How To Recognize Different Types Of Vegetation
Regardless of the kind of fish you’re targeting on any given day, chances are you’re going to be fishing around some sort of vegetation. While many anglers will just look at vegetation and assume there’s fish there, it’s more complex than that. It’s important to know the difference between different kinds of vegetation so that you can know how likely it is that a certain kind of fish will be in the area. However, it’s not always easy to accurately identify different vegetation species. Here’s how to identify some of the more common options out there.
Understanding Different Types Of Vegetation
When it comes to vegetation in fishing, there are four main kinds. Submersed plants are found fully underwater, providing habitat and oxygen. Floating plants lay on top of the water, providing cover and shade to fish. Floating plants can either be rooted or emergent. Rooted floating plants are anchored to the bottom with leaves floating on the surface, while emergent plants grow fully on top of the water being rooted to the water or wet soil.
How To Identify Milfoil
Milfoil is a submersed plant. It can be identified with it’s feathery leaves surrounding the stem. They form dense underwater canopies, providing great cover for bass and other fish in the area.
How To Identify Cabbage
Cabbage is a rooted-floating plant. It has broad flat leaves that look similar to celery. Cabbage grows in clear shallow water and is an ideal habitat for pike and muskie.
How To Identify Curly-Leaf Pondweed
Curly-leaf Pondweed is a submersed plant. It has wavy-edged leaves that are somewhat red in color. They grow early in the spring and tend to die off later into the summer. They are great at providing a nutrient rich habitat that can lead to algae blooms.
How To Identify Hydrilla
Hydrilla is a submersed plant. You can identify it by its serrated leaves in spirals of 3-8. It’s roots can be found in depths of up to 12 feet. These plants grow thick and fast, oftentimes outcompeting other species of plants from growing in the area.
How To Identify Coontail
Coontail is a submersed plant. You can identify it by its bushy appearance with needle-like forked leaves. It can be free-floating or rooted. This plant forms in dense groupings and provides excellent cover for multiple species of fish.
How To Identify Eelgrass
Eelgrass is a submersed plant. You can tell if a plant is eelgrass by its long ribbon-like leaves with vein patterns. You’ll most commonly find this type of vegetation in flowing water areas. It attracts a number of species of baitfish, which in turn draws in hungry predator fish.