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Fish Attractors Fish attractors are man-made habitats designed to attract fish by providing substrate, or feeding locations and shelter for young fish and other small aquatic animals. They help increase anglers’ success by concentrating fish in identifiable areas.
The
process of using fish attractors may be illegal in your area or may
require a license. Use Our Google Search Feature to find information
on using Fish Attractors in your State.
Brush Piles Stake Beds Evergreen Trees Porcupine Fish Attractors Fishing Light Attractor
Some ponds and reservoirs contain little or no natural underwater structure. Ponds treated with aquatic herbicides are essentially without any type of vegetation that could provide structure for fish. Natural structure may also be lacking because age has decayed any remaining timber and fluctuating water levels prevent growth of submerged vegetation. Placement of artificial structure in ponds and reservoirs is an effective way to concentrate fish. In the absence of structure, fish are often widely dispersed or travel in hard-to-locate groups known as schools. Angling is often difficult when fish exhibit these behaviors. Research has shown that artificial structures can concentrate fish and increase angling success.
The
guidelines listed below are based on five years of research
conducted in an Ohio reservoir. Many conclusions are applicable to
small ponds as well. Materials for Structure of Fish Attractors
Three
of the most commonly used materials were evaluated:
While
all three materials evaluated in study attracted satisfactory
numbers of fish, anglers
typically caught more fish from evergreen structures. It was not
unusual on any given day for anglers
to catch five to ten times more fish from these trees as compared to
the other materials.
Evergreen
trees are readily available during the three weeks after Christmas.
Individuals wishing to add structure to their own private ponds can
use their own tree and obtain additional trees from neighbors. The
larger size of a reservoir will require the placement of considerably
more trees to serve more anglers.
Fishing clubs or groups of anglers
may want to join together to plan a reservoir project. The largest
source of Christmas trees is the thousands collected by public
workers in residential areas. Contact your local government offices
to arrange for use of these discarded trees. Attracting Fish Species Bluegill, redear sunfish, largemouth bass and channel catfish are the species most commonly stocked in ponds. All four species should use evergreen trees in ponds if the pond is largely void of other structure.
Reservoirs
usually contain many species of fish. During the study, bluegills,
white crappies and black crappies comprised about 90 percent of the
total catch from the artificial structures. Lesser numbers of
largemouth bass, yellow perch and channel catfish were also caught. How Deep to Place the Structures Ponds Place evergreen trees in 6 to 10 feet of water in areas not used for swimming activities. In deep ponds, placement should still be in 6 to 10 feet of water because the deep water is usually devoid of oxygen due to decomposition of organic materials that collect in the deepest portion of the pond. Structure placed in water lacking oxygen will not attract fish. Reservoirs
Structure
should be placed in 12 to 21 feet of water in reservoirs. Angling
for bluegills is most successful when fishing 12 foot deep structure.
White and black crappie catches are greatest from 21 foot deep
structure, especially in summer and early fall. Shallower structure,
such as that placed in 6 feet of water, will attract harvestable fish
only in the spring. Beginning in June, these shallower structures are
used mostly by very small fish. How Much Structure to Add Ponds
In
a pond, a structure to attract fish need only consist of a few
trees. Using more than 100 trees per surface acre can inhibit
largemouth bass predation on bluegills, which results in a large but
stunted bluegill population. Reservoirs In reservoirs, create long lines of trees, three to four trees wide, extending from 12 feet to 21 feet of water. The actual number of trees needed will depend on the bottom slope of the area where the structures are to be placed. Steep-sloped areas require fewer trees to construct a 12 to 21 feet deep tree line. Thus, for the same number of evergreen trees, more tree lines can be created in steep sloping areas than in areas with gradual slopes.
Tree
lines are easier for anglers
to locate than smaller isolated structures. They also provide
continuous lines of structure that allow anglers
to fish various depths depending on where the fish are at any given time. Construction and Placement Individuals or groups need to obtain permission before placing trees in ponds or reservoirs. This is particularly important for reservoirs where improperly placed floating trees can be a serious hazard for boaters. Contact your State's Division of Wildlife for permission and direction before placing structure in reservoirs.
To
prepare an evergreen tree for use as structure, gather these materials:
The
easiest method for submerging evergreen trees in ponds is to place
them on the ice during winter and let them sink when the ice melts.
This method is not recommended for reservoirs, however. Melting ice
moves around and could dump the structure in an unintended location.
In large bodies of water, evergreen trees with attached cement blocks
should be placed by dropping them from the side of the boat. This is
best done during warm spring weather. Summary The placement of evergreen trees in ponds and reservoirs where natural structure is lacking will attract fish and increase angling success. Evergreen trees placed in ponds should be located between the depths of 12 and 21 feet. These lines should be placed on steeper slopes so as to allow creation of several lines from the collected number of trees. Permission from the pond owner or your State Department of Natural Resources-Division of Wildlife (reservoirs) must be obtained before placing trees.
Information provided above
was research done by William
E. Lynch Jr. and David
L. Johnson Porcupine Fish Attractors In the 21st Century, fishermen and fishing products have come to focus more and more on innovation and efficiency. At Porcupine Fish Attractors they claim to have now produced the most innovative fish attractor available on the market today, with the sole purpose of improving your fish catching efficiency. Claims made by Porcupine Fish Attractors:
Fishing Light Attractor A fishing light attractor is a fishing aid which uses lights attached to structure above water or suspended underwater to attract both fish and members of their food chain to specific areas in order to harvest them. Just as fisherman seek conditions where the chance of catching fish is optimized, fish seek areas where the chance of catching their food is optimal. Most game fish seek waters that are rich in food such as smaller fish, insects or shrimp. And, it follows, that these smaller fish, insects and shrimp congregate where their food is most concentrated. Scientific research shows that all members of this food chain have eyes sensitive to the colors blue and green. This probably evolved because the water these animals live in is blue or greenish in color. Water, containing little particulate matter, scatters light in the blue region of the spectrum. If water is rich in nutrients and contains photosynthetic microorganisms and plants, the chlorophyll in their bodies preferentially absorb red light. The remaining, unabsorbed light is transmitted and scattered, thus giving the water a greenish appearance. If water contains a lot of organic material from decaying plant life or suspended sediment, it may take on a yellow-brown color. Fish and some members of their food chain have color receptors in their eyes optimized for the light of their "space". It has been known for a long time that a light attracts fish, shrimp and insects at night. But what is the best color for a light attractor? Based on the biology of visual receptors discussed above, the light should be blue or green - the space colors of fish and members of their food chain. However, while blue or green light is desirable it is not essential. Even if the eyes of fish or members of its food chain have color receptors most sensitive to the blue or green, these same receptors have a broad but decreased sensitivity to other colors. So, if a fishing light source is intense enough, other light colors will also attract. For example, a sodium vapor light with its characteristic yellow color will attract fish - if intense enough. A fishing light attractor can also be white light because a portion of its total energy is in the blue to green region.
The
perfect fishing light would have the following properties:
A permanently fixed fishing light attractor is most effective if it is operated every night. It takes to a week or two for larger fish to discover the increasing concentration of bait fish attracted to the light. Once discovered, the fish return regularly - often arriving at predictable times of the evening.
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