Guys, for what it's worth I leave a band of 3 - 4 ft of cat tails around about 80% of my pond. The cover for all fish is fantastic including the fatheads and mosquito fish to say nothing of the bluegills, Redears and Bass. In my case, I can burn off the old cattails in the winter and keep the overall situation under control. I love the artificial suggestions, but if you can work with what you have it does make life easier.
Jim
