RoseXB03
Active Member
That is the before, I will send the after in 2 weeks....
Watts Bar Grass
- Thread starter RoseXB03
- Start date
RoseXB03
Active Member
I already have all the symptoms...
RoseXB03
Active Member
LOL, no just a random pic!! Just pulling your leg.
Dave Hensley
Well-Known Member
And how many days a year do you spend on Watts Bar Mr. Craig? When you own lakefront property you don't want to be able to walk to the channel markers. As far as chemicals go all the good folks who use herbicides and pesticides for great looking lawns contribute to the ppm of commercially available chemicals in our water system. They all go to the same place in the East Tennessee valley.....The Tennessee River. Used as directed you can get the desired results without harming humans or wildlife. Mechanical removal is still the best solution but will not be used because of the cost of equipment and infrastructure necessary to utilize that method. We will just spray and pray and send it on down the river to Neal. The quality of the fishing on the Tennessee river chain happens strictly by coincidence as TVA cares jack poop about anything or anybody. They manage nothing. They squeeze us for every dime they can get and absolutely have the most layers of any bureaucracy I have ever dealt with. If the truth was known it is much better for the fisherman if the private land owners treat small areas than to turn it over to TVA. The only advantage to letting TVA get around to reacting, and they will, is that our problem will be subsidized by folks who never use the water ways. As far as fishing goes......when Tellico Lake was at it's prime as a Largemouth fishery it had remote areas and clumps of grass that held fish. Once the whole lake was matted the fish were scattered. TVA then eradicated all of the grass. The fish were still there, just harder to locate. The habitat is impacted much more profoundly by TVA's jerking the water up and down during the spawn. We have lost years of spawns in the past due to their malpractice. By the way, some of us knuckleheads fish, ride and hang out. Would be nice to have the ability to do all the above.
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Dave and I try not to agree with each other, but that's spot on. I live on watts bar, and can concur that TVA does not care about anything other than power generation. Good point about the spawn - fish spawn in the shallows... lets drop the water 5', that'll show them. After the very heavy rains this week, they dropped it 1.5' in a day. It's amazing how much water they can move sometimes.
GotMyAlly
Well-Known Member
Dredging (deeping) helps a lot. Costly though, as with the mechanical removal that Dave already mentioned. Part of the reason that many of the lakes start getting taken over with weeds in areas that did not have weeds years ago is that they have silted in over the years. Some silting is unavoidable, but much if it is man made (storm dranes, run-off, etc.).
Fertilizer in the run-off from surrounding areas contributes to the rapid growth of aquatic vegetation too.
There's a lot that can be done that provides better long term solutions than chemical treatment, which is just a short-term solution in and of itself.
Most all aquatic herbicides are non-selective.....they'll kill the native and non-native grasses. Problem with that is that the non-native grasses will come back faster and take over areas that were previously host to native grasses. Many times the non-native grasses grow thicker/taller, so in the long run you end up with more weeds. More spraying, snowball effect.
However the weeds are removed, it leaves a large barren area.....prime for non-native grasses to take right back over. Native species of grasses need to be re-introduced to prevent the non-native species from coming right back.
If TVA is going to spend the money, at least have 'em spend it on a lasting solution.
Fertilizer in the run-off from surrounding areas contributes to the rapid growth of aquatic vegetation too.
There's a lot that can be done that provides better long term solutions than chemical treatment, which is just a short-term solution in and of itself.
Most all aquatic herbicides are non-selective.....they'll kill the native and non-native grasses. Problem with that is that the non-native grasses will come back faster and take over areas that were previously host to native grasses. Many times the non-native grasses grow thicker/taller, so in the long run you end up with more weeds. More spraying, snowball effect.
However the weeds are removed, it leaves a large barren area.....prime for non-native grasses to take right back over. Native species of grasses need to be re-introduced to prevent the non-native species from coming right back.
If TVA is going to spend the money, at least have 'em spend it on a lasting solution.
Dave Hensley
Well-Known Member
Good discussion. Lots of valid points. Bottom line is the bottom line. TVA will not do anything without pressure...political pressure. They will only do it with your money and my money and they will do it the cheapest way possible. That is TVA's bottom line. They sprayed Tellico in the early 1990's and the grass has never came back and Tellico is a relatively clear lake. My bottom line is property value and primary use. I will take care of what I can myself at the lowest cost. Neal when you are my age, short term solutions are long term.
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RoseXB03
Active Member
I read Q&A session where the spokesperson or expert on this stuff projected that in the coming years approximately 40% of Watts Bar could be covered with the millfoil/hydrilla etc. I have been running on Watts Bar for 30 years, I have fished, tubed, rode and hung out since I was a kid. I am petrified that this stuff will take over and my present day recreation I enjoy will end. I enjoy pulling up in shallows and standing around with friends nowadays and this could cease to exist in the next several years. I understand the fishermen are excited about it but personally I am not...
Dave Hensley
Well-Known Member
Better living through chemistry my friend. Actually it sounds like a business opportunity for someone enterprising enough to pounce. Maybe Lou Jones can freeze it out....where is he any how??
Lou is probably off building a new bio skeleton. We had a fairly large outbreak in the early 80's that TVA sprayed. Seems like it took for quite a while.
Allyfishing
Well-Known Member
YOU all know I am jacking with ya calling ya names??!!! lol And you are correct....I fish it 10 days a year. I've caught fish without the weeds and I'll continue to do so. I don't live there. Have at it!! haha Ben told me years ago he was glad they killed the weeds on Watts BAr cuz it saved his shoulder and carpal tunnel from pitching and flipin all day long.
We know you are, just giving you a hard time back. I hope you liked your tree hugger banner I gave you. I didn't delete it, just removed it from your profile, just in case you act up again 
Dave Hensley
Well-Known Member
Knucklehead....!!! Just don't forget when you start calling names I kept you from bleeding out ..
I tried to not bring the glass incident up.... thinking of how well glass will camouflage in the tall grass. Shame.
Allyfishing
Well-Known Member
ok ok....ya got me on that one dave.....your medical skills did not go unappreciated!!
I didn't see no tree hugger banner??? Let's not go too far here......I sure as heck ain't no friggn tree hugger!!!!! lol
I didn't see no tree hugger banner??? Let's not go too far here......I sure as heck ain't no friggn tree hugger!!!!! lol
RoseXB03
Active Member
All in fun, if we aren't picking at each other something is wrong. But you did hurt my boats feelings with the tater chip comment!!!!
Dave Hensley
Well-Known Member
My wife said my feelings would never be hurt as I have none......Time and nature have a way of taking care of these type of issues. The end result will probably not please all. If the grass clogs the intakes to the reactor cooling system it will probably be scorched earth methods. You won't be able to get on the lake for the spray boats!!!
Allyfishing
Well-Known Member
haha
Dave Hensley
Well-Known Member
We will be sure and load your Ally up with a couple of tons of grass so you can introduce to your favorite fishery up NAWTH.
Allyfishing
Well-Known Member
I would love to put some of that in my home lake. Especially since the Army Corp just dropped the level about 24+ feet back in November due to the drought we had up here. No weeds left now