CHAPTER 9
Finding the Fish
In This Chapter
What are a fish’s needs
How the seasons affect fish location
What edges and structures attract fish
What tools can help you locate fish
In this chapter, you’ll learn about the many factors that come into play regarding fish location. You’ll learn about a fish’s basic needs and how such knowledge aids in locating fish; seasonal influences on fish location; and edges and structure, arguably the most important keys in finding and catching fish. Also, you’ll learn about the various tools anglers use to find fish.
Different species have different habitat preferences, so understanding those preferences aids significantly in locating fish. Chapters 18–23 contain detailed information on specific species, which you’ll find helpful in locating your targeted quarry.
A Fish’s Basic Needs
Four basic needs that affect fish location are food, safety, proper water temperature, and spawning. The food need is obvious and self-explanatory. Regarding safety, all species during their various growth stages must be wary of predators, the most common of which are larger fish; however, fish of all sizes must find safety from nonwater predators such as eagles, osprey, brown bears, and humans. All species have a comfort zone regarding water temperature, and water that is too warm or too cold can result in fish inactivity. Spawning, an annual occurrence for nearly all freshwater fish, ensures a species’ survival, and spawning plays a major role in fish location.
Food Factor
A common fishing maxim goes like this, “Find the bait, and you’ll find the fish.” Nowhere is this statement better verified than in the practice of striped bass anglers who watch for baitfish activity on the surface or for a flock of feeding birds. Trout fishermen employ a similar strategy on streams, where the anglers look for active hatches and feeding fish. Locating baitfish below the surface proves more difficult, and though anglers can sometimes actually see baitfish and smaller fish, especially in clear or shallow water, fishermen typically rely on electronic tools to find the baitfish and preying fish. Because baitfish seek safety by hiding from predators, anglers can find fish by focusing on hiding places with plenty of cover such as vegetation, rock piles, downed trees, docks, bridges, and other manmade structures.
Fishing Vocab
Spawning is the act of producing and fertilizing a mass of fish eggs during the mating process. For some species, the process includes building nests and guarding the eggs and fry.
Fish Need Cover
Those same covers that provide protection for baitfish also provide cover for larger fish. Anglers could confidently say, “Find the cover, and you’ll find the fish.” Shade and darkness offer protection as does a fish’s natural coloring when it lies on the bottom or holds low in the water column. Thus, anglers should check out shady spots and near-bottom areas in their fish searches. In addition to finding safety in cover, species such as crappies, bluegills, yellow perch, and walleyes find safety in numbers. Catch one of these fish, and you have likely located a number of their kin.
Preferred Water Temperatures
Water temperature can also play a part in locating fish as all species have a comfort zone. While regional variations exist, here is a guide listing the preferred temperature range as well as the ideal temperature for many freshwater fish. Species can survive in temperatures beyond their comfort zone, but such fish are often inactive.
| Species | Preferred Temperature Range in Degrees Fahrenheit |
Ideal Temperature in Degrees Farhenheit |
| American Shad | 60–75 | 67 |
| Atlantic Salmon | 48–62 | 60 |
| Black Crappie | 65–75 | 70 |
| Bluegill | 70–78 | 74 |
| Brook Trout | 50–65 | 58 |
| Bullhead | 70–80 | 75 |
| Brown Trout | 50–70 | 61 |
| Carp | 75–85 | 82 |
| Catfish | 75–82 | 78 |
| Chinook Salmon | 45–60 | 55 |
| Coho Salmon | 45–60 | 55 |
| Cutthroat Trout | 50–65 | 55 |
| Grayling | 45–60 | 52 |
| Lake Trout | 45–60 | 55 |
| Largemouth Bass | 65–80 | 70 |
| Muskellunge | 60–70 | 65 |
| Northern Pike | 50–70 | 63 |
| Pickeral | 65–80 | 73 |
| Rainbow Trout | 50–70 | 61 |
| Smallmouth Bass | 60–72 | 68 |
| Steelhead | 40–60 | 51 |
| Striped Bass | 65–78 | 72 |
| Sunfish | 55–75 | 70 |
| Walleye | 60–72 | 68 |
| White Bass | 65–75 | 72 |
| White Crappie | 70–75 | 72 |
| Yellow Perch | 60–72 | 68 |
Spawning
Spawning has a greater influence on fish location than any other single factor. During the spawn, numbers of fish of the same species migrate to shorelines, shallow water, and tributaries, and since most spawning takes place in spring and fall, those are often the easiest times for locating fish. In addition to the spawning fish, species like rainbow trout and steelhead enter the tributaries to feed on fresh fish eggs.
