spead copper sulfate on the ramps.
Buy a container of copper sulfate and Rural King or Tractor Supply and spread a few cups on the ramp twice a month. Start in early spring before the algae gets growing and you will get much better results and use less copper sulfate. This will kill the algae and it will only be in a small localized area by the ramp and not really harm the rest of the lake water. A few snails may perish near the ramp as they are highly susceptible to copper poisoning. But the area will have other snails move into the area around the ramp.
If you see blue residue on the ramp that's because someone spread a few CUPS of copper sulfate crystals on the edge of the ramp trying to help prevent people from falling on the slick ramp near the water's edge and to help prevent trucks from sliding down the ramp into the water and creating a major problem trying to get their boat trailer axle back out of the hole at the end of the concrete on the ramps without breaking axles and damaging boat trailers and tires.
I predict that the ramps out as Bluegrass will became as bad as the concrete ramp at Lynville Park if someone doesn't kill the algae on the ramps each year.
The more phosphorous in the water the more eutrophication. The lakes at Bluegrass have Algae floating on the surface all around the lake at the edge. This algae can extent out from the bank for 15 ft or so. Give or take a few feet. This makes it hard to fish from the bank without getting the algae on your baits as you bring the baits back to the shoreline. But it's providing cover for the fish from predators and the sunlight. Bluegrass Pit must have a lot of phosphorous in the soil/water as it has a lot of this algae growing on the surface of the lake. Nitrogen, phosphate and potassium are key nutrients that are needed for plants to grow. But potassium and phosphate are normally all tied up in the plant growth and not free in the water. The IDNR does not have the funding from the State to properly maintain these areas of water. With more funding they could do a much better job. They could build fishing piers off the bank out into the water. They could build floating mooring docks near the ramps. They could treat the water more often to control the excessive Algae growth to help provide better access to the fish from the banks. They do a good job with what money they have. But it seems to me that much more of the IDNR's money is spent up North of us than down here. We are at the end of the spending podium. I'm not sure how the IDNR determine where the money is spent in different portions of the state. Maybe by population of the areas and or number of fishing and hunting license bought in different areas of the State. I would think that those two things would follow each other. More people in an area should equate to more licenses purchased for hunting and fishing. But that could be skewed in areas that are more urban in nature.
I'm going to the Dr. At Tri State Orthopaedics to get treatment for a back injury that happened back around 2010. The water level at Bluegrass was so low that my trailer tires went off the end of the ramp into a hole in the lake bottom at the end of the ramp. I broke the trailer axle pulling the boat/trailer out. I made it to Boonville New Harmony Rd and CR 1050W/St John's Rd. before two guys flagged me down. My trailer wheels were tilted in at the top due to the broken axle in the middle of the axle. I had to pick the boat up off the trailer in order to fix the axle and get the boat back home that night. I compressed a back vertebrae and was in severe pain that night and the next day. I've been taking medicine for the pain which radiates into the front of my left thigh. The pain can be disabling at times. The Dr has increased the dosage of my Gabapentin and added a muscle relaxer pill to my routine. Both these pills make me sleepy and by noon I'm ready for a three hour nap. I'm going to physical therapy soon to see if some exercises can help alleviate the back pain. Like I said this has been going on since around 2010. My family Dr. finally sent me to the back specialist at Tri State Ortho. I hope that Dr. Ante can help me relieve the pain in my back. And all this was due to the low water levels, the hole at the end of the ramp and the increased growth of algae on the ramp due to the high nutrient levels in the Pit at Bluegrass. The up side is that with the high nutrient levels the Large Mouth bass have plenty to eat (helps the food chain) and grow to trophy levels. And Bluegrass Pit is being managed for producing Trophy LM bass. As per remarks from Fishery Biologist Dan Carnahan. Dan has moved up in the IDNR hierarchy and his under studies are now managing the lake. It was Dan and his bosses that decided to stock the Muskie in Bluegrass and Loon Pits. Evidently that didn't hurt the fish as far as I can tell.
[QUOTE=Dennis Houseman;562716]Last year I launched boat by myself. Fell on trailer while untying rope from trailer. Bruised knee badly. Slime is bad. So I was being very careful when loading boat up to leave. Fell again. Twisted ankle. I didn't go back last year. But the times visiting the park and fishing there.Have caught several big fish there.[/QUOTE]
