Orange Lake Spraying

Yesterday while I was fishing in Orange Lake a gentleman came into the area I was fishing in an air boat and proceeded to ease along the shoreline spraying the vegetation. I was about 150 yards away from him and he moved along the north shore from east to west.

If I had to make a guess as to the specific area, I would say, according to the map I have of the lake, that he was spraying chemical weed killer in the vicinity of the Seven Sisters/Grassy Point/20 Bothers areas.

I called the Ocala FWC office and left a message for the Fisheries contact so I could get info as to how long the spraying may adversely impact the fishing and whether it will be safe to eat fish caught.

I'd also be interested in any input from anyone here who has experienced this on other Gainesville area lakes like Lochloosa, Newnans, Lake Wauberg, Santa Fe, etc.

Thanks.

Is orange lake near rodman? I'm new to the area and looking for places to go. Thanks rob

Let us know what they say. I've never heard official word, particularly about the eating part. But it certainly seems to affect the fishing part with all that dying vegetation, and for a long, long time. Prolly not too good for the spawn either.

What Slab said x 50.

A few weeks ago an airboat was spraying Lochloosa. First week of February. It was pretty close to camper. The next day the wind shifted and seemed to blow foam from area sprayed the day before I didn’t keep any fish. Fishing seemed to slow in area sprayed. I did good the next day where the foam blew into

The fish are safe to eat and the only way it will have any impact on the fishing is if they kill too much vegetation at one time which is rare as there is a formula used to calculate the amount of acreage safe to treat. Typically an area will be treated once a week to allow time for the treated area to die out then is evaluated the following week and treated again as needed. When the treated vegetation starts to die it pulls oxygen from the water and if too much is treated at a given time thats when the fishing may be affected...and if a newbie nukes the lake then a fish kill may occur due to extremely low oxygen levels.

Yea the newbie nuking the banks is what we get here on the river. Must hire a newbie every year to do the job. Year in and year out they nuke everything they spray here. Coves smell like septic tanks after they spray.

Just:twocents....but haven't the streams & lakes been taken care of by mother nature for longer than any organization has ever begun to think about getting involved......I would rather see enforcement stopping known violators that pollute the waters, like what's happening to the Indian River lagoon in Cocoa, the Big O headwaters problems, returning Jessup to it's natural flow, ect.... these are issues that if action was to be taken would lead by example, that someone out there cares about what was "Created" vs what can "we" create.......

I remember Lake Toho before the spraying, nice sand bottom, Mother Nature kept just the right amount of cover and the open water areas were beautiful, Fast forward to after spraying started. Now areas that were sand bottom are 2 ft. thick in muck, what was once an 18 to 20ft deep channel is 5 to 8 ft deep, and 10 to 15 ft deep in much. Floating islands of vegetation abound, And I have not seen a water hyacinth in years. Use to love fishing those.
There are 2 new islands on the lake, created by piling the muck up when they scraped the bottom in areas and nobody would take it.

My experience is when I see them spraying or have seen the recent results of a body of water that has been sprayed, I pack up and leave. The fish plainly doesn't like it!

For all the anti-spraying guys... some lakes become unfishable unless sprayed. As for "nature" taking care of it, it is introduced pest weeds like hydrilla that cause the majority of the problems and 'nature' lets it run rampant.

So, what do you want, no spraying and unfishable lakes, or spraying to keep introduced weeds in check?

Tom

If you would like an informed opinion on foliage spraying and what to expect, just ask a few of us Vietnam Vets. It ain't good for man, beast, nor fish. That's my opinion and I'm stickin to it. X2 on lake Toho.

I'm a Vietnam era vet, 26 years and retired in 1993 as a CWO4 (Navy). Spent most of my my time playing Hunt For Red October over the North Cape then the east Med and Lebanon. But my fishing buddy spent three flying tours in country... and he is one Vietnam vet that hates it when imported weeds choke out a lake.

I have no idea where you fish, but if you look at some of Florida's north central lakes like Sampson for example, they become literally unfishable to the point you can't run an outboard motor through the stuff.

