My presentation at the IVth Pond Boss Convention in April is about using emergent plants as shallow water refugia. Refugia is plural of refugium. Refugia habitat is equivalent to natural fishery nursery areas that have extensive amounts of dense cover such as submerged weed beds or emergent shoreline plants. Fishing structure is not considered good refugia. It is not expansive enough compared to the acerage of water it serves. Good refugia amounts to 20%-30% or more of the total shoreline (up to 2-5ft deep) with submerged weed beds or equivalent. Ideally the weed beds should not be so dense the fish cannot swim through it. You want good cover with pathways and feeding areas for small fishes while providing feeding and hunting areas for larger fish. Good submerged aquatic plants are many of the Potamogetons (pondweeds), water lilies, eel or tape grass, stargras (Zosterella or Hetercanthera). Many of the non-rampent emergent plants provide good shallow water refugia.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/20/11 03:25 PM.
