Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - Making hay while the sun shines?

Bride & I put out two bales of hay along the shoreline two weeks ago. When we returned, noticed scads of tiny yoy fish, likely LMB or CNBG, hanging around the hay.

Do they use this for food? Shelter? Does decaying hay add fertility? I constantly battle my acidic, infertile soil, so this would be a feature, not a bug.

Guessing that little critters are using the hay for food, and the small fish are eating these little critters. And yes, decaying hay adds nutrients to soil and water. Certain types of straw also can help control algae.