tenth of the Aquathal K. Is Eraser or Round Up harmful to water or fish?

Thanks again for all the response!
Kenny

The shoreline of my lake has a ten to one slope out twenty feet so that we I won't have back wash waves coming down the lake when the boat turns around and heads back for another jump. As you know that shallow water breads the weeds.

I would not think eraser would work well on pond weeds.

Yeah and from what I have read out here your don't want to get Round Up to close to your pond it's is not good for the fish!!!