We have a 62 acre fishing lake as part of our benefits of being property owners. Very little pressure, and has bluegill, largemouth, crappie, and catfish. The entire bottom is super thick vegetation, that fish have made highways through. There is also 15-20 foot tall trees, with limbs stretching out 18-20 ft from the center. When graphing you will see the occasional fish in open water, but 95% of the ones visible on the graph are hugged right up in the middle of all of the trees. It's next to impossible to get down to them, and get them out without getting hung up. There are some hog crappie and bass, I'd like to catch, but in this scenario, how do you go about it?


Water temp today was 64-66 degrees, and all of them were in 22-25 foot, stacked like cord wood around those trees. I would have figured some would have been in the shallows, getting ready to, or already spawning. But they are glued to those trees, every time I go.

What a great benefit!

I know what I would do...drop in live shiners and/or blue gills and/or what other forage fish I determined are present right where you mark the highest concentrations of fish. It would not take very long to find out what was down there.

Tried that. Pulled up a couple bass, and lost about ten rigs. Bluegills are the only forage fish present in the lake, they will eat shiners though.

Chum with range cubes or set up a feeder or two. The bluegill will come to the feed and the predators will follow.

go to TPWD and get some triploid grass carp. (assuming you are in TX). You have to apply and receive a permit then buy them from a fish farm that is authorized to sell them. The permit is $16 +$2 per carp you apply for, and the carp are about $15 each...... think it cots us $180 for permit and 7 carp back in 2014 on our property in Bastrop County. they will control the vegetation


this is a wealth of knowledge https://fisheries.tamu.edu/pond-management/

so is this..... http://units.fisheries.org/tx/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2014/03/tcafs_pond_manual_2005.pdf

Assuming the vegetation is palatable.

Grass carp do not control all aquatic plants equally well. Need to positively identify the plant before committing a bunch of money to grass carp. Plus, there are consequences to the water parameters and fishery from grass carp introduction, especially if they end up eliminating the vegetation. I didn't want to type out a book and put everyone to sleep, but don't take the decision to introduce grass carp lightly. Once they go in, they aren't coming back out until they die in about 10 years and their effects will last several years beyond that.

To clarify, grass carp are awesome when they're the appropriate tool for the job; I recommend them all the time. But, they can ruin a place if used improperly.

Really don't think this vegetation is going to be "controllable". The P.O.A. controls what can go in and come out of the lake. And they better be some super badass carp. I've never seen vegetation this thick and matted on any lake I've ever fished. You can literally rest an 8 ounce weight on top of it, without it falling through.....even though the fish have managed to tunnel through it, and make highways.