Hydrilla treatments under review

Due to the size of the "Flash" section, I will be brief.

This week will be the best fishing week of this month by far. With the lunar perigee happening on Wednesday, and the new moon on Friday, and a slight cooling of temperatures, the fishing will constantly improve daily.

The major feeding migration of the day will occur from safelight to noon during the next three days, with a peak period of 8 to 9 a.m. and a rating of 6-8 depending on rainfall the night before.

Fishing flash

Highlands County Soil & Water Conservation District's Web site has a "Guide to Area Lakes" webpage, as well as other useful lake user tools. Log on at highlandsswcd.org/NRLakes.

Lake Istokpoga's level is currently at 38.75 feet above sea level with all gates closed now that fall is approaching and all available water is stored for the remainder of the year. Last September, the lake's level rose one foot from 38.5' to 39.5', where it has remained until Jan. 15, 2009, when water releases start for agricultural permitted water users.

Last Tuesday, the Lake Istokpoga Management Hydrilla Sub-Committee met to review and discuss the fall/winter hydrilla treatments that both the County Aquatic Weed Manager, Carl Smith, and Fish & Wildlife Invasive Plant Manager, Erica Van Horn, have researched and tentatively planned to occur in November when water temperatures drop low enough for the contact herbicide, Aquathol-K, to work effectively.

Presently there is about 1300 acres of topped out hydrilla that needs to be treated throughout the lake. Eight-hundred acres is blocking the majority of lake access from Istokpoga Park boat ramp on the north end. This is the crucial area that affects boaters the most.

This year's total summertime hydrilla growth is the lowest since the hurricanes of 2004 wiped it all out for about a year. In 2006 and '07, the total summer expansion was double the acreage and topped-out area treatments were well over 2000 acres.

It is this writer's opinion that since the lake's invasive management program was started, there has been a steady increase each year of the lake's muck, which in turn produces more turbidity when there is wind and wave action. This process has now steadily increased to the point that thicker aquatic plants, like hydrilla, accumulate more suspended solids within the water column and thereby become "shaded out" (sunlight is blocked) and are unable to continue growth and expand at their normal rate or the same rate they did the previous year. This would account for the increased die-back in over half a dozen hydrilla growth areas within the lake over this past summer.

This phenomenon is not anyone's fault, nor is it because of ignorance on the part of lake managers. Instead, the fact is the weeds arrived because of lake users. The weeds expanded because that is what they do. The lake users complained of decreased lake access and the lake managers went to work according to state statues - as they must by law.

The weed was resilient and persevered, and the managers tried more plans. This process produced an increasing accumulation of decomposed plant residue which is re-suspended within the water column every time the wind makes waves on this large shallow lake. It stands to reason that sunlight will become increasingly blocked as this effect increases year by year.

Some have suggested that we should stop trying to kill the invasive plants completely and instead only kill plants in areas related to lake access, and in areas of lake-home shorelines. Non-anglers hate this suggestion and most anglers applaud it.

However, the facts are clear: Fish love hydrilla more than any native plant type, no matter who tells you otherwise. (They are being disingenuous due to a bias that is not provable in the least.) When the highest acreage of hydrilla that the lake can handle - according to hydrilla-anglers as opposed to non-hydrilla-anglers - is allowed to do its natural cycle of growth, dieback, and re-growth, all fish populations benefit MORE than they could otherwise. (The hydrilla-anglers are correct on this one; the non-hydrilla anglers hate to fish hydrilla because it is a fact that anglers lose more fish in battle in the thick weed.)

In the end it all comes down to who fights hardest and spends the most money. If every angler in Highlands County stood together on the Istokpoga hydrilla issue, and did what it takes consistently, they would definitely have more hydrilla in the lake and therefore provide for Highlands County more money and benefits than the opposite case scenario.

More and more anglers are not fishing in Lake Istokpoga because the bass population has diminished. This means less money is spent in many businesses of the county and the local economy suffers, but anglers go elsewhere in Central Florida and other counties benefit instead, just ask any bass guide.

The problem is, anglers won't unite over anything but going fishing, and even that can barely be described as "uniting." (By the way, "uniting" usually refers to a majority, and I wish an angler would prove me wrong on this one.)

These are all facts, and I challenge anyone to debate any one of them or all.

In other news:

The rainfall so far this month is slightly below average at 2.35 inches. However we should be above 3 inches by Sept. 15, which is half of the monthly average.

The last year that we experienced the SFWMD average of 6 inches was in 2003 and in 2007 we came close with 5.76 inches. Last year's average was 3 inches, and in 2005-6 it was 4 inches. With just eight days remaining for this summer rainy season, we have received over 24 inches of rainfall - adding the estimated predicted rainfall in between this article's composition and publishing - which is 10 percent over the rainy season average.

Now, some of you might be thinking, "What does weather history have to do with fishing?" The answer is this: If angler's fish-catch records include feeding-influence events, such as hurricanes, tropical storms and significant or insignificant rainfall events, a very distinguishable feeding migration pattern becomes clear and can be used to increase the odds of boating more fish tomorrow - or in three days, as the case might be.

Knowing when to stay home and when to be on the lake really does make a difference, just ask any experienced angler.

Your Lake Manager's Contact Information:

FFWCC Fishkill Report Hot Line: 800-636-0511, or go online at www.My FWC.com/contact.

Clell Ford, Lakes Management Specialist, Highlands County, 4434 George Blvd., Sebring, Florida 33875. Phone: 863-402-6545, e-mail: Cford@hcbcc.org

Vicki Pontius, Parks and Recreation Director, Highlands County, 4344 George Blvd., Sebring, Florida 33875. Phone: 863-402-6812, e-mail: Vpontius@hcbcc.org

Steven Gornak, Biological Scientist IV, FFWCC, Aquatic Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Sub-Section, Division of Habitat and Species Conservation, 3991 S.E. 27th Court, Okeechobee, FL 34974. Phone: 863-462-5190 (SunCom 761-5190), Fax: 863-462-5194 (SunCom 761-5194), Mobile: 863-697-6256, e-mail: steven.gornak@myfwc.com

Erica Van Horn, Regional Biologist, FFWCC, Invasive Plant Management Section, 2001 Homeland Garfield Rd. Bartow, FL 33830. Phone: 863-534-7074, e-mail: erica.vanhorn@myfwc.com

Tournament news

The Monday Morning Lake "Josephine" Black Bass Fishing Tournament is open to the public and launches every Monday morning at 8 a.m. with weigh-in at 1 p.m. Entry fee is $10 per boat with a "winner-take-all" payout. One person or two per boat, three legal (more than 14 inches) bass per boat, and one bass over 22 inches per angler. For information, call Paul Tardiff at 863-385-8007 (home) or 863-273-4062 (cell).

The Wednesday Morning Black Bass Tournament will be on Lake Jackson, Sept. 16. Next week's event, on Sept. 23, is on Lake Reedy. Launch time is 7:30 a.m. and weigh-in time is at noon. Entry fee is $30 per boat to be paid at the ramp. For complete information, call Paul Tardiff, home: 863-385-8007, cell: 863-273-4062, or Dwight Ameling at 863-471-3305.