Water Hyacinth

Description

Water hyacinth is a perennial free-floating aquatic plant with long dark roots. The leaves form rosettes at the base of the plant. The leaf petioles, usually around 12 inches or more long, are spongy, inflated and bulbous near the base. The leaf blades are thick, glossy green and up to 6 inches wide. The flowers are showy, lavender-blue with yellow blotch attached to a stalk originating in the rosette and extending slightly higher than the leaves.

Habitat

Water hyacinth is a non-native plant from South America introduced into the United States in the late 1800s. It can be found throughout the Southeast, as well as California and Washington state. However, it is only found in the southernmost areas of the Tennessee Valley region in shallow water areas and swamps where it can overwinter.

Identifying Features

What It Looks Like—Water hyacinth is a free-floating plant that can grow as tall as 3 feet. Leaves are circular and grow from bulbous stalks attached to large, often dark-purplish roots.

Where to Find It—This plant prefers quiet backwater areas but will travel almost anywhere depending on wind direction and current.

Similar Species—Water hyacinth is often confused with frog’s bit; however, hyacinth stalks are bulbous in appearance whereas frog’s bit stems are slender. Hyacinth also has a large, purplish root mass while frog’s bit roots are white.

Seasonal Fishing Techniques

Spring—Native to the tropics, water hyacinth rarely overwinters in TVA system to continue growth in spring. Most often, new plants are a result of aquarium dumps in summer. Water hyacinth is seldom present in spring.

Summer—One of the fastest-growing plants known, water hyacinth will rapidly grow and expand in size, producing new plants resulting in large floating colonies. Rapid growth of water hyacinth makes fishing difficult. During a small window of time when plants are dispersed, mats can be punched with heavy punch baits; however, once plants form dense colonies, fishing them can be nearly impossible. Colony edges offer the most productive fishing during summer. Use any heavy flipping bait to work the holes found on the outside of water hyacinth colonies.

Fall—As winter approaches, water hyacinth will slow growth and new plant production. As plants begin to decay in late fall, holes can be fished with punch baits within the once-dense colonies.

Winter—Water hyacinth will only be present as dormant seed in the winter, therefore targeting this species should be avoided. In mild winters, water hyacinth seed may remain viable to produce new plants in the spring.

Drawbacks

Water hyacinth is a major problem throughout much of the southern United States. Large colonies have completely halted water use. Management can be difficult as the plant can spread via seed or fragmentation.