So, went up to visit the parents this week, they live on the east side of six mile lake about 1/4 mile south of the boat launch. I bass fished with dad this wknd. temps went from 75* in the morning to 82* late mid day. Water felt very warm. Weed kill has destroyed much of the habitat. Lilly pads still doing great..lol the milfoil needed to be killed but all other weeds are dying. Water was very turbid and dark. lots of decay going on at the north end. Main lake looked a little better, but still not good. Bass fishing is usually awesome, bass were tough to find, did not see any panfish in the north end, few on main lake and around the dock. I'm headed up weds night for the holiday and will see if it gets any better. They are going to do 1-2 more weed kills this year on 6 mile. The lake association has already paid for them. People are about 70/30 split on it. Recreational folks want weeds gone and about 30 % are fisherman saying it ruined the fishing. Dad will keep me posted when he goes to the next lake association meeting. A side note on big fish in the area. My dad does taxidermy and was at a local taxidermist near east Jordan talking shop learning things, ext. The taxidermist told my ol' man he just got 2 giant muskies in from torch lake. 53''er and a 55"er. So that lake is still putting out hogs…
Im actually really glad they did it. Last year the lake was unfishable all summer, and after the millfoil died there was no natural weeds left… making it unfishable in the fall… They left the weeds around the pads, and also in the middle of the lake in 12+ feet of water. WE found a lot of bass in the north end near the channel going to StClair, actually caught one 18" trolling for walleyes that had a massive bite mark out of it. I wish I had taken a picture but there were puncture wounds and tears all over it! Caught a few walleyes too, and saw some 1 yr old muskies cruising. The gar seem lost however and there are hoards of them. Im not sure how I feel about them doing the weed killings multiple more times, but there are a few spots of millfoil left, and they do need to get it all. I was in a black alumacraft all week last week if you were out there. I ran into quite a few guys interested that I was throwing musky gear
Just from what I remember from the speaker a few years ago at the banquet, the lower chain fish look for the area between an undeveloped shore and a mix of charra and coontail or something like that (feel free to correct me). I am not at all sure about where muskies spawn on 6 mile, but the very few places I remember those combintations were untouched. There isn't much charra up there to begin with, but there is not any less than normal. But for all I know that particular combination is a matter of opportunity for the lower fish, and the upper fish have something more suitable. Another observation… other than the mid depth weeds the undeveloped shores were virtually untouched, which might also help???
It won't affect any of the other lakes, they are growing as good as ever.
"MattG_braith" said:
Is there any chance that this weed kill would affect the spawning cover that the muskies use up there? It would really suck if there were some unintended consequences to a weed kill on those lakes.
Certainly, but the DEQ doesn't approve permits based on what is best for the fishery. It's a lot easier for them to issue a permit to get people off their back because people want a swimming pool not a lake.
Cause…
There are some very green and weed free lawns on Sixmile, I think the lake association needs to look into keeping residents from fertilizing their lawns. In most of these situations it is usually the same guy complaining that there are weeds on his shoreline that you'll see out in his yard spreading fertilizer.
Effect…
What they don't understand is what these weed treatments are going to do to the lake, no weeds = no oxygen, no weeds = algae bloom, etc., etc. Not to mention the impact of the above can have on the fishery.
Will.
Interesting that you bring up the fertilizer point. I was just doing a lake survey with a limnology doctorate who expressed that the effect of fertilizers to lake vegetation is pretty much non existent because of the way aquatic vegetation receive their nutrients. I kind of doubted he truth of his statements, do you know of any studies available with at least semi conclusive data concerning this?
Not sure how nitrogen and phosphorus wouldn't impact the lake..
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my grandpa had a bit of a comical yearly battle with aquatic vegetation in his pond, downhill from the neighboring farmers corn field. Not at all surprisingly the thing was completely choked out for the 3-5 years he had corn and would spray nitrogen a few times a year. but then when the corn was slowing he would plant alfalfa and grow hay for a couple years without fertilizer… no weeds in the pond.
But either way, like I said before about 6 mile lake. There are enormous patches of curly leaf pond weed in 15-18 feet on the south end of the lake, lots of coontail and broad leaf around the patches of pads, and great mixes of weeds on the north end from the power lines to the channel to st clair. Also, how many places are they spawning near a guys beach??? Call me the eternal optimist i suppose, but Im not too sure the way they did it that they are having a huge effect on fish. Water clarity was definitely darker than normal, but is more like it was 15 years ago, than 5 years ago when it got crystal clear. Heres to hoping I guess! [smilie=cheers2.gif]
Steve, Round Up is not Agent Orange–don't believe all the lies the Berkenstock wearing tree huggers like to feed to the public. Agent Orange was a military only grade herbicide which was produced at the govenment's specifications and was a combination of 2-4-5-T and 2-4-D. Round Up is in the 2-4-D family only. To suggest Round Up is the same as Agent Orange is like saying oxygen is the same as carbon dioxide beacuse each contains oxygen particles.
Thanks Will, this guy claims to have developed the AVAS survey used by the DEQ and seems to be pretty influential with many of the environmental contractors. it's kind of concerning to hear a doctor make claims like that when it so hard to dispute the evidence supported by the majority of the scientific world…
While up there this past week, my mother had purchased a rather fascinating book, "voices on the water". The story of the chain of lakes in essence. It was very cool to see how the area went from the 1800's until the book was wrote around 1997. There was a lot about the storied Muskie fishery on the Antrim chain, and the larger chain. Not much on fishing, but rather on the history of getting muskies with spears. Very interesting stories and pics of large fish and locations where they were targeted. If you guys can find copies I recommend getting one. My mother got her copy off of amazon.com
Thale yettaw is one of the people interviewed. He was a great family friend and had 90+ yrs on the lakes. He only gave me a few of his secrets… but its nice having a bluegill dinner just about whenever i want 😈 i tried some of his musky spots last week and moved a couple fish. I wish i could still take him fishin.
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