FINDING A HAPPY MEDIUM FOR AQUATIC VEGETATION

Ask any local angler his or her opinion on the merits of aquatic vegetation in the local fishing hole and you are likely to hear responses ranging from "Get rid of it all!" to "We need more!"

Most serious bass and panfish anglers understand the important role aquatic vegetation plays in providing quality fishing. Whether called grass, moss or seaweed, aquatic vegetation is generally an important link between the numbers and quality size fish we anglers seek.

The benefits of aquatic vegetation to fish are immense. Plants provide cover in which small fish escape predators, like large fish. This is especially important when fish, such as bluegill, are very young and in the fry and fingerling stage. In addition, aquatic vegetation harbors abundant insects and other tiny animals that are food for small fish. The habitat provided by appropriate levels of aquatic vegetation can be the difference between a great bass and bluegill fishing lake or one that is only mediocre at best.

Fisheries biologists understand the important role appropriate amounts of aquatic vegetation play in producing quality fishing. In fact, many studies have been conducted in an attempt to determine the amount of vegetation necessary in a pond or lake for optimum fish production. Although difficult to quantify, it is generally accepted that no more than 20 percent of a pond or lake contain aquatic vegetation.

Regardless of the size of the lake, the challenge to fisheries biologists is to reach and maintain optimum levels of aquatic vegetation. In many Southeast Missouri lakes such as Lake Girardeau, aquatic vegetation is nearly non-existent. While in others such as Duck Creek Pool 1, aquatic vegetation abounds. The challenge is to establish plants in lakes without and reduce them in lakes with too much.

Introducing aquatic vegetation into a lake with little or no existing plant community would seem to be a simple matter of planting a few seeds or seedlings and watching them grow.

Unfortunately, biologists undertaking such projects are faced with hurdles such as fluctuating water levels, turbid water, shifting lake bottom and herbivores such as muskrats and turtles. These factors make it necessary to place large numbers of robust seedlings in choice growing locations within these lakes.

Young plants must be protected by stout fences and exclosures to prevent hungry animals from taking advantage of the new plants. These plantings must then be monitored closely to determine success, replacing plants that die and repairing fences that are damaged. The process of establishing vegetation within a lake may occur quickly in the case of one with stable water level and few herbivores. Or it may take years as in a lake with fluctuating water levels and abundant herbivores.

Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries biologists will be undertaking the daunting task of establishing aquatic vegetation in several Southeast Missouri lakes this spring including Perry County, Girardeau and Lookout Mountain (General Watkins Conservation Area) lakes.

A large variety of desirable aquatic plants will be planted at each lake. Each plant species used provides good fish habitat and as a bonus, food for waterfowl. These plants generally grow slowly and sparsely, making them easy to fish near though still providing quality habitat. Some plants to be utilized include: tapegrass, arrowhead, pickerel weed and spikerush.

Although there are many lakes with no aquatic vegetation, there are those with just the opposite problem -- too much plant life! When aquatic vegetation becomes so abundant that it interferes with fishing and boating it should be reduced to desirable levels. To do so, fisheries biologists often employ the use of EPA-approved aquatic herbicides to selectively kill plants from problem areas. The benefits are often quickly realized as most aquatic herbicides are fast-acting.

Unfortunately, aquatic herbicides are quite expensive, lending themselves to use in small areas.

To address the overabundance of aquatic vegetation at DiSalvo Lake (Bismarck CA) and Duck Creek Pool 1, Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries staff will be making limited aquatic herbicide treatments during the spring and summer. These treatments will be for the purpose of improving access to these lakes for bank and boat anglers.

At DiSalvo Lake, the area around the fishing jetty and the boat launch will be targeted to control American lotus, coontail and watermilfoil. At Duck Creek Pool 1, the boat launch and jetties will receive attention. In addition, small areas within the main lake body will also be treated. Here, milfoil, coontail, and water lillies will be the targeted plants.

Give most anglers the choice and they will toss their bait as close to the weed line as they can for they know that is often the lair of large fish. Biologists will spend this year trying to make that habitat as available as possible in many Southeast Missouri lakes.

Mike Reed is a fisheries management biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.