Bass Enthusiast - Where Certain Fish Live

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Where Certain Fish Live

In order to have a great day bass fishing, you need to know where the fish are located. Check out this page for further information on the key attributes to keep in mind the next time you are picking a spot to fish.

Where Certain Fish Live

As the old fishing adage goes, to catch a fish an angler needs to first locate where they are then worry about everything else. Certain attributes such as type of water, food, concentration of oxygen, and the amount of coverage makes an area more or less attractive to fish. When an angler is going out on fishing, it always helps to be able to spot areas which contain the positive attributes which increase the likelihood that a fish is in the area. The staff at Bass Enthusiast has compiled some useful information that fish look for when they are choosing where to live underwater.

Food

As with any type of organism including bass, the quantity and quality of food which is available in an area is an extremely important factor to if they will inhibit an area. Also due to their large size and the environment they inhibit bass are very aggressive and active predators. From a young age they eat things such as crustaceans, insects, worms, tadpoles. As they mature their diet expands to other smaller fish, frogs, and crayfish. Some of the biggest bass even go after some small waterfowl. Therefore if you are in an area that you can see some of these organisms there is a very good chance that a bass is swimming under you.

Water Temperatures

When you are reading this you are wearing certain clothes and have the proper device working to ensure you are in the temperature that makes you comfortable. Just like humans, each type of fish has a different water temperature range in which it can be comfortable and survive in. There are some fish that can survive in a diverse range of temperatures, however most fish including Bass, have a specific temperature range. We have created a diagram which shows which type of fish like it hot and which types like it cold.

Water Quality

One of the most important attributes of an area is the quality of water which exists in an area. If the area has good-quality water, the aquatic life will thrive and the area will support healthier species of fish and a more diverse population, that a polluted counterpart. Any type of water which is stagnant, polluted, or lacking adequate oxygen will not support large numbers of fish and should be avoided at any cost. Another attribute of good water quality is an increased amount of oxygen which is covered in our next topic.

Oxygen

Without an adequate supply of oxygen in the water, fish like humans cannot survive. So you might ask what can affect the amount of oxygen in the water? Well if you see aquatic plants under the water there is a very good chance that the area has a high amount of oxygen. The reason for the increase in oxygen is aquatic plants add oxygen to the water through photosynthesis. For those who slept through this topic in their grade school days, photosynthesis is the process of using sunlight to make food. The end result of this process is the release of oxygen. Another way that oxygen can enter the water is from the surrounding air. One of the most common ways is when a body of water such as a lake is fed by a stream. As the water in the stream moves, it tumbles over rocks and is exposed to the air picking up the oxygen.

One of the best signs that an angler needs to look out for is decaying plants. When water has decaying plants contained in it, there is a high likelihood that there is a reduced amount of oxygen in the water. The reason for this reduction is as a plant decomposes, it uses oxygen to complete the process. Another large factor in the reduction of oxygen in the water is pollution. Chemicals that are dumped into water trap oxygen which takes it out of the natural ecosystem. The last major factor which will reduce the amount of oxygen is thermal pollution. With this type of pollution the water is heated up usually through industrial use. As any science wiz will tell you water temperature affects the amount of oxygen that water can hold. When water is colder, more oxygen molecules can be held than if the water is warm. Oxygen levels can change from one location to another in the same body of water.

Cover

The type and amount of cover is a very crucial attribute when fishing for bass. Cover includes things such as aquatic plants, rocks, logs, or any other type of underground structure. The reason why it is so important is that fish choose certain types of cover for two important reasons. First cover can provide them with protection from their predators. Also cover can give predators such as bass in the best possible position to catch an unsuspecting meal that is drifting or swimming by. When fishing for bass look for areas which have a great amount of cover such as Lilly pads and reeds.