One of my lakes is suffering from an algae bloom, water is a lovely green colour.
Fish are still being caught and none seem to be in any distress at the moment.
Question is would you still fish it? If so anything you'd do different tactics/bait wise?
Fish are still being caught and none seem to be in any distress at the moment.
Question is would you still fish it? If so anything you'd do different tactics/bait wise?
In reply to Post #1
Think I know the water your talking about , As long as it's still fishing ok and no fish in distress, I'd just keep fishing it the same , just take a small sponge to clean your lines on retrieving your rig !
Think I know the water your talking about , As long as it's still fishing ok and no fish in distress, I'd just keep fishing it the same , just take a small sponge to clean your lines on retrieving your rig !
In reply to Post #2
thanks, was my thoughts also but was curious. Not seen a lake so bad before.
But decent size and fair amount of wind on it so you'd have thought manageable.
thanks, was my thoughts also but was curious. Not seen a lake so bad before.
But decent size and fair amount of wind on it so you'd have thought manageable.
Anyone taking any water readings?
In reply to Post #4
it's a well run lake so assume so, not something I'm involved in though. Pumps on currently.
it's a well run lake so assume so, not something I'm involved in though. Pumps on currently.
Wouldn't be fishing, personally.
In reply to Post #6
Me neither.
Id leave the carp to it and the management team to sort it out or wait for wind and rain
Me neither.
Id leave the carp to it and the management team to sort it out or wait for wind and rain
The vast amount of algae blooms do not turn into something worse as in oxygen crashes apart from not being able to see into the depths. On all the lakes ive fished its made no difference what so ever. Always worth the club/owner checking levels arnt dangerously low just in case.
In reply to Post #8
Agree.
Algae blooms are a completely natural phenomenon and par for the course on several waters I've fished. Yes there is risk but the signs are normally pretty obvious if something really bad is happening.
Proper blooms tend to make the fishing tricky in my experience. The water goes green, the weed dies, the bloodworm beds are revealed, the fish get on them and it becomes tricky to compete with boiled baits. The fish pig out on the bloodworm and when they do get caught they're normally at massive weights but looking a little pale. I normally switch to naturals when this happens (to compete with the bloodworm) and it normally works.
Agree.
Algae blooms are a completely natural phenomenon and par for the course on several waters I've fished. Yes there is risk but the signs are normally pretty obvious if something really bad is happening.
Proper blooms tend to make the fishing tricky in my experience. The water goes green, the weed dies, the bloodworm beds are revealed, the fish get on them and it becomes tricky to compete with boiled baits. The fish pig out on the bloodworm and when they do get caught they're normally at massive weights but looking a little pale. I normally switch to naturals when this happens (to compete with the bloodworm) and it normally works.
In reply to Post #9
Yeah, I've noticed the same thing fishing through algae blooms, the water turns green and it definitely changes how the fish behave. When they start feeding heavily on bloodworms, it gets tough to compete with that, so I usually switch to natural baits that mimic what they're eating. It doesn't always make it easy, but it helps keep the bites coming, and the fish you do catch often look a bit pale but are still solid-sized. It's definitely a different challenge, but once you get used to it, it's manageable.
Yeah, I've noticed the same thing fishing through algae blooms, the water turns green and it definitely changes how the fish behave. When they start feeding heavily on bloodworms, it gets tough to compete with that, so I usually switch to natural baits that mimic what they're eating. It doesn't always make it easy, but it helps keep the bites coming, and the fish you do catch often look a bit pale but are still solid-sized. It's definitely a different challenge, but once you get used to it, it's manageable.
In reply to Post #10
Thanks all, alas no naturals allowed so going to be challenging for a while!
Went last night and does seem to be improving. Interestingly Simon Scott talked about it also on the latest Baitworks podcast, his view that algae cycle will increase/decrease oxygen so will see feeding increase/decrease as a result. Obviously hard to know where in the cycle the algae is without an oxygen meter.
Thanks all, alas no naturals allowed so going to be challenging for a while!
Went last night and does seem to be improving. Interestingly Simon Scott talked about it also on the latest Baitworks podcast, his view that algae cycle will increase/decrease oxygen so will see feeding increase/decrease as a result. Obviously hard to know where in the cycle the algae is without an oxygen meter.
In reply to Post #11
The algae photosynthesise, producing oxygen in daylight. You would expect more daytime bites as there is more oxygen available, but very much lake/conditions dependent.
The algae photosynthesise, producing oxygen in daylight. You would expect more daytime bites as there is more oxygen available, but very much lake/conditions dependent.
In reply to Post #9
I'd never linked bloodworm beds with alage blooms before, but this was the case in France last week. They're having an algae bloom, nothing horrendous but notable. Fishing was very tough, and I found a few bloodworm beds that the lake owner didn't know were there as a few of my baits were coming in covered in them. Needless to say, I couldn't get a bite from those areas and had to focus elsewhere to establish some bait and catch.
I'd never linked bloodworm beds with alage blooms before, but this was the case in France last week. They're having an algae bloom, nothing horrendous but notable. Fishing was very tough, and I found a few bloodworm beds that the lake owner didn't know were there as a few of my baits were coming in covered in them. Needless to say, I couldn't get a bite from those areas and had to focus elsewhere to establish some bait and catch.
In reply to Post #11
A local water to me has bloodworm beds and the Carp are seriously tuned to them and as it happens the lads who do best on there use bloodworm boilies or match hookers.
If your water doesn't allow naturals then might be worth trying some match bloodworm hookers/boilies soaked in the corresponding glug
A local water to me has bloodworm beds and the Carp are seriously tuned to them and as it happens the lads who do best on there use bloodworm boilies or match hookers.
If your water doesn't allow naturals then might be worth trying some match bloodworm hookers/boilies soaked in the corresponding glug
In reply to Post #12
Not necessarily. When there's an algae bloom the water can become super saturated with d.o.. This will make the fish lethargic. If this occurs then the fish will feed hardest at the point in the diurnal rhythm that the d.o. level is at the most comfortable for them, often the middle of the night through to early morning.
There are lots of variables that will affect the above though, water depth can be very relevant where d.o. levels are concerned.
Not necessarily. When there's an algae bloom the water can become super saturated with d.o.. This will make the fish lethargic. If this occurs then the fish will feed hardest at the point in the diurnal rhythm that the d.o. level is at the most comfortable for them, often the middle of the night through to early morning.
There are lots of variables that will affect the above though, water depth can be very relevant where d.o. levels are concerned.