Cover and Structure

In its simplest and purest form, "structure" fishing is a recognition that fish relate to different features in different aquatic environments at different times for different reasons. Structure is also the term some anglers use instead of aquatic geography. A drop-off to deeper water, a weedbed, shoreline reeds, a gravel shoal, or a sunken island are all examples of structural elements. Good anglers also use structure to describe environmental characteristics with less form and substance. Areas of specific temperature, pH, water clarity, and/or oxygen content may also be referred to as structures. To understand how and why fish relate to structure we must add a couple of pieces to the puzzle.

Cover is the name given to features in the aquatic environment which provide protection for individual fish. Fish require protection from the effects of direct sunlight, temperature change, wave action, predators, or energy-sapping direct currents. For many predatory fish, cover also provides an ambush point from which to capture food. The specific type and depth of cover used depends on the type of fish and the type of aquatic environment. Fish may use a variety of rocky features and aquatic vegetation or simply retreat to the security of deeper, stable water to fulfill the need for protection. A variety of human-made structures are also used by many species.

The "edge concept" is another point to consider. In the world of mammals, deer often leave the protection of the deep woods to feed along the edges of fields, a fact which deer hunters take advantage of whenever possible. This same concept applies to most fish as well. For instance in a weedbed, stressed, inactive bass may bury themselves in the middle of the thickest possible weeds. The comfortable, active, feeding bass will probably be found on the weedline or the edge of the weeds. Edges can be related to areas of temperature, water clarity, or current, as well as to the easier-to-recognize physical elements such as weeds, rocks, or submerged wood.

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