Quote above was: "I would call this one from Dwight as fluffy even though it is very dense" Technically it