When it comes to beauty, nothing compares to the flower of the spider lily.  This plant may grow 1-3 feet tall, and spreads very slowly.  This could quite possibly be the perfect plant for ponds, except that they are not readily available from most nurseries and are not super abundant for collection in the wild.   

Just as lovely as the garden varieties, wild irises provide beautiful scenery in late spring to early summer.  The spread very slowly, making them easy to control.  They may stand as high as 4 feet, so use can in placing them near bank access areas.  Wild irises can be purchased at many nurseries or collected from the wild.  When collecting from the wild, make sure you have the landowner's permission and collect only from well-established stands.

The leaves of calamus resemble a young stand of cattails, but can be differentiated by the strong, spicy, citrus-like smell of the crushed leaves.  Mature leaves have a midrib and wavy edge, unlike cattails, and usually only stand 2-4 feet high.  Stands of Calamus can become quite dense, but usually remain short enough to fish over.  It is an attractive shoreline plant and is not aggressive.  It may also compete with cattails and prevent the taller plant from becoming established.

This Hibiscus species is related to the garden variety, Rose of Sharon, and has similarly showy flowers.  Rose mallow should not be planted were bank fishing is common, as it may exceed 6 feet in height.  Rose mallow can spread and become problematic, so it is a good idea to limit the number of plants to just a few.  Rose mallow propagates primarily by seed, so pick of the seed capsules in the fall to prevent spread.

 Burhead is a shoreline and shallow water plant that spreads both by seeds and by send runners out 1-2 feet.  Burhead tends to grow singly in shallow water close to shore, and is low to the water making it easy to fish over.