Conference wahoo::fishing-v2

    	Best bet would be to just call the Fish and Game. I doubt anyone in
    here could comment without knowing what they used to de-weed with.
    
    	While you have them on the phone, you may want to ask what effect
    (if any) it will have on eating the fish, if you plan on eating any.
    
    	I can't speak about what they may have used to de-weed, but I have
    heard of garden chemicals that break down/de-toxify after a certain
    period of time. I wouldn't be suprised to hear it was something like 
    that.
    
    	RAYJ

    
    ,,,yea right,,,,just like magic,,toxic one minute,,,drink it the next.
    I DON'T BELIEVE IT !!!!
    
    ....and I'm sure the Fish & Game won't make up lies either. Just 1 more
    thing to rediscover down the road sometime,,,WARNING !!! CAUSES CANCER!
    
                                            -Steve
    
    Sorry but I hate Chemicals (and liers)
    

    Three questions:
    
    What were the "weeds?"
    
    What company applied the herbicide?
    
    What's the name of the pond, and where is it?
    
    Chances are pretty good that the herbicide was Sonar, which is a
    systemic herbicide that does in every vascular plant in the pond. It is
    only used in severe infestations where the native plants have been
    completely replaced by invasive exotics. It takes about three months to
    really work. (This observation differs from the promotional literature,
    as do a few others about the effects of Sonar.)
    
    The results of herbicide treatment are pretty well known, and the most
    common one is a real decrease in the number of fish you'll catch. The
    reason for this is that all of the small fish lose their cover, and all
    the big fish eat them, so the big fish aren't as hungry as they used to
    be. Also, without cover areas to hang out in while waiting for a meal
    to swim by, the large fish roam all over the pond, removing the
    usefulness of having learned "where the big ones hang out."
    
    FWIW
    
    John H-C

  About 5 years ago they used a chemical to de-weed the lake where I have a
small cottage in Thompson, CT.  Similar to your note, we were told to not swim
for 3 days, and to not drink the water (many cottages use the lake for running
water) for 7 days. Regarding the fishing, the bass seemed to get dis-oriented
(or maybe I was the one dis-oriented) in that I could not find the bass for
about 2 months. It was like having to learn the lake all over again. I saw
other people catching large bass, but it took a long time for me to adjust to
the new structure (or lack thereof).  Now the weeds are back, though still
considerably less dense than when the chemical was added) and so is my ability
to locate the fish. 

   I don't believe the chemical killed off any fish as I did not see any washed
up on the shore or floating around, but it sure upset the patterns. As I recall
they applied the chemical in mid-June 

Good luck

    Ok, Butch, I went back and read your basenote and saw the pond name and
    place. This led me to guess which contractor applied the herbicide,
    andd it turns out I was right.
    
    The contractor was Aquatic Control Technology (ACT) out of Northboro.
    
    They applied Reward, which is a contact herbicide that shuts down the
    photosynthesis in the plants it touches. 
    
    The 24-hour restriction on water usage is mandated by the EPA, and ACT
    adds an additional day of posted restriction for the prestige of being
    more cautious than the EPA.
    
    You had a severe infestation of Curly Leaf Pondweed and a lesser
    infestation of Eurasian Water Milfoil in various small areas of the
    pond, which is why a "spot kill" contact herbicide was used rather than
    a systemic herbicide such as Sonar.
    
    The benefit to limiting the activities on/in the water for 48 hours is
    that it reduces disruption of the water column and gives the herbicide
    a chance to settle onto the leaves of the offending vegetation.
    
    This should not have any affect on the bass building nests and mating,
    though it will definitely rearrange the fish distribution throughout
    the pond until the vegetation returns.
    
    FWIW
    
    John H-C 

    Wow. Didn't expect an explanation like that. Thanks John and all who
    replied. Makes me feel a lot better, but I can't see how that could be
    harmless to all fish, besides taking away their hiding places. Before
    they started killing the weeds, we used to run out of 3-4doz. shiners
    before 10:00am and now, that'll last you a weekend. Who knows...
    
    					Butch

<    harmless to all fish, besides taking away their hiding places. Before
<    they started killing the weeds, we used to run out of 3-4doz. shiners
<    before 10:00am and now, that'll last you a weekend. Who knows...
    
   From my experience see a couple replies back and JohnHC's previous reply
I'd say you just ain't lookin' in the right place yet.  You gotta start looking
for other structure, other ambush points where the bass will hide out.
Remember the weeds were also cover for the baitfish. If you can find the
baitfish, the bass shouldn't be too far away...

Good luck...  The fish are still there. It's just hide and seek time again.

Al

    	I was talking about ice fishing with the shiners a few back, we
    usually set up over some permanent structure on the hard water. There's
    a long spring and summer ahead to find em', makes it more interesting. 
    Time will tell, thanks again...
    
    					Butch

    Butch --
    
    I got a followup call from the president of ACT this morning. It turns
    out the town didn't have enough money for a complete treatment, so only
    high-use areas got treated. There are therefore a lot of areas that
    retain their vegetation despite the treatment.
    
    I guess you'll find find the fish have migrated to the areas away from
    the boat ramp(s) and beach(es).
    
    John H-C