I've stopped fishing the 309 flats!

I catch fish on humps around it, and I fish off of it!

It's about all of the HYDRILLA! (,,,,it kinda looks like hydrilla doesn't it!)

There are areas that it is so thick that it is matted on the top, and unless we intend to start weedless fishing for whites and hybrids on the lake, the 309 flats will become useless for open water fishing before to long!

I know that LMB fisherfolks LOVE hydrilla, and I do to when I'm fishing for LMB, but I'm really concerned about how this is giong to effect the open water fishing on RC. It seems to me that we are going to loose a good go-to spot for whites and hybrids!

,,,,,,especially for people that are just learning the lake!

Furthermore, that area isn't exactly prime habitat for LMB anyway!

Just wondering if there is anything that could or should be done?

,,,,,just my 2 cents, you can take it for what it's worth.

My opinion would be to leave it alone. It provides a meca for bait fish and fry to develop and secondly provides a natural filter mechanism to keep the water clean and clear.

Be careful disturbing a natural element as you just might ruin an entire eco system.

Yeah it's a hinderance for the summer months but it's gone in the winter.

As you stated, just fish somewhere else.

D

That hydrilla did not disappear over the winter. It did not get cold enough to kill it out. All winter that hydrilla was still living as we got in on our hooks all winter. I agree that it is taking over the 309 flat area.

Last night I rode through there because I had never been on that part of the lake. I caught so much around the prop that it choked down my 175 horse motor. Good thing the top water action was happening on the 287 hump.

Just for clarification Dlinzy, Hydrilla is not a native species to Texas or the United States so in my opinion it is not a "Natural Element"

However, I do completely agree with your statement about it's usefullness to the fishery and my personal opinion is that it will improve the fishery more than it will hurt it. Hydrilla has it's limitations and doesn't grow well over about 10ft deep in most lakes, also it tends to be very cyclical and will thrive one year but disapear the rest because of it's "parasitic" growing habits, basically it uses all of the nutrients in the soil and puts nothing in reserve.

RC has been void of vegetation and the hydrilla will have a positive impact on the hatches of shad and game fish, also it will help to clear the water.

The sandies and hybrids will still chase the shad, either over the hydrilla, through the hydrilla, on the edges of the hydrilla, or they will simply move to a little deeper water to feed.

Ray Roberts use to have several acres of hydrilla in 6-10ft of water around wolf island and the sandies never seemed to mind

Since it isn't in an area that will interupt development, inhibit water extraction, swimmers, or boaters my two cents is to leave it alone and enjoy the benefits because the disadvantages are nullified due to the above.

earlier this year we were hammering the sandbass right over the hydrilla on the 309 flats and just off of it were were really getting some good hybrids......as well as other areas that had hydrilla.

Once the birds were working so well, i just knew that bass boat was catching fish, but he kept moving.......well us and three others were hammering fish, me with Doyle and Bob Holmes and 4 customers....I kept watching this bass boat.....guess he was not tempted at all by the explosions on the water, he kept chunking and winding that spinner bait....

Then again........if you fish the lake much, you know that is not the only place on the lake to catch fish...until this year and only three times this year.....I had only fished down there once or twice.....too many other good spots...

I know the importance of the hydrilla to the eco system, and my freezer isn't suffering for it being there, but it seems that any new person to the lake always hears 309 flats first, and it is an obvious place to fish shallow near deep!

Also the fish really seem to stack up in that 7-10 ft depth on the flat, especially in July, with the 30-50 foot water near by!

,,,,again my 02!

Let's not get too carried away about getting rid of things not natural in Texas. Hydrilla, carp, Florida strain LMB, lakes.

What about getting ride of all the lakes that are not natural to Texas.

I surely would not want that.

Use the grass to your advantage. We know it holds bait fish so it must be a place where the predator fish hang out and "Near" as well.

I misjudged and got caught in that stuff last Saturday and it was thick. Had to use the trolling motor to finally get out of it and then clean my prop off. I wished they would put markers around that part of the lake because it gets shallow quick.

Amen, Kerry. There are a couple spots out there that are shallow enough to drag the lower unit! Especially when the lake is down just a little. I would really like to see some warning bouys out there!