Green Algae
Hi Guys,
New to the forum and new to the U.
I have a question on fishing around green algae. Buddy and I were out on a local lake this past weekend, and up in the shallows, we noticed everything covered in a green algae. The stuff that just clings to your baits and just doesn't want to come off. We were forced to keep our baits towards the top of the water column. Water temps were 62-63 degrees. We were expecting bass up shallow to spawn. But, I just don't see how they could with this green algae covering everything. Outside of the algae, the water was gin clear. The algae was significantly less as you went out deeper, past about 7 ft of water.
Is it possible, due to the vast amount of algae up shallow, that the bass move a bit deeper to spawn? Between that 7-10 ft of water?
How do you go about fishing in green algae, without gummin' up your baits every cast?
In clear water, the light penetration should certainly be sufficient for bass to spawn well into the 7ft+ range. I would still expect to find them in a "protected area", where they are less susceptible to the elements. I used to work with an Elite Series Pro from SC who said he believed on Lake Wylie and Norman there were largemouth that could stay in the same area of 10ft or so depth all year, as long as that area provided everything the bass needed, food-wise. Now, if you happen to have striped bass, I wouldn't expect them to spawn in less than 7ft of water.
I fish around green and black algae all the time. Very difficult to manage. The bass seem to like it. In the spring time, these areas can warm much quicker and I've seen the bass use these areas to spawn. They will clear out the algae and make beds.
Lures that work best are texas rigs and weightless senkos. Even these weedless lures get algae on almost every cast. It takes some time for anglers to pick this stuff off, but bass won't bite lures with algae on them. Spinnerbaits can be good too.
