Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Identifying plants What I thought was hydrilla? Help?

Now that I know it's coontail, I'm not as concerned about removing it manually as it doesn't seem to be near the nuisance as hydrilla regarding rapid regrowth from cutting/pulling (seeds/tubers). It just makes it very difficult to fish, let alone having no desire to swim or even get in the pond.

It's the Duckweed that is so unsightly, getting thick and on a calm day completely covers my 2 acre pond. But!

I'm getting such mixed reviews on the web regarding DW. The beneficial aspects such as keeping the water cooler in the hot summer months due to shading, providing shade for BG fry, how they absorb mineral elements like nitrogen, phosphates and ammonia (remember my old, nutrient-rich pond?), reducing evaporation, etc. But, how it can also choke out oxygen (although I have an aeration system).

So I'm seeing the advantage of Fluridone as being able to see this beautiful BOW once again and eventually have a desire to jump in to cool off and for the kids to swim in. And fishing? Right now it takes a heavy weight on my line just to break through the surface of the DW using plastics. Using Spinners, topwater, crankbaits,,,, are just out of the question right now.

My head is spinning!

Do I leave the DW over the heat of the summer for the benefits mentioned?

Do I spend the $$ on Fluridone to rid my pond of DW and other weeds?