UPDATE: This could be coming to your state soon

[skipper123]

Just read this post for the first time and see a lot of conflict that looks like it could be resolved with some fish. TexasLoneStar56
said the grass carp would eat the hydrilla grass and I know they do I have them in my pond. They also eat a lot of other evasive weeds to keep a body of water clean. The goberment can post all the signs they want and charge road tax water tax and trailer tax but it want stop the weeds from taking over. The grass carp on the other hand will and we need them in every body of water that has evasive weeds taking over. I never thought I would see the deep clear waters of Clarks Hill lake on the border of SC and GA have hydrilla but noticed just last year that crap blocking off whole coves from the lake. Its getting really bad. If the goberment would spend that tax on grass carp I'm all for it. I guess this would be a good reason to form or join a fishing club to get together and purchase grass carp to put in the body of waters we fish. Making sure it was ok with DNR of course. From what I understand this mess came from South America first showed up in south Florida and keeps moving north. I have watched it migrate over the last twenty years from the lower part of SC to now the piedmont or middle part of the state. I think the grass carp is the only way to get rid of it and keep it under control. The bow fishermen including myself need not be shooting the carp. We have a plenty gar to shoot at they as will as turtles and water turkeys are out of control as well. Anybody kin to Trump, he knows how to get things done and in a hurry.

 

[Johnny]

that is correct - some states, such as Florida has imported
grass eating fish such as talapia, carp, and and is currently
experimenting with a sturgeon type that can not reproduce.

the Jumping Asian Carp is one example of how an experiment
can go very, very wrong - very, very quickly.
the snakehead is another example.............

 

[KMixson]

A year or two ago I heard they were doing a study by releasing pythons into the Savannah River site to see if they could breed this far north. If not, no big deal. But what if they find that they can breed this far north and all of a sudden have an explosion of pythons that they were responsible for? Then what? Some of these studies are an idiotic attempt at research. You have to have some common sense. By the way, I do not know how the study turned out.

 

[Johnny]

The big pythons that are being killed in the Everglades this season
are averaging 10-15 feet and the females have an average of 80 to 105
eggs in their belly.....
can you imagine one snake producing a hundred offspring every year ?????
and Darwin proved that animals can adapt to-and live in- just about any environment.
and the iguanas are running rampant in the Florida Keys.
whew - the list is never going to end.

 

[LDUBS]

I just learned today that a number of counties in California have implemented a real time tracking system for boats. What little I know is that once the CF (registration) number is entered then information is provided about where the boat has been and whether there were any previous mussel inspection problems. So if your boat has recently been in a hazardous area or failed to pass an invasive species inspection, you can expect someone will be taking a hard look before they let you launch. On the positive side, if your boat passes inspection a band will be placed between the bow eye and trailer. You can enter any participating lake without any inspection as long as you have the the band.

After seeing what a quagga/zebra mussel infestation does to a lake, I don't really have a problem with this approach.

 

[Hunt2871]

The Pacific Northwest is dead serious about this. At least the three coastal states as well as Idaho, Utah, Montana and Wyoming. I trailered my boat from New Mexico to Washington about 4 years ago and crossed into Wyoming from Colorado and was stopped at the state line. They asked where the boat had been last and where it was headed and did a quick examination of it and gave me a piece of paper saying it had passed inspection. Didn't cost anything. There was another boat already stopped when I stopped and they were pressure washing the hull, free of charge. I then crossed into Utah and the same thing happened and then again in Oregon and Washington. Happened every time I went from Washington to Oregon and Idaho and back again and also from Idaho to Montana and Wyoming. I have a buddy who lives on the border between Idaho and Wyoming and he is retired and fishes about 180 days a year out of a sizeable jet boat with a cabin on it and LOADS of live wells and lockers which could hold water....it takes them a LONG time to inspect that boat but they do it most days....all the while him giving them what for for wasting his time LOL. I have had this happen on Christmas morning at 3 AM entering Oregon from Washington....as far as I know they are there 24-7, 365. Not a big deal but it can take a minute if its a holiday or a nice day in the summer. Usually not too bad for fisherman and duck hunters at the early morning hours but still a little aggravating.

This and a myriad of other reasons lead me to go home to the SE. We may have hydrilla and mussell problems but you can at least travel a sizeable area without the man inspecting your boat. Florida will be the first in the region to start this foolishness and it won't help matters in the least because it just ain't possible to inspect every boat on I-10, 75 and 95.

 

[Hunt2871]

Just read this post for the first time and see a lot of conflict that looks like it could be resolved with some fish. TexasLoneStar56
said the grass carp would eat the hydrilla grass and I know they do I have them in my pond. They also eat a lot of other evasive weeds to keep a body of water clean. The goberment can post all the signs they want and charge road tax water tax and trailer tax but it want stop the weeds from taking over. The grass carp on the other hand will and we need them in every body of water that has evasive weeds taking over. I never thought I would see the deep clear waters of Clarks Hill lake on the border of SC and GA have hydrilla but noticed just last year that crap blocking off whole coves from the lake. Its getting really bad. If the goberment would spend that tax on grass carp I'm all for it. I guess this would be a good reason to form or join a fishing club to get together and purchase grass carp to put in the body of waters we fish. Making sure it was ok with DNR of course. From what I understand this mess came from South America first showed up in south Florida and keeps moving north. I have watched it migrate over the last twenty years from the lower part of SC to now the piedmont or middle part of the state. I think the grass carp is the only way to get rid of it and keep it under control. The bow fishermen including myself need not be shooting the carp. We have a plenty gar to shoot at they as will as turtles and water turkeys are out of control as well. Anybody kin to Trump, he knows how to get things done and in a hurry.

The hydrilla problem at Clarks Hill is a testament to what to do about that particular invasive species....it had just about taken over the entire lake....and then someone had the bright idea not to drop the lake 20-30 feet in the winter and lo and behold it stopped being a problem. There is almost none of it in 2022....and may be completely gone. I know I can't find it. It has devastated the duck hunting but its for the best over all. Clarkhill is now designated a recreation asset instead of a hydro power and flood control asset and as such the lake does not have to be practically drained every winter. This past spring during the entire crappie/bass/bream spawn the water was anywhere from 1 foot to 6 feet above full pool.....providing PLENTY of new places to spawn and making it really hard to find and catch fish LOL. Its going to be a boom spawn by next March.

There are 2 other invasive species on the hill though which are going to be a problem sooner than later.....blue back herring and spotted bass. The former are thicker than cord wood and the latter have just about eliminated the largemouth population.

 

[LDUBS]

The Pacific Northwest is dead serious about this. At least the three coastal states as well as Idaho, Utah, Montana and Wyoming. I trailered my boat from New Mexico to Washington about 4 years ago and crossed into Wyoming from Colorado and was stopped at the state line. They asked where the boat had been last and where it was headed and did a quick examination of it and gave me a piece of paper saying it had passed inspection. Didn't cost anything. There was another boat already stopped when I stopped and they were pressure washing the hull, free of charge. I then crossed into Utah and the same thing happened and then again in Oregon and Washington. Happened every time I went from Washington to Oregon and Idaho and back again and also from Idaho to Montana and Wyoming. I have a buddy who lives on the border between Idaho and Wyoming and he is retired and fishes about 180 days a year out of a sizeable jet boat with a cabin on it and LOADS of live wells and lockers which could hold water....it takes them a LONG time to inspect that boat but they do it most days....all the while him giving them what for for wasting his time LOL. I have had this happen on Christmas morning at 3 AM entering Oregon from Washington....as far as I know they are there 24-7, 365. Not a big deal but it can take a minute if its a holiday or a nice day in the summer. Usually not too bad for fisherman and duck hunters at the early morning hours but still a little aggravating.

This and a myriad of other reasons lead me to go home to the SE. We may have hydrilla and mussell problems but you can at least travel a sizeable area without the man inspecting your boat. Florida will be the first in the region to start this foolishness and it won't help matters in the least because it just ain't possible to inspect every boat on I-10, 75 and 95.

Sadly, my experience over the last couple years is that the mussel inspections have pretty much turned into a rubber stamp. Guys ask for the CF number and complete the form without even looking at the boat. I hope we don't get this infestation in our lakes.