Can you run a boat through salvinia? Been wanting to take my pontoon out to caddo but have never been in the salvinia before. Any suggestions appreciated!
Thnx

It might be possible, but I wouldn't want to as it would probably stop up the water intake causing engine overheating.

The problem is at Caddo you just never know if the Salvinia is bunched up around a Cyprus knee. You might make it and you might also rip the hull apart on a knee. Either way, it would be a hold my beer moment.

Call down to Johnson's on Caddo but I believe the lake is clean right now.

The salvinia isn't bad at all this year except in the backwaters. The cold weather last year really knocked it back. You should be able to get around most of the lake.

Thanks everyone! I was wanting to put in at the state park-can you reach the lake from there?

It is a long haul from there but yes, you can get to the lake from the state park.

Those fine roots� like human hair size, will get sucked up into your motors cooling intake and clog the impellers� It aint a cheep fix. Signed: Experienced.

DO NOT RUN YOUR PONTOON THROUGH THE SALVINIA.
Just asking for trouble. That junk gets tangled up
in the shaft and you spend most of your time trying
to get it off.
FYI: Caddo lake boundary starts at the bridge of Tx 43. If you want open water go
to the Louisiana side.
Caddo is made up of boat roads through the cypress trees and the giant water lillys.
The Caddo of mystery the lanes going under the canopy of over hanging spanish moss.
If you stay out on the big lake you miss so much.

Should I just use a canoe to get to those fishing spots?

You can run Caddo just fine from the state park to the lake. The back waters are a little thick with salvania, but as long as it's not matted in a solid sheet, you should be fine.

I put in last weekend and ran down to Government Ditch with ease. Gov Ditch is the last little bit to get to the big river, headed to the main lake. The channel to Carters Lake was stopped up a bit, but there's not much up there worth getting to anyways. Well, kinda. Not worth fighting the salvania.

I was out on the main lake a couple of weeks ago. If putting in at Johnson's it's probably easier to drag your boat to 43 to 'rinse' it off rather than pick all the salvania off the trailer and nooks and crannies on the boat.

You will more than likely get some hitch hikers coming out of the water at Johnson's. Please be responsible and clean all the plants off your boat AND trailer if you have anything on then after coming out of the water.3

I should add ... get a map! The boat roads can be confusing. I'm out there a fair amount and can still manage to get lost.

If you have GPS, that should suffice.