Unknown waters

Press, 16 September 1976, Page 4

Unknown waters

Many anglers feel helpless when first confronted by a large, unfamiliar lake or an unknown watercourse. The tourist-angler often has the odds against him, unless he has, tucked away at the back of his mind, a knowledge of certain rules of thumb which can lead him to the fish.

If you will just pause for a while at the shoreline before launching the boat, the surroundings in which you intend to fish will freuqently provide a great deal of information as to where the fish are likely to be. There are certain requirements which a fish-ing-ground must satisfy. It must have hiding-places for small fish and places where the predators can lie in wait for their prey. It must have bottomvegetation which serves as a shelter and also produces small aquatic creatures and other organisms as food for the fish. The water must be well oxygenated to create a good environment and comfortable conditions in deep water or shallows.

A fishing-ground must also be able to provide shelter for the fish in bad weather and when the glare of sunlight is too overpowering. The areas of water around rocks, whether visible or invisible, are usually places which meet the requirements of a good environment for fish. The same applies to the reedy margins of lakes, because they provide shelter for small fish, produce organisms and create a feeling of well-being. And where there are small fish there are always predators. Deep creeks, bays in the shore-line, promontories and narrow channels are hunting grounds for bottom feeding fish as well as predators. In large lakes it is quite usual to find a certain amount of current running in the narrow channels, resulting in oxygenation of the water, which encourages the fish to stay there. The mouths of small rivers and streams produce oxygenation, and large and small fish gather around the often irregular bottom conditions at the mouth. The areas of water around the outlet of lakes provide the same advantages. These outlets often rather resemble the rapids of rivers and their irregular '‘hill and dale landscape” in miniature — depending, of course, upon the quantity of water leaving the lake. A spur of rock can provide a good deal of information. If one of these goes steeply down into the water, it means that the environmental conditions here should provide opportunities for hunting and resting, shelter and food. The same applies to

the areas of water around islands and islets, where the fish seem to grow more active, the higher the sun climbs above the horizon.