Weird Cloudiness In The Lake 2025
bassin' 4 life reply :
So I went out on the lake today, and as I pulled the boat out, I looked down and saw this weird green/brown cloud just under the surface. I then proceeded to find that the whole east side of the lake had it. It's not consistent and some is darker some thicker, but it literally covered half the lake. It really just looked like the whole bottom of the lake had come up. 
Anybody know anything? I have never seen or heard of it before. By the way, the lake has about 1 mile of shore line, so it's not very big.
Hyrule Bass reply :
where are you from? is it pollin already? is there construction near by thats possibly causing dirt to drift over into the water? was there an algae bloom?
Fishing Rhino reply :
Where are you? Has it rained? Is there any construction on that side of the pond. How deep is it?
There are some waters around here where decomposition gasses get trapped in or beneath bottom layers of, for lack of a better word, gunk. But that happens later in the summer when water temps peak. In the fall, the gunk settles back to the bottom.
Some of it will rise to the surface and some will suspend below the surface being tethered by whatever, that only lets it rise so far.
We refer to it as "undulating bottom".
TrippyJai reply :
It's probably an algae blooms, either that or they sprayed chemicals or done something to kill off all the weed.
BrianinMD reply :
Spring lake turnover?
bassin' 4 life reply :
Western Washington state. There are no inlets, and no construction nearby. It is not chemicals. It has been raining and the stuff is suspended under the surface over 3 feet to 40 feet of water. the lake is only 50 deep. Pollen we get a LOT of pollen here and I have never seen this before. I don't know anything about algae blooms, but it's possible.
bassin' 4 life reply :
The water also seems warmer than normal.
Penguino reply :
Have you noticed any fish lying belly up in the water? If so, then it probably is a red algae bloom AKA fishkill.
bassin' 4 life reply :
Have not seen any dead fish. I went out yesterday and this stuff was not there, so I don't know how fast it kills fish...?
Penguino reply :
On 3/21/2015 at 7:58 AM, bassin said:Have not seen any dead fish. I went out yesterday and this stuff was not there, so I don't know how fast it kills fish...?
If its gone after a day, then it probably isn't algae. Probably just some muck that got turned over from the bottom by carp.
Fishing Rhino reply :
What about wind direction? Has it been blowing toward the affected side?
bassin' 4 life reply :
There are no carp in the lake. And like I said, it is HALF the lake. Yes I think the wind has been blowing that way.
fishballer06 reply :
I would guess spring turnover
J Francho reply :
It sounds like a algae bloom.
RanndomUndead reply :
If it was green, Its algae more than likely. If its yellowish/green, its pollen.
Really your only 2 culprits
bassin' 4 life reply :
Yup it's algae. Cool, I've never seen that before. it was weird though.
Hyrule Bass reply :
On 3/21/2015 at 7:48 AM, Penguino said:Have you noticed any fish lying belly up in the water? If so, then it probably is a red algae bloom AKA fishkill.
an algae bloom does not always equal a fish kill. fish kills from algae bloom usually only happens in bodies of water with low oxygen levels, as the algae bloom depletes the oxygen in the water even further...
Penguino reply :
On 3/22/2015 at 9:56 PM, Red Earth said:an algae bloom does not always equal a fish kill. fish kills from algae bloom usually only happens in bodies of water with low oxygen levels, as the algae bloom depletes the oxygen in the water even further...
Ummm.... no offense but your wrong. Red Algae blooms don't only deplete oxygen. Blue and other types do, and may be beneficial to the lake. But red algae blooms are a total different beast.
"Red tide algae make potent natural toxins. It is unknown why these toxins are created, but some can be hazardous to larger organisms throught the processes of biomagnification and bioaccumulation. Grazers such as fish and krill are unaffected by the toxins, so as they eat the algae the toxins are concentrated and accumulate to a level that is poisonous eat to organisms that feed on them. Large fish kills and several mammalian diseases and deaths have been attributed to consumption of shellfish during red tide algal blooms."
This quote isn't mine, but what I am trying to show is that red algae blooms not only decrease oxygen, but also essentially "poison" the fish. So most of the time, in big concentrations like the OP mentioned, a red algae bloom usually amounts to a fishkill. But after thinking about it, due to their being no fish killed, the algae the OP saw was probably blue or some other type.
RoLo reply :
On 3/21/2015 at 6:52 AM, BrianinMD said:Spring lake turnover?
In lakes that stratify, the fall-turnover is a major event that impacts the entire waterbody.
When the fall-turnover is complete the water at all depths has the same temperature and density (homogenous).
In contrast, the spring-turnover is a benign event that only involves a skinny layer of water
between 32 degrees (melting ice) and 39 degrees (heaviest water).
Roger
Todd2 reply :
You learn something new everyday...never had heard of a spring turnover.
Bankbeater reply :
Have you contacted the state.conservation dept.? Something like this may interest them.
Hyrule Bass reply :
On 3/22/2015 at 10:40 PM, Penguino said:Ummm.... no offense but your wrong. Red Algae blooms don't only deplete oxygen. Blue and other types do, and may be beneficial to the lake. But red algae blooms are a total different beast.
"Red tide algae make potent natural toxins. It is unknown why these toxins are created, but some can be hazardous to larger organisms throught the processes of biomagnification and bioaccumulation. Grazers such as fish and krill are unaffected by the toxins, so as they eat the algae the toxins are concentrated and accumulate to a level that is poisonous eat to organisms that feed on them. Large fish kills and several mammalian diseases and deaths have been attributed to consumption of shellfish during red tide algal blooms."
This quote isn't mine, but what I am trying to show is that red algae blooms not only decrease oxygen, but also essentially "poison" the fish. So most of the time, in big concentrations like the OP mentioned, a red algae bloom usually amounts to a fishkill. But after thinking about it, due to their being no fish killed, the algae the OP saw was probably blue or some other type.
im speaking of algae blooms in general and in relation to the original post, plus the OP mentioned nothing of dead fish. you cant just assume it was a "red" algae bloom as you have...
Penguino reply :
On 3/23/2015 at 6:31 AM, Red Earth said:im speaking of algae blooms in general and in relation to the original post, plus the OP mentioned nothing of dead fish. you cant just assume it was a "red" algae bloom as you have...
Now I'm getting annoyed. Let it be known that "Red Earth" was the original perpetrator who challenged the words I said. I never wanted to start this debate over my diction.
I never said that it was 100% a red algae bloom. I only said that if there was a fishkill, then there would probably be a red algae bloom. Immediately after the OP stated that there wasn't a fishkill, I concurred and said " then it probably isn't algae". So I don't get how I explicity said " it was a "red" algae bloom". LOL
Life Lesson Read all the posts in the thread before you start critizing and contradicting others.
Hyrule Bass reply :
On 3/23/2015 at 8:57 AM, Penguino said:Now I'm getting annoyed. Let it be known that "Red Earth" was the original perpetrator who challenged the words I said. I never wanted to start this debate over my diction.
I never said that it was 100% a red algae bloom. I only said that if there was a fishkill, then there would probably be a red algae bloom. Immediately after the OP stated that there wasn't a fishkill, I concurred and said " then it probably isn't algae". So I don't get how I explicity said " it was a "red" algae bloom". LOL
Life Lesson Read all the posts in the thread before you start critizing and contradicting others.
dude, you went on to give a history/biology lesson of red algae blooms. you brung it up specifically, not me. you felt the need to call me wrong on a post that was not wrong, and then took it off on this whole tangent. but if you feel the need to "win" and point fingers in a discussion that you seem to be taking as an argument and getting all butt hurt over and taking personal then go ahead kiddo, you win its all yours ring the bell and drop the ticker tape confetti, im not going to argue all day with 13 year olds. if youre going to take it personal and go on a tirade everytime someone responds to one your posts and it dont mesh with your post then you got a lot to learn about message boards and life in general.
J Francho reply :
Stay on topic!
bassin' 4 life reply :
On 3/23/2015 at 4:43 AM, Bankbeater said:Have you contacted the state.conservation dept.? Something like this may interest them.
No, I never thought of that.
WRB reply :
If the lake freezes over and after ice has cleared a turnover is common, however you can smell a turnover and the bottom debris is usually chucks of floating decayed junk.
What you may have experienced is phytoplankton or zooplankton rising toward the surface. Algae usually turns into pea size lumps and floats on the surface after a few days.
Tom
Paul Roberts reply :
Algal blooms can be "natural" although nowadays they are often augmented by fertilizing nutrients flushed in from agricultural or urbanized landscapes. Excessive blooms are often a sign of nutrient pollution. Algae tends to produce oxygen, being photosynthetic, but, too much of it can end up using up precious oxygen after it dies (tends to be short-lived) when oxygen-using bacteria populations develop to decompose the dead bloom.
Here's an image of algal bloom along with it's cause: bird droppings on a popular roosting beach for geese and gulls.
WRB reply :
Nice photo of green algae bloom. Some types of algea can be deadly, golden algea for example wiped out Mission Viejo lake last year, a trophy bass lake that a lot of folks thought would produce a world record bass.
Tom
bassin' 4 life reply :
It usually freezes over, but it did not this year, spring turnover happened last month, and I definitely have not seen any pee sized lumps. I do not have an overhead image of what was in my lake, but I would guess it looked similar to the above picture, just more brown. Maybe.
Paul Roberts reply :
On 3/26/2015 at 2:12 AM, WRB said:Nice photo of green algae bloom. Some types of algea can be deadly, golden algea for example wiped out Mission Viejo lake last year, a trophy bass lake that a lot of folks thought would produce a world record bass.
Tom
That is a satellite image of Lake Ronkonkoma on Long Island NY I happened upon when looking into that lake for a BR member. Over-nutrification and excessive algal blooms have played a detrimental role in the recent history of that fishery, which is now in process of bouncing back with better water clarity and healthier vegetation.
On 3/26/2015 at 5:22 AM, bassin said:It usually freezes over, but it did not this year, spring turnover happened last month, and I definitely have not seen any pee sized lumps. I do not have an overhead image of what was in my lake, but I would guess it looked similar to the above picture, just more brown. Maybe.
"More brown", and time of year, sounds like a diatom bloom -a colder water algae.
Here's an image of a diatom bloom:
photo by Simon Mitrovic
bassin' 4 life reply :
Hmmm, Yeah that looks about right.
Paul Roberts reply :
Moderate algae blooms are natural and kick off the food chain.
hawgenvy reply :
If you see it again, collect some in a jar and see if you can get someone in a lab to put it on a slide and look at it under a micrscope. Perhaps at a university biology dept or a goverment agency, or if you know a doctor or lab worker. Algae, diatoms, and suspended silt should each look very different.
BTW, if you've ever looked at a random sample of water from a pond (microscopically) it's pretty amazing, especially if you collect water ajacent to some weeds. Water fleas, cyclops, hydrae and all kinds of bizare creatures -- stuff at the bottom of the food chain that bass fry eat so they can eventually grow big and fat.
bassin' 4 life reply :
Cool, thanks.
WRB reply :
Paul's chart clearly show you what was going on, phytoplankton (diatoms) raising towards the surface mid day, brownish olive drab coloration. Green algae blooms look similar, bright green color and tend to stay on the surface as shown in the photo Paul posted.
Thank you Paul for taking the time to post the photo and chart answering this question, very informatitive.
Tom
J Francho reply :
Diatoms and phytoplankton are algae.
bassin' 4 life reply :
Okay, sorry, it isn't gone, I walked around the lake today and from the other side on a hill I could see lots of it all over the lake. It is not bright green, it is definitely olive drab/brown. Thank you for info.
WRB reply :
On 3/27/2015 at 1:22 AM, J Francho said:Diatoms and phytoplankton are algae.
Phytoplankton is a type of algea that Threadfin Shad feed on, the reason I can identify it by color looking at it for decades.
Tom
Hyrule Bass reply :
On 3/27/2015 at 10:34 AM, bassin said:Okay, sorry, it isn't gone, I walked around the lake today and from the other side on a hill I could see lots of it all over the lake. It is not bright green, it is definitely olive drab/brown. Thank you for info.
and you still didnt take a picture to show us? couldve confirmed your thoughts possibly anyways....
bassin' 4 life reply :
I didn't have a camera, I tried to get some pics today though, but due to wind I could not get any pictures of it. I'll post the best pic later.
bassin' 4 life reply :
Closeups showed absolutely nothing, but to me it looked like tiny hairs with tiny gel cluster things under it that I could not focus on. Sounds weird, but that's the best I can explain it.
bassin' 4 life reply :
The stuff is hard to take pictures of. 
Penguino reply :
On 3/28/2015 at 8:38 AM, bassin said:Closeups showed absolutely nothing, but to me it looked like tiny hairs with tiny gel cluster things under it that I could not focus on. Sounds weird, but that's the best I can explain it.
That lake looks absolutely gorgeous. Are you still catching fish out of it though?
bassin' 4 life reply :
Yes it is. I've seen a couple jumping, have not been able to get out lately though, but once the water warms up the fishing is very good.
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