tired of algae fouling your lures

[Norm M]

Are you tired of the algae fouling your lures or livebait rigs while fishing on the your river? If you are like me, it's a royal pain picking it off, especially in colder weather. It will never go away completely, but there are some things we can do to reduce its presence on the river bottom.

One of the bigger contributors to the growth of algae is the phosphorus coming into the river. It's true that agriculture does contribute to the phosphorus load, but the quest for the perfect lawn contributes mightily to the process.

You can help reduce the amount of phosphorus entering the river by reducing the amount you use on your lawn and being more careful in the application process. You can help the river while saving yourself some money, who wouldn't like that? Hopefully, you know that all of the storm sewers drain directly to the river. All of that extra fertilizer you sweep or hose off your driveway and sidewalk ends up in the storm sewer and ultimately the river. If you use less fertilizer on your lawn that will reduce the amount that is available to be washed into the storm sewer if it rains. Just think, with the money saved by using less fertilizer, you may be able to buy more fishing gear.

Another way to reduce the amount of phosphorus is to buy fertilizer that has lower levels of, or no phosphorus at all. The middle number of the three on the package is the amount of phosphorus. The lower number, the better, with zero being the best of all.

If we adopt these practices, it will help reduce the algae, by reducing the phosphorus that promotes its growth.

Simple, practical, economical and beneficial