Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Balance of plants in the environment Grass carp proof plants?

Does anyone know of any beneficial shallow plants that grass carp will NOT eat? I need some plant life in my lake to provide cover for small fish. The grass carp were stocked in my lake to control chara but have eaten everything. I wish I could eliminate the carp, but that is very difficult.

From this website:

They usually do not eat or control filamentous algae, large-leaf pondweed, cattail, bulrush, arrowhead, burreed. watershield, white waterlily and spatterdock.

Bill, That is also some of my concerns when it comes to what plants i can add after this next spring spraying of the bushy pondweed that took over my pond and caused a fish kill. I added some of those carp also and after the spraying the Sonar the carp will be looking for any plant left. Managing ponds can be harder to do than others might think it is.

Arrowhead, Pickerelweed, and Water Iris are all beneficial shoreline plants that won't take over quickly and aren't really eaten by grass carp. We sell arrowhead and Water Iris at Overton Fisheries if interested.

Thank you for the quick replies. I will need to order some plants. I would guess that getting the plants in the Spring would make the best sense? My lake is 20 acres so I just would like to get something started that might last long enough to spread. The chara that used to be in the lake would grow in water up to 10 feet deep and was rather problematic when trying to fish with plastics or anything that could reach the bottom. I add between 30-40 Christmas trees each year to give the small bait fish a fighting chance.

Pickerel is a favorite of deer, so it usually needs to be isolated from them somehow.
Cheers, -Hirsch

Grass carp will root out new plants like water lily and pickerel weed even if they don't eat them.

Good point, Ross. I have heard to anchor a cage over the plants in order to keep the carp from getting too nosy. I have not tried it, though.