Tom

While it is true that nature generally takes care of itself, we've often altered landscapes to the point of rendering some of those restorative methods ineffective. For example, in Florida, a lot of lakes would cycle between natural periods of high water and low water (storms, hurricanes, drought, etc.). These natural fluctuations would help control organic matter buildup (through oxidation and flushing), regulate nutrients, and periodically rejuvenate fisheries (ever hear of “new reservoir syndrome”?). We’ve altered many lakes here. People want stable water levels on lakes that aren’t naturally meant to be stable. We’ve altered the hydrology and re-plumbed many lakes and marshes through the use of canals, water control structures, dikes, etc.. The natural mechanisms that are designed to keep things in order have been hampered.
As others have stated, it is often best to nip exotic plants in the bud (no pun intended) before they get out of hand, as they can proliferate to problem levels in short order. Aquatic herbicides, when properly used, can be a cost-effective and labor-saving tool to help managers deal with problematic plant issues. They often walk a bit of a tightrope between maintaining proper levels of plants, the desires of many diverse users, budgetary constraints, weather conditions, seasonal timing and proper application windows, chemical effectiveness/plant resistance, while minimizing harm to habitats and the critters that use them. It’s hard to please everybody.

I’m not saying what they do is always pleasant, but sitting on their hands and doing nothing is not acceptable either, based on the reality of current conditions and the wants/needs of resource users in Florida. Plant biologists aren’t out to “nuke” everything indiscriminately. They are often interested in people's opinions and try to schedule their work around important fishing and hunting seasons, if possible. I’d encourage any of you to talk to biologists or attend meetings related to plant/fish/lake management, etc. when they come up. I'm not a cheerleader for herbicides, but I think they have their place, given the state of things.

Whoa. Pull back the machine guns. That was not the intent of my post. I too empathize with the weed choked lakes and understand the need for getting a hold on invasive weed situations. I just have a hard time with weed killing sprays as I suffer with disabling effects of past exposure. Also, as stated by someone else on here the results of spraying on Lake Toho as an example. So even with spraying not all is good. There seems to be no great cure all so we are left with whatever works. I did not mean to ruffle any feathers with my post, however, I am a living example of what can happen to people that are exposed to toxins. And when you joke of newbies nuking the river I cringe because you know they are over spraying and to me that is dangerous. This is all I will post about this and again from the bottom of my heart I only wish each of you the best. God Bless You All.

SandySkiff,

No feathers of mine were ruffled! I'm sorry to hear about your health issues. I don't doubt there is some connection between what went on in Vietnam and what you are experiencing today, and I can understand your aversion to herbicide spraying. I certainly didn't reply out of a place of argument or confrontation, and I sure hope it wasn't received in that way. If it came across in that light, I sincerely apologize! God bless you too, and good fishing!

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Originally Posted by haveacrappieday

SandySkiff,

No feathers of mine were ruffled! I'm sorry to hear about your health issues. I don't doubt there is some connection between what went on in Vietnam and what you are experiencing today, and I can understand your aversion to herbicide spraying. I certainly didn't reply out of a place of argument or confrontation, and I sure hope it wasn't received in that way. If it came across in that light, I sincerely apologize! God bless you too, and good fishing!

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All is good. May you always have Stretched Strings and Loaded Livewells.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

One lake here in Osceola County was not sprayed and was overtaken by hydrilla, could only get on the lake without an outboard or trolling motor. Lasted for about 2 years and POOF the hydrilla died off, the lake became clear enough to see 8 to 10 ft. There is some hydrilla on that lake now but not overtaken by any means.

Many mistakes have been made in attempts to take care of the invasive weed situation, The Nile Perch AKA Tilapia, Smelly fish, they overtake areas that were once full of bass for the spawn. Any time you hear "I am from the government, we are here to help" take it with a grain of salt. They did realize they goofed when they straightened the Kissimmee River, and have put it back

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Originally Posted by T_om

For all the anti-spraying guys... some lakes become unfishable unless sprayed. As for "nature" taking care of it, it is introduced pest weeds like hydrilla that cause the majority of the problems and 'nature' lets it run rampant.

So, what do you want, no spraying and unfishable lakes, or spraying to keep introduced weeds in check?

Tom

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I'm not against spraying cause everything has its place. I just stated my experience. There are plenty other bodies of water to choose from close by.

It is hard to beat mother nature, but it is also hard to not be able to fish one of your favorite lakes.
Tight lines Don