Fishing Vocab
A year-class refers to fish of a particular species that were produced during the same spawning season. Whenever there is a good year-class of crappies, walleyes, etc., in a particular water, anglers can expect several years of good fishing once those fish reach maturity.
Successful spawning is a key to healthy fish populations. A good spawn means a strong year-class of fish for that particular species, and a good year-class bodes well for anglers several years down the road. In many areas, fish and game departments close the fishing for a period of time or in a particular area to protect spawning fish. Even if fishing is allowed in spawning areas, anglers might consider self-imposing a limit for panfish and releasing larger game fish.
Seasonal Influences on Fish Location
During the course of a year, factors such as water level, water temperature, food availability, and spawning instinct change significantly, and those changes affect fish location. Here’s a look at some seasonal factors to help you find fish throughout the year.
Spring
Spring is the easiest season of the year for locating fish because warming water temperatures draw them to shorelines, shallows, and tributaries for both feeding and spawning purposes. Spring means good concentrations of fish in small areas. Smaller waters and protected bays warm first as do south-facing shorelines. Tributaries, too, offer warmer water temperatures than the main water body, and warm water discharges are fish magnets because baitfish hang out there. On trout ponds and lakes, the upper layer of water warms first so spring is a time to look for trout near the surface.
Fishing Vocab
The thermocline is a layer of water in a thermally stratified lake that separates the warmer upper water from the colder lower water. Some species of trout and salmon hold in the thermocline.
Summer
Summer is a time when fish scatter throughout a water system because of the wide availability of food and cover. As a general rule, summer fish move deeper where they seek cooler water. Finding fish now is a matter of identifying edges and structures at a depth where the temperature matches a fish’s comfort zone. When targeting most cool-water and warm-water species, an angler can’t go wrong by fishing vegetation, particularly around the outside edges. Although difficult to locate, underwater springs are good summer bets for finding fish. On trout lakes, concentrate your efforts on the thermocline.
Fall
Species such as Atlantic salmon, brook trout, brown trout, and Pacific salmon spawn in the fall, so anglers can easily locate them in spawning tributaries. As long as there is green vegetation, both cool-water and warm-water species will move shallower to feed actively in the area. Once the weeds die, both the baitfish and the game fish move to adjacent deep water. Larger waters hold their temperatures longer so fish-holding locations remain fairly stable. As fall progresses, species such as walleyes gather on prime deepwater structures not far from their spawning sites. In fact, most species are more concentrated in fall than in summer.
Winter
Winter usually means looking for fish in quiet water and deep water, although early winter often finds fish in fall locations while late winter finds the fish in spring locations. Four prime winter locations for fish are deepwater edges and structures, areas of green vegetation, underwater springs, and warm-water discharges.
Edges and Structure
A key to finding fish year-round is to locate their favorite hangouts: edges and structure. Buck Perry, legendary angler and father of structure fishing, used the term structure to mean an area of the bottom that is different from the surrounding area, and he maintained that fish hung out and travelled along structures. The concept of structure fishing revolutionized the sport of fishing, particularly for bass anglers, and structure fishing is a mainstay of modern anglers.
Edges
Edges occur where two different features or areas meet in any water body. The most prominent edge is a drop-off. Sometimes called a breakline, a drop-off is a place in a body of water where there is a definite change in depth. Other fish-holding edges include weed lines, break walls, river channels in reservoirs, a change in bottom content such as from muck to sand and gravel, and the seam between flowing and quiet waters.
Fishing Vocab
An edge is a line of division where two different areas meet. Examples of edges are where weeds meet open water and where moving water meets still water.
Fish also position themselves near temperature edges and edges of light. For example, fish will hold at the thermocline in thermally stratified lakes and at tributary mouths where warmer or colder water enters the main water body. Also, fish will hold in the shade of both natural and manmade features to avoid bright light, and many species move shallow at the edge of light created by sunset and move deeper at the edge of darkness created by sunrise.
Structure
Fish are attracted to both natural and manmade structures. The natural features include weed lines, islands, fallen trees, boulder-strewn areas, points, drop-offs, old river beds in reservoirs, deep holes or pools, and underwater humps (also called bars), reefs, and shoals. Among the manmade structures are bridges, docks, dams, break walls, brush piles (where legal), foundations and other underwater features in reservoirs, navigational aids, dredged boat channels, and boat channels winding through weed beds.
