Fish need more than water to survive. They have a close relationship with lake shores and riverbanks, where vegetation controls water temperatures by providing shade from summer sun and insulation from winter cold. The roots of trees and shrubs stabilize banks, while the logs, stumps, and brush that fall into the water shelter larger fish and supply escape cover for newly hatched fry. These materials also serve as spawning sites and attract tiny organisms, like algae, zooplankton, and benthos, which nourish small fish and, in turn, feed larger predatory fish like bass, crappie, and walleye.
But underwater housing may be scarce where shorelines have been stripped of trees. You can accommodate fish and other aquatic organisms by building and installing artificial structures.
For each structure, you'll need:
- three wooden pallets, four 1" x 2" x 5' hardwood stakes, four concrete blocks, and two brush bundles or old Christmas trees. These materials should be available at little or no cost.
- Nail the four stakes to the three pallets, weighing the structure down with the four concrete blocks, inserting and wiring the Christmas trees or brush bundles between the pallets (see illustration).
- Leave the pallet structures on a frozen lake in late winter. They'll sink to the bottom during spring thaw.