Clean, Drain, And Dry

[bfishn]

A recent Nat Geo article indicates a number of biologists are reconsidering the old "native good, invasive bad" doctrine;

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/140724-invasive-species-conservation-biology-extinction-climate-science/

[Sac River Jim]

Go wrench GO!!!!!!!!!

[bluebasser86]

The smallmouth populations in our lakes have exploded and gained incredible amounts of girth since zebra mussels got into the same lakes that they're in, just saying. Catching fish like this before the Z's

To fish like these just a few years after

It's a love/hate relationship. They're an absolute nightmare to fish around, but gosh it's hard to complain about catching way more and bigger fish than I used to. I'll continue to do everything I can to stop the spread of them though as the long term effects are yet to be seen.

[Flysmallie]

I wasn't aware Pomme ever was a grass lake. How long ago was that?

20-25 years ago.

[Old plug]

Wrench... you could get charged with that very easy. Depends on the question of the investigating officer and your answer. Because of the word knowingly. The sheriff rides down this road and never gives these kids 10 yrs old running up and down the county road on golf carts a second glance. Sometimes 5 or 6 kids piled on there.

[MOPanfisher]

Pomme used to have some extensive coontail beds. Multiple attempts to re-establish some aquatic vegetation have been for the most part unsuccessful. Not all aquatic plants are created equal, hydrilla does indeed benefit the fish initially by providing cover and shade, however as it becomes the dominant plant growth it slowly chokes out the diversity and as the zooplankton, and minners leave it, so do the larger fish. Not to mention it can and is a major headache in many southern lakes to maintain boat ramps and travel lanes through shallow areas when they are choked with hydrilla. Hopefully we will never have to find out what affect it might have here. Old Plug we have been pleasantly surprised that the zebra mussles have not been transported to Pomme by boats livewells. And I believe that at least one occurence of transplanting them occurred in Smithville lake when a slip renter in one of the marinas bout a used boat lift from LOZ and installed it there, it had adult zebras on it, which promptly did what critters do and reproduced. We do have folks who buy docks or dock parts from LOZ to use on Pomme but we have a policy on how long they have to sit out and dry/cook in the sun, there is a website that gives times depending upon temp and location, (100th meridian or something like that). IF there are visable adult zebra shells on it, its a no-go period. I also work with other employees around the district and we are required to sanitize out boats each and every time we move from one body of water to another, regardless of whether that lake has any known invasives or not. The theory being, it ain't going to hunrt a thing for us to take precautions, hot water, pressure washer, bleach, and time in the sun works wonders.

There are no invasives that will completely destroy the lake per se, but any one of them has the capability to effect some serious changes, some might even be better, but it would be a big risk to take. Most such things have not been to the overall benefit of the environment.

[HYDE]

That would be awesome. I remember when Pomme was a grass lake. It was wonderful.

.

I also remember when Stockton did have pockets of pads around the greenfield area back in the 80's

[Diamond City Fisher]

FYI.......Took these pics of Zebra Mussels near the swim beach at Lead Hill Park on Bull Shoals yesterday. Lots of them. Picked these rocks up in about 4 inches of water.

[dblades]

I doubt there is a lake in the area that hasn't got zebra mussels by now. I guarantee tournament and recreational anglers weren't properly cleaning boats when traveling over the last 7-10 years.

[troller]

Living on Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin for 60 years I can assure you that Zebra Mussels definitely change lake water conditions and fishing .Winnebago is a 35,000 acre lake, extremely fertile ,20 foot maximum depth and a traditional Walleye factory. The first Zebra Mussels were found on a bouy on the south end of the lake about 10 years ago. There are now billions of Zebra Mussels being so prolific with the following changes.

Water clarity used to be 1-2 feet...now 8-12 ft due to the constant water filtering of the Zebra Mussel.

Inlets on the lake are not accessable to boats because of the buildup of Zebra Mussels ...in some cases 3-4 feet deep and building. Many residents have contracted with dredging companies to clear the mussels out for access.

Trolling bottom ticking cranks is no longer possible due to the razor like edges on the mussels cutting lines as fast as you can tie a new one on.

Most shorelines of the lake are not swimable by residents unless water shoes are worn or your next stop is the local hospital.

Water plants like Oshkosh that are removing water from the lake for treatment and drinking are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on removing mussels from clogged inlet pipes almost weekly.

Mercury black is now brown if you keep your boat in the water at a marina. You also need to check your water intake before you head out or you may be in for a substantial bill.

Winter sturgeon spearing is now restricted by specific numbers as the season lasts 1 to maybe 2 days rather than 2 weeks years ago because the water is gin clear down to the max of 20 feet and its a massacre.

Whoever things the Zebra Mussel talk is propaganda talk to someone in Wisconsin. Live wells have to be sanitized, boats hulls sanitized, live minnow restrictions etc.

PLEASE CLEAN, DRY AND INSPECT when going from one lake to another. The spread is probably inevitable but the effect on a lake can be dramatic.