As goes the habitat, so goes what lives in it".
If I've said that catchphrase once, I've said it hundreds, maybe thousands, of times.
Today, it's a thousand times more important in my brain than the first time I said it. A deeper dive into underwater habitat helps us understand the significance of that quote.
Here's the most significant take-home point of this article. The fish are a consequence of happy water and habitat. Always remember that. If your fishery isn't thriving as you want, dig into your habitat after making sure your water is healthy.
The fishery is a reflection of habitat first.
What is the second most significant takeaway from these next few words? Different sizes of the different species of fish have different habitat needs. A tiny bluegill lives in a different habitat world than a two-pound bass. A two-pound bass lives considerably differently than a ten-pound bass.
That's a big deal.
Is the food chain important? Absolutely. The food chain is a direct reflection of its habitat, too. Reflect on that as you evaluate your habitat.
In a predator/prey fishery, each fish species plays a significant role in the lives of the other species. Because of that, part of our mission as good stewards of our ponds is to have more than a fundamental understanding not only of each species of fish key to our fishery but also of the lifestyles and habits of the different sizes of those species. If we understand the roles of each and can replicate their natural habitat for each stage of their lives, our pond's inhabitants can do nothing except thrive.
For example, even novice pondmeisters understand that bluegill sunfish are the backbone of the food chain for Largemouth bass. Moreso in southern waters, less so in northern waters.
Since we know that fact, we need to dial in on habitat for each size class of bluegills to provide the best opportunities for them to survive into significant sizes to feed our predatory bass. In southern latitudes, bluegills spawn several times each year. There are some areas where bluegills spawn as many as five times. Along the Mason-Dixon Line, they often spawn twice, maybe three times, if weather conditions are prime. Spawning beds are important since bluegills are colony spawners. They prefer pea gravel in water from a few inches down to three feet deep.
Look at spawning beds as the hub of your habitat wheel. It all starts from there. Think about this...bluegills lay eggs, and males guard the nest. Eggs hatch, males protect their brood the best they can until fry absorb the remainder of their yolk. At that point, swim-up fry rise from the nest, needing food almost immediately. Here's where they are at great risk of being eaten. They are tiny, not even a fourth-inch long. Heck, even small aquatic insects can eat them. Small fish can easily eat them. Even their parents can eat them unless mom and dad are still focused on spawning further.
Those tiny fish need places to hide and feed. Tiny fish with tiny mouths need small food. They glean it from the water or graze it from substrate laden with periphyton and algae. Places to hide provide protection. Think "dense". When those baby fish swim up from the beds, they may weigh 10-12,000 per pound. If we provide the habitat elements to keep some of them alive for up to 45 days, they grow and weigh more like 30 per pound, significant nuggets in your food chain.
Next to spawning beds, we need denser cover, such as brush piles, or stands of native aquatic plants growing at just the right time. That's when your pond's water also needs a healthy plankton bloom. That might occur naturally, or you may need to nudge it.
If you've read many articles on this website over the years, you likely remember a story often told. When I was 14, my dad, brother, and I came across a crusty old river fisherman who was angry. He was angry at the government because they were about to flood his favorite stretch of the Brazos River at Granbury, Texas, with a new lake. His favorite fishing holes were about to be covered with as much as 30 feet of water. As he ranted about his perceived misfortunes, he waggled his ancient, crooked, arthritic pointer finger at me and said, "Son, remember this! 90% of the fish live in 10% of this river. If you can figure out that 10%, you won't have to be a good fisherman. You'll catch fish".
After decades of studying this stuff, I learned that the old timer was right. But he didn't tell me that 10% changes with the season, weather, and a few other variables that we can't necessarily predict. It's taken a lifetime of peering beneath the surface to figure out the best number to project is 25-30% of a pond or lake's bottom to have the different elements of habitat. That accounts for weather, temperature, seasons, and those variables we may not understand. Plus, if we do it properly, we accommodate the different sizes of the different species of fish when they are most in need.
As some baby bluegills survive and grow, significant numbers make the momentary mistake of exiting those safe zones, whether seeking food or exploring. After leaving the density of their protective zones, their fate relies on whether there's a willing predator lying in wait, as ambush predators do.
Life under water is tough.
For the tiny fraction that may survive to adulthood, their habitat requirements are totally different. A 7-9-inch bluegill can survive the maw of all but the biggest, baddest bass in your fishery. Bluegills so big can mingle with big predator fish and live another day. They can also dominate the spawning beds...which they do.
Big bluegill habitat provides less density, bigger interstitial spacing—think the canopy of an oak tree—and more insect- and fish-based food sources.
With spawning beds as the hub, then dense structure or cover adjacent, slightly beyond these elements are ambush points for bass.
Ah, bass.
What do those creatures need? Small bass need density, and bigger bass need expanded spaces. The biggest, best bass, pick the best ambush places.
Big bass love points, shallow water, and structure, with quick access to deeper water. You can see what's happening here. A community is developing.
From years of electrofishing and studying fish populations, I can tell you this: bass congregate in like-sized schools in areas where they are most attracted. There's your key. "Where they are most attracted".
This is the place where the angler mindset crosses spaces with biologists.
Attract big fish where you can catch them.
Let's go back to that "community" idea. Fish need places to reproduce, for fry to feed and hide, where bigger fish can congregate without dominating all the baitfish, where even bigger fish can find a bigger meal, use travel paths to traverse the different communities, funnels to guide fish where you can find them, near points, underwater humps, channels and what nature offers for your pond site.
Here's your challenge. Almost every pondmeister whose path I cross adds some habitat elements. Rarely is there enough, and most people think only about what it takes to attract big bass to catch. If more of us study and think about the life cycles and lifestyles of the different species we need to involve in our fisheries, we can create the very best habitat for those size classes to thrive.
After all, our fishery will become those consequences.
Reprinted with permission from Pond Boss Magazine
