Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat Myth or Truth re artificial lily pads?

Texas Hunter has recently announced a new line of artificial fish structures, including 30 inch wide green lily pads. These are touted as shallow water attractants, as they provide shade & cooler water.

The shade is beyond question. But is it really cooler?

Yeah, I know: Shaded water, all other things being equal, is cooler than unshaded. But note that all other things are NOT equal in this case! The green artificial pad absorbs the sun's heat, perhaps more than the surrounding bottom. If it passes along that extra heat to the water, perhaps it causes more warming, not less.

The genesis for this question is that I once did a bit of research on the impact of water hyacinths in my favorite fishery. I was quite surprised to discover that, despite shading the water, they absorbed so much heat that water temps under them actually increased. Could this be true in this instance?

The answer to your question lies in an experiment. Perform it and you will know the answer. When another repeats it. It is then science. Did they report experimental results or describe the testing behind the claims.

Just offhand, a reflective surface would probably help to reduce heating from solar radiation.

anthropic - Thanks for your helpful information. I think your idea and your temperature testing are correct. IMO TH made this cooler water claim based on a matter of opinion and they did not do any tests.

The cost of said product eliminates my interest.

You & Bill are spot on. I wonder if Texas Hunter would try making the surface reflective, especially of infrared radiation, while leaving the bottom green (fish seem to have an aversion to white). I'll bet that makes a significant temp difference!

I am not trying to denigrate TH or this habitat. Great base for periphyton, which as we all know is important. Shade during summer is welcome, too, as it reduces excess weed growth. Heck, anything that makes fish feel more confident & protects them from predatory birds is a good thing. I may end up purchasing some, assuming I can afford it after fueling my vehicle. Just think it could be better suited for southern climes, even though white surface isn't as natural looking.

Question is, do people buy with their eyes, or their brains? For me, it's too often the former!

Well I don't like the appearance of plastic personally but I do think people would prefer a more natural color.

For periphyton, I really like brush. I don't mind snagging brush either. I've sunk a lot when I had lot at the lake and got pretty good at working a jig through and over it for crappie. At the depths I was sinking it at the lot ... however ... I don't think it had a lot of periphyton growing.

A lot of folks don't realize it but rocks add a lot of attachment surface in rocky lakes relative to mud bottom ones. The effect is measurable in experiments. One of the more remarkable was Swingle's results with PK shrimp. Stocking 20 lbs/acre with 1500 BG and under monthly fertilization he grew 1000 lbs/acre of PK shrimp production even after the BG got their fill when brush was added. This was a six fold increase over the treatments without brush. Oddly, no additional production of BG was achieved. I figure they got their fill shrimp under both scenarios.

Don't forget evaporation cools things too.

I don't know about lily pads.

However, when I was a small boy with lawnmowing money burning a hole in my pocket, my father used to tell me "They don't design fishing lures to catch fish, they design them to catch fisherman."

I suspect that the very best use of artificial habitat is in conjunction with natural habitat. Kind of a one-two punch, each supplying something the other lacks. In my limited personal experience, artificial habitat has not proven worthwhile when placed in areas without natural attractors, such as rocks, brush, sunken trees, etc. (Or feeders, but that's not natural!)

Rocks are also good for protecting YOY fish, and crawfish. Definitely a plus.

In my experience, though, the best fish magnet is wood. Brush, sunken trees, stobs, etc. But that's because my number one target is LMB. Other fish likely have different preferences.

So true. Witness the fish catching success of ned fishing, dragging an unremarkable blob on bottom, doing nothing special, with all the fancy lures that cost a fortune! But we still lay down the cash for the latest gee-whiz stuff...at least, I do too often.

Just thinking out loud, but "if" the TH lilies raised water temp, wouldn't it be a boon for northern pond owners? Increased fish metabolism, longer lasting holes in the ice, higher catch rate by targeting the lilies? I would think it all depends on how deep the water is below any potential heat generating material.

Likely so, Al. And that could be plus feature even in southern ponds during the colder months. I really have to contact TH & see if they have any data. If, as I suspect, they don't, maybe I'll run a little experiment. I do know that white cars stay cooler here during the summer swelter than dark cars, so the logic makes sense. But it will take a test to be sure.

By golly you may be on to something, when we start growing some 12lb LMB here in the colder climates with artificial lily pads you all are gonna start believing!
As for the op, what if these lily pads had a layer of insulation on the bottom side? with a darker color tho, I wouldn't want a white underside tho, is that what they have?

gehajake, I believe the artificial pads are the same green color on both sides. I may have to buy some and paint the top white to see what effect it has.

In terms of heat, black would be more absorbent than green. The underside green is, in my opinion, good for calming fish.