Wow, those are beautiful trout, Cecil!
Nice fins on them, too. (That's a big issue I have with State-raised and stocked hatchery trout -- their fins are always in such bad shape.)
You're quite right about chara. It's been an unusually heavy year for it in my pond. And I started my "control" efforts early, with a granular Cutrine. I also use a about a quart of pond dye every 10 days or so -- yes, it does get expensive; but it seems to help. (The dye makes the WV "golden" trout look white in the water ... people always ask: "What are those white fish!?")
Unfortunately, I was away on travel for almost three weeks in July, and the person looking after my place forgot the dye treatment. Chara galore when I got back. So, I've been doing a lot of raking for the past three weeks. I'm putting it all in an open mulch/compost pile -- but I don't think it will be of very much value as a mulch or garden soil conditioner.
I'm also getting a bit a filamentous coming in after the chara, but it is fairly easy to spot treat.
Also started using some commercial brands of septic tank bacteria/enzymes. They seem to help just a little ... but I'm also a bit of a skeptic.
Once again, really great looking trout. Thanks for sharing those pictures!
-- Mike
