# Indian Lake Water Clarity



## WLAngler (Aug 29, 2010)

I've never seen Indian Lake so clear. There's sections so clear, you can actually see the bottom. Not sure if these snails are what I've seen from fishing from the bank. See link below. I caught a few and maybe that's why the water is clearing up?? Are they filtering it?

https://www.lakestewardsofmaine.org...sZeo-exWRzIA_i3xvo3_pW_UaKe8aQSpAgNy0ea6irpzs


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## Cobe24 (Sep 14, 2007)

I think there may be a few factors at play. I believe some are certain and some are possibilities. 

First the certainties: 1) Over the last month, we have had very few soaking rains as compared to a normal late April-early May. Local lakes and rivers other than Indian are abnormally low and clear for early May. 2) The water temps have been so cold that very few algae blooms have occurred to give the water the normal green tint. 

Now the possibilities: 3) The warm winter didn't kill off the weeds as heavily as normal and they are just thriving due to the clear water and sunlight reaching the bottom. I think the weeds also may filter some water and help it clear faster. 4) The major game changer: zebra mussels. They cleared up Lake Erie and have led to a number of changes in a lake that size. Just think what they could do to a smaller lake like Indian. I am not totally convinced the mussels are the loan factor here, but I am believing more and more by the day as the lake gets cleaner and cleaner. 

Many fisherman are not seeming too concerned, but I think the tune may change when the late Spring saugeye suicide bite ends. I am hoping the pleasure boaters get rolling, the algae starts blooming and things return to normal. If not, Indian Lake fishing is going to be a changed game.


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## Cobe24 (Sep 14, 2007)

As for the snails, they may do some filtering also. I just have not noticed an increase in their numbers lately. Maybe some others can chime in on this one???


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## james. (Sep 20, 2016)

I could watch my Anker bouncing off the bottom in 7.5 feet of water. I believe it's bc these little burgers. any were I find rocky bottoms I'm catching what I believe to be zebra muscles and I find it very concerning. I don't believe you can get enough boats or rain to dirty the water up but I could be wrong and really hope I am.


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## Cobe24 (Sep 14, 2007)

I’m slightly skeptical about the mussels just because the lake was not abnormally clean last fall and winter I didn’t feel. Do the mussels multiply that quickly?

When I think about how I like to fish Indian Lake, I have a hard time imagining catching big bluegill and crappie on a 3ft pad edge thru the ice. How about jigging Dunn’s Pond with 6 foot clarity? How about big bluegills on a sea wall when you can see the bottom with ease?


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## Bprice1031 (Mar 13, 2016)

james. said:


> I could watch my Anker bouncing off the bottom in 7.5 feet of water. I believe it's bc these little burgers. any were I find rocky bottoms I'm catching what I believe to be zebra muscles and I find it very concerning. I don't believe you can get enough boats or rain to dirty the water up but I could be wrong and really hope I am.


Those are Zebra Muscles. Welcome to clear water fishing.


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## WLAngler (Aug 29, 2010)

I don't think those are zebra muscles, what I've been catching are spiral in shape like snail shells. Here's a photo of zebra muscles below.


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## WLAngler (Aug 29, 2010)

What I've been finding looks more like this, but darker.


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## gobucs6789 (Sep 27, 2017)

The pictures of the chartreuse jig... look like zebra muscles to me


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## WLAngler (Aug 29, 2010)

Might be two different things. IDK


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

WLAngler said:


> What I've been finding looks more like this, but darker.
> View attachment 357395


I find these at buckeye lake quite often. And buckeye is always dingy or green


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## gobucs6789 (Sep 27, 2017)

Zebra muscles


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## WLAngler (Aug 29, 2010)

gobucs6789 said:


> Zebra muscles


What I'm finding looks different.


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## WLAngler (Aug 29, 2010)

Not sure if it will affect fishing now that the water is clearing up. I just hope it doesn't


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

Zebras been in there since early 2000's.Usually memorial day weekend stirs up the main lake and keeps it in check..With everything shut down like the campgrounds,it may be a low boat traffic memorial day weekend this year. Last time the Lake cleared up was 2011. The lake was untrollable before mid June.It wasn't thick,but you had a 6'-7' weed every couple yds.Had to pull weed off the crank every minute or so.Channels really thicked up. The state purchased a mower that season but not sure if they got it in time.

I read an email this week talking about using that mower in the channels and treating the main lake to kill the weeds.This year is not looking good.On the plus side,2012 was a record year!!!!


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## fshnmaster (Nov 10, 2016)

The channels that I normally am getting gills and crappue in are either weed choked and unmissable or the fish are there but are getting spooked. I fished west Bank late this evening and saw 15 saugeye 10 feet or so off of bank and none of them wanted anything to do with my big Josh. I'm most likely done foshijg Indian until the water clarity changes


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## Lbacome (Sep 2, 2021)

Recently I fished my dad’s sea wall and dock just to see if anything was biting. He lives close to Moundwood on the old fishing zone. I was casting for large mouth bass. So I cast next to the neighbor’s boat and pretty quickly had a ‘bite.’ I knew it wasn’t a fish. But when I pulled in my catch, it was a branch about 3 1/2 feet long with maybe a dozen branches coming off of it. It was covered in zebra mussels. Completely covered. They might have been there 20 years ago but they are everywhere now. We have never been able to see the bottom of the lake off his sea wall but we can now. There never used to be the weeds growing there either. We noticed this growth over the last couple of years. My dad has been there 40 years. We know zebra mussels because we have fished Erie and Lake St. Clair where they are abundant too. It’s good and bad. It can be great for fishing but it’s hurting the natural ecosystem. We are seeing dead snails all over the lake like never before. I’m not sure if it’s due to the changes in the ecosystem or not but it’s alarming. I hope it gets under control.


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## fshnmaster (Nov 10, 2016)

West and South banks have weeds for a few hundred yards all the way down, snails showing up dead everywhere, reports of dead fish and lily pads showing up.. not a good sign for one of the best fisheries in ohio


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