IN THIS LESSON

Lakes and ponds

Lakes and ponds are scattered everywhere across the world. Almost all of them have fish in them, whether its just a few or millions. However, you could be fishing just 10ft from the wrong spot and catch nothing all day long. Lets go over those spots where all the fish are hiding!

Run for Cover!

Pretty much any kind of angler will tell you to find cover if your not catching anything. No this doesn’t mean the sky is falling, it means that all species of fish like cover or a place to hide. Cover can be a wide range of things depending on the season and area you are fishing.

Trees - hanging or fallen

Fish hide under hanging trees to find shade. I know its a goofy concept but the harsh mid-day sun can hurt their eyes. Trees also provide protection from predators like eagles and herons. Stumps and submerged trees provide a home for many baitfish and fry (baby fish). So where there is forage (food) there will also be predatory fish like bass, pike, and walleye.

Weed Beds

Weed beds are areas of highly concentrated aquatic plants. Often times you will find them in warm shallow water, but there are also certain species that are deep water plants, both will be hiding fish. Weed beds not only provide camoflauge for predatory fish, they also are a breeding ground for phyloplankton (bacteria), which draws in baitfish and panfish during breeding season.

Structure

Anything manmade is referred to as structure. Docks, oil rigs, sunken boats are all great places for fish to hide out. Structure is pretty much the go to spot for finding fish, but unless you have great knowledge of where structure is or sonar you will just have to fish partially submerged structure like docks. Check with you local fish commission to see if and where they have dropped artificial “reefs” or fish cribs.

lily Pads

Lily pads are a mystery box of fish! I can’t think of any fish that would be impossible to catch from lily pads. They provide dense cover and forage that inspires ambush topwater strikes from predatory fish. Try skipping a popper or frog across them for the most exciting strike you’ll ever see.