If you can locate edges and structures, you will find fish. Because of the variables, though, not all structures are equal when it comes to holding fish. Consider this example. Let’s say you decide to fish an island or mainland point that has weeds. Certainly some fish will be there. If the same point, however, has several boulder-strewn areas, that point will attract even more fish. If that same point also extends out where the prevailing winds blow, even more fish will be there. Add a drop-off into deep water, and the point appeals to even more species.
Fishing Vocab
Structure refers to the configuration of terrain, natural features, and manmade features that attract fish by offering food and cover. Examples of structure include islands, shoals, and bridges.
Consider a second example consisting of a weedy bay. If the bay has openings in the vegetation, that bay offers additional fish appeal. If a tributary flows into the bay, the area becomes a fish magnet, especially during spring feeding and spawning. Add a defined weed line at the mouth of the bay and a boat channel winding through the bay to open water, and the fish-holding quality of the area gets even better.
Let’s consider a final example of an underwater hump, bar, reef, or shoal. A small structure will likely hold fewer fish than a larger structure. An isolated hump will attract fewer fish than a hump in an area where several humps are located. A hump that sits under only 2 feet of water is not as good as a hump that sits under 12 feet of water. A barren hump will not hold as many fish as will a hump with vegetation. And a hump in front of a busy marina is less attractive to fish than a hump located in front of a stretch of undeveloped shoreline.
In essence, the very best fish-holding areas in any water body are those with the larger and more varied structures and edges. Your challenge is to identify those areas on your home waters and then familiarize yourself with their features. Two fishing maxims state, “Ten percent of the water holds ninety percent of the fish” and “Ten percent of the anglers catch ninety percent of the fish.” Odds are this ten percent of anglers spends their time fishing edges and structures.
Charts and Electronic Aids
To locate structure, Buck Perry used three methods: consulting available lake and river charts, visually identifying weed lines, drop-offs, points, etc., when water clarity allowed, and trolling metal spoons that dove to various depths. In my earlier years, I used those same methods, and they remain useful tools today. The modern angler, though, has electronic tools for locating fish-holding spots, and in some cases for even finding the fish themselves.
Charts
Charts and maps are must-have tools when fishing home waters as well as unfamiliar ones. Charts aid in navigating safely and finding fish by showing water depths, and they indicate structures such as points, shoals, and islands as well as features such as dams, locks, tributaries, channels, boat launches, and marinas. Actual fishing maps are available for larger waters, and such maps often provide detailed information that would take a lifetime of fishing to learn. You can find charts and fishing maps at local stores, fish and game department websites, and tourism agencies.
Sonar
Sonar technology in the form of sonar units called depth finders or fish locators is the modern angler’s primary fish- and structure-finding tool. Depth finders use a transducer that sends sound waves to the bottom. The returning signal appears on a display unit indicating such features as depth, bottom content, weeds, objects, schools of baitfish, and fish. Available models include cathode ray tube (CRT), which makes a paper chart; light-emitting diode (LED), which flashes light on a dial; and liquid crystal display (LCD), which presents a picture on a moving screen. Sonar units are a standard feature on most fishing boats, and LCDs are by far the most popular style. Portable fish locators are also available.
GPS
Global positioning system (GPS) units are fast growing in popularity, especially among anglers on large waters. These units mark locations by sending and receiving signals from orbiting satellites, and then displaying the location on a screen. GPS units aid in safe navigation, and they typically provide information such as trolling speed, direction, and distance traveled. The more expensive models commonly offer more features and higher quality graphics. Although handheld units are available, most users opt for a mounted unit.
Instead of having separate sonar and GPS units, anglers can opt for combination units that contain both GPS and sonar features. Obviously, GPS units can facilitate finding of fish since the units allow anglers to return to spots recorded in their units and to find other fishing spots by using GPS coordinates marked on a fishing map. The previous generation used to mark fishing spots by triangulating three above-water features, a technique that still works today unless you’re like me and forget the markings because I failed to record them somewhere.
Temperature Gauges and Underwater Cameras
Two additional fish-finding aids include temperature gauges and underwater cameras. Temperature gauges are especially popular among trout and salmon anglers. Stream anglers check temperatures to see if a stretch of water is conducive to holding trout, whereas boat anglers seek to find the thermocline or other depth that contains water of a temperature preferred by the angler’s targeted species.
Underwater cameras or viewing systems are finding a place in more and more boats. The most common unit is battery powered and consists of a camera probe attached to the end of cable that is lowered by hand to the desired depth, and a small monitor for viewing what the camera sees. Underwater cameras are an effective and fun scouting tool, and some anglers spend as much time scouting with the camera as they do actually fishing.