Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Identifying plants Sago or Horned Pondweed or Widgeon Grass?

It's amazing how much crap plant species hitchhike on fish introductions. I am the same boat out here, takes an act of Congress to even get a permit for Grass carp. And I don't have any Goldman Sachs contacts there to give me a pass to do whatever I want. We use hybrid carp with pretty good success. Our hybrids eat all of the soft stemmed stuff right up. And cannot breed. Plus no shipping or permits. After I rake this Coontail down to almost nothing I'm planting a bunch of them. Even better you can net them out down the road and the Asian markets eat them up. All growed up on plants you don't want. Just got to get them out of there under 2 lbs.

Is the general consensus that GC will hammer pellets so hard they affect the feeding of other fish species and perhaps gravitate away from focusing on vegetation as forage?

With PeeWee Herman as a cellmate!

TJ, crawdads can't handle weed infestations.

Tilapia won't do any good on stemmed plants.

I have never PERSONALLY seen or even heard of a case where GC turned to pellets and ignored salad.

I think I would spray it and use GC for maintenance of the stuff that comes back. And, there is a pretty fair chance that at least some of it will come back. Like Doc Willis says, GC can't make much of a dent the first year but they hammer it pretty well when it starts emerging in the Spring.

You ought to be ashamed of yourself for bumping your own thread. Go to your corner and don the pointed hat.

TJ, thanks godo talking to you, glad you caught me in the office. GC will go to fish food very easily. I agree GC are usually an all or nothing solution but stocking rate diff depending on many factors. I stock higher than some here on pB b/c many clients want it all gone. In your case/goals I would go with about 3/acre b/c they should readily consume this "soft" plant. Also stock bigger enough bass can't eat them. We do see difference the first year if they are stocked prior to large infestation. So one two punch, spot treat with reward and followup with a light stocking of grass carp. Also if the pond is little more fertilie than in years past first of May your getting mroe fertility or warmer temps, etc. Also if wanting to grow more fish I suggest staying away from dye. Seriously doubt craws will do much good, but hey Im wrong all the time in the pond world you just never know.

Greg,

I was told by a grass carp producer that they feed them pellets or have them in the same pond as fish they are feeding pellets, and some of the distributors feed them pellets while they hold them, so it's no wonder they will eat pellets.

Dave,

All I know in my situation they liked the pellets better than the salad which was Chara, Small Pondweed, and Sago Pondweed.

Hey what'd call a vegetarian with diaherra?

SALAD SHOOTER!