Invasive Weed a Growing Problem

 

The entire back end of this pond is
covered in milfoil weed.  Just a few
years ago there was none in this 
location.

Many of the carp waters of RI are plagued by invasive weed.  This is not a new problem, but it has gotten really bad this year.  Many of these waters are being choked by this weed, and it makes fishing in a lot of good places near impossible during the summer and early fall.

MILFOIL- This weed is particularly bad in the Blackstone River system in RI and MA.  Any waters that come off the Blackstone have big amounts of it, and it is spreading rapidly. Some places are unfishable because of it.  This is a slimy green weed that has these long root-like vines coming off it. The green slime clings to your line, and you'll be picking at it forever if you have a fish that has run through it. The roots will grab onto your line like clinging vines and can get so bad that you have to break off.

WATER CHESTNUT- This is some of the nastiest stuff I have even seen.  It is widespread in the Ten Mile River system that runs from MA through RI.  It originates from a seed that is black with sharp spikes on it.  The spikes cling to the bottom and a vine-like weed grows.  These vines and be 7,8 and even 9 feet long.  The end of the vines develop leaves which cover the surface.  It is a rapidly growing weed.  I have seen some ponds that have this so bad you can't even see the water.  It looks like you are looking out on a golf course. In one particularly lake, I saw the DEM with a fleet of kayaks and canoes out onto the lake pulling it up last year.  This year it came back as bad as ever. Many of the waters that it's affecting are  unfishable.

These are the invasive week I know about.  I'm sure there are more.  We will have this stuff around until late fall and early winter when the cold water tends to destroy some of it.

You have to really look, but there is a carp in this photo.
Getting a carp to the shore through the milfoil weed
can be a big problem as the weed clings to anything
it comes in contact with like this fish and my line.