Bruce Lake

[Teacherpreacher]

Spent Saturday at Bruce Lake outside of Winamac. The normal annual weed condition still persists. The two creeks that feed the lake that pick up fertilizer plays havoc with weed growth. A surface weed covers 90% of lake. It seems to be worse this year. Looks like a carpet. Then the other weed that is 2" below surface of water is on about 80% of water. The
surface weed normally dies when water temps reach 50 to 60 degrees then sinks to the bottom. This year it is still there. worse then normal! Bluegills are 80% done spawning. Hundreds of beds! One area of about 20yds by 30yds in the center of SE area of lake looks like a moonscape there are so many beds. Gills run about 5"-7". Lake Association will treat weeds on about 1/2 the surface of lake soon.
Really makes it difficult to run a motor.
Teach

[taxid]

Sounds like Eurasion Milfoil. Once that gets into the lake it gets really thick.

[fishinator]

Unless I'm chasing musky, I have given up on that lake. Lots of stunted panfish.

[taxid]

Unless I'm chasing musky, I have given up on that lake. Lots of stunted panfish.

Probably due to the extensive weed growth predators can't keep the panfish cropped down enough, which leads to stunted panfish.

I have a small lake near me (Sparta Lake) which has the same issue. It gets to the point where you can't even fish it effectively due to all the weeds. 7 inch bluegill is the biggest I have ever caught there.

There is a safe effective floridone herbicide that can be used on a lakes to treat invasive macrophytes like Eurasion Milfoil but it's is extremely expensive. We are talking almost $4000.00 a gallon and it probably takes at least  $100,000 dollars to treat a decent size lake annually.

Cutting only spreads most of these exotics via fragmentation.

[fishinator]

They also have a huge shad population.  I believe that is why they stocked musky.

[Teacherpreacher]

You are both correct!!
They sprayed the lake week before last.
Teach

[taxid]

You are both correct!!
They sprayed the lake week before last.
Teach

You can grow some big muskies with shad present but I doubt the muskies will control the bluegills enough to increase their size.

[Teacherpreacher]

Muskys have been in lake for quite some time now. They've caught 50 inchers. DNR put couple thousand channel cats in couple of years ago in an attempt to decrease number of gills?
Teach

[taxid]

Muskys have been in lake for quite some time now. They've caught 50 inchers. DNR put couple thousand channel cats in couple of years ago in an attempt to decrease number of gills?
Teach

Futile as as long as invasive non-native weedgrowth is too extensive. The best bluegill grazers are actually largemouth bass, but if the weed grows is to extensive they can't get easy access to them.