i have fished clymer a few times over the years and you are correct . the snot grass does get bad this time of year. it used to be near impossible to even get to, before the trees were all cleared out. and the ruts in the road are getting very deep. i wonder if anything is done about the slim if then it hurts the fish population?

This lake will soon be impossible to fish without help. You can get to it in 2WD right now with no rain and it could be great, but the grass is incredibly out of control. There are many types of vegetation for the fish to hide in and seek refuge in without the snot grass. Grass carps would do wonders for this lake. With the mild winter, this will probably be a problem at many lakes without a vegetation control program. I know Mewbourne has struggled with this exact issue as well and will be a very tough fish this summer. Both have HUGE potential. 

Phillip and Jon,

We have addressed the vegetation issues with the landowner and we agree the vegetation makes it difficult to fish. Grass Carp are a possible remedy. It would require about $3000 worth of grass carp and it will take about 18 months before the fruits of their labor will be felt. Not sure what the outcome will be.

i dont know how i feel about the grass carp thing, only because i have seen great fishing lakes go bad once they loose the grass. i know personally 2 great small fishing lakes when i was younger that had alot of grass and hydrilla, so they added grass carp and man they ate everthing and the owners ended up with barren waters that now stay muddy all the time, and have silted in. i have confidence steve knows a way to lessen the slim without totally destroying the good hydrilla. steve, what is it that causes that suspended snot grass ? some places get it and others dont

Thanks Steve, and thank you for this club, it is truly a blessing. Clymer lake is the closest lake in the club to me, and I wish it was in better shape. I am very passionate about fishing, and as I get busier and have less time to fish, having a lake close would be great. I don’t own Clymer and all I can do is share my opinion and feedback and hope the owner takes notice. I see HUGE potential in that lake and want to do anything I can to help that lake be the best it can be. 

Grass carp are only a tool. Used incorrectly, they can have no or negative effects. If you stock to few you are wasting your money. If you stock small carp they can be eaten by bass or catfish. If you stock too many they can wipe out all the grass in the lake, which can have negative effects. The key is balance and the goals of the owners. In my opinion, having grass in 15 to 20% of the lake is ideal. The challenge is how to achieve this and the associated costs. Chemical vegetation control can be effective and costs run between $200 and $500 an acre and last for one year. Next year the vegetation will be back. Grass Carp when stocked in the right amount can be a great and relatively cost effective way of managing vegetation. Grass Carp cost $13 to $15 each plus a $2 permit fee and the state of Texas must approve the use of them through a permitting process. There are some things a landowner must do to meet these requirements. You can apply as many as 10 per acre. However, in most cases 4 to 6 per acre will achieve desired results unless the lake is more than 50% covered in vegetation. Grass carp do not eat all vegetation. In fact they have their favorites. Some vegetation is like a NY strip while other plants taste like dog dodo. So, they start with the NY strip and move down the order of preference. In the case of Leonard Clymer which is badly choked I would start with 7 per acre, wait a year and add 20 every year until we see some reduction. It is not a quick fix and will take years. The primary plant in Leonard Clymer Lake is coontail moss not hydrilla. Hydrilla is a commonly used term for all sorts of vegetation like, coontail, milfoil and elodea. Most of our lakes have coontail moss. Grass carp will not eat the green slime which is called filamentous algea.

Clymer lake takes “snot grass” to a new level. They have something I haven’t seen on a club lake before. It looks like floating vomit and diarrhea mixed together. Brown, orange, reds, etc. floating on top. Like “snot grass” that has rotted. Just a heads up. 

i fished the lake a few weeks ago and forgot to post. yes the lake has changed a bit. but we still caught about 16 fish all above the 2 lb range. and one 5.5 lbs. but it was hard fishing with anything but weedless.
David R Irving