annoying moss type weed

[paulcha11]

Hi all,

Im not sure if this is the correct section for this question but I'm sure it will be re-placed if its not. I'm currently up in Forster on a fishing holiday and have noticed a large amount of green weed running throughout the water at all depths. The weed feels mossy(soft) and sticks to everything including sinkers, SP's, lures and line and the only way to get it off is to physically pull it off. I have noticed the fishing has been a little slow and the crabbing and prawning which I have also done as proved not existent.

Does anyone know whether this weed slows down fishing, crabbing or prawning and puts them off the bite and how long it hangs around for? One bloke up here reckons it gets in the gills of fish and puts them off the bite. I dont know.

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Charmo

[Hodgey]

We have something similar down here that appears every Winter. It sticks to lures and line like snot and makes it impossible to work a lure. We usually find as the water heats up the weed dissipates and then disappears. I'd be interested to know the water temp down there.

Cheers

Hodgey

[Keflapod]

Hey Charmo,

I do a lot of fishing in Botany Bay.

We also get a type of mossy weed that is essentially brown but often has some green in it.

It affects the fishing in the same way you're experiencing.

It gets on the line, the sinker, swivel and bait.

Often it weighs so heavy on the mainline that it breaks the line.

The fish probably can't see the bait or are reluctant to eat the bait with the weed on it.

I don't believe it affects the fish's appetite nor gets into its gills.

This phenomenon occurs when spring high tides inundate higher areas upstream in rivers and dislodge the weed.

It gets transported downriver and into the bay.

Most of the bay is affected but there are some areas that doesn't get much of it.

You need to try deeper sections, shallower sections, areas in the main current and areas outside of main current influence.

Find out where its unaffected or least affected.

I believe the weed is mainly freshwater based weed and will die and decompose after a couple of weeks.

So what do you do in those two weeks ?

Use the time to explore areas and take notes where its affected and where not so much.

Next spring, you will be glad you did....

Tony

[helliconia]

I think you'll also find it isn't a weed but a form of algae.

It does seem to come and go at certain times of the year but from memory I have more issues with it in sheltered areas out of the current. I think this gives it a chances to settle and propogate on weeds and rocks where as the current stops it grouping together. I could be wrong though since I haven't given it much thought.

[paulcha11]

We have something similar down here that appears every Winter. It sticks to lures and line like snot and makes it impossible to work a lure. We usually find as the water heats up the weed dissipates and then disappears. I'd be interested to know the water temp down there.

Cheers

Hodgey

Hey Hodgey,

The water temp up here at the moment is 21 degrees but feeling it the other day it seems warmer. Hoping your analogy with the water heating up will help it to dissapear soon as my holiday is over in a week.! PS read in a post the other day regarding the carp that you used to live along the Murray/Darling. Im currently living at Wilcannia and the Darling river last summer was firing with all the water we got from up north. They had one of the best yabbie seasons they have had for at least 10-15 years and with that came big catches of Murray cod and the famous yellow belly perch. But like you said, the Carp are now in plague porportions probably the only fish to have done so well from the recent rain. Go figure.

Cheers for the info.

Charmo

[finin]

charmo, are you fishing inside or outside? Outside the green slime comes from the cold water, yes it is a form of algae and generally occurs when the water is turning over, with a cold current. Yes it affects the fishing, fish tend to slow down in it. With the warmer currents the water turns over to the blue and the algae goes. The water maybe 21deg on top but the lower current is cold between 12-15deg.

[paulcha11]

Hey Charmo,

I do a lot of fishing in Botany Bay.

We also get a type of mossy weed that is essentially brown but often has some green in it.

It affects the fishing in the same way you're experiencing.

It gets on the line, the sinker, swivel and bait.

Often it weighs so heavy on the mainline that it breaks the line.

The fish probably can't see the bait or are reluctant to eat the bait with the weed on it.

I don't believe it affects the fish's appetite nor gets into its gills.

This phenomenon occurs when spring high tides inundate higher areas upstream in rivers and dislodge the weed.

It gets transported downriver and into the bay.

Most of the bay is affected but there are some areas that doesn't get much of it.

You need to try deeper sections, shallower sections, areas in the main current and areas outside of main current influence.

Find out where its unaffected or least affected.

I believe the weed is mainly freshwater based weed and will die and decompose after a couple of weeks.

So what do you do in those two weeks ?

Use the time to explore areas and take notes where its affected and where not so much.

Next spring, you will be glad you did....

Tony

Hey Tony,

Thanks for your response.

The weed sounds like the same, a browny green tyrpe weed which weighs heavy on the line. I agree, the way the bait is presented as a result probably affects your catch rate more than anything else. Recently the tides have been quite big which probably supports your thoughts on where the weed comes from. In the last couple of days the weed seems to be dispersing a little, especially up the river however it still is hanging around in the lower parts. The deeper water with the main flow seems to have the most and as such (taking in your advice) I have searched for other areas to fish out of the main channel. This has worked well as the weed is less of a problem in the areas with less flow and out of the main channel. Also has pushed me out of my comfort zone and into other areas too which i thought would never produce any fish. How wrong I was!!

Cheers for your help mate.

Charmo

[paulcha11]

charmo, are you fishing inside or outside? Outside the green slime comes from the cold water, yes it is a form of algae and generally occurs when the water is turning over, with a cold current. Yes it affects the fishing, fish tend to slow down in it. With the warmer currents the water turns over to the blue and the algae goes. The water maybe 21deg on top but the lower current is cold between 12-15deg.

Fishing inside mate but your probably right with the cold water moving into the warmer. I'm guessing the water temp is also turning over slowly inside and as such may be just a transitional period. I'll keep you updated.

Cheers mate.

Charmo

[bluefin]

If it is the same weed that was coming into the lake with the tide last week it is red weed, a pain to fish with and was covering our beach worms and the fish would not eat them. We were catching Whiting on the flats just north of green point.Mainly trumpeter but the odd sand thrown in. watch your size with the sandies !!!!

Howard!

[Hammer n tongs]

I'm at Ulladulla at the moment, here for the week, took the boat offshore for a couple of hours this morning, found the schools of bait and kings under, at the kinge grounds, but due to water being green, with specles of snot like algae, we could not get them to take the jig, this always happens when the algae is in the water, I believe it's a combination of water temp, and the stuff getting in the gills, either way it's not great.

Going again tommorrow morning, using a different approach, will use livies and see how it goes in the same spot, if that does not work, we will probably move to deeper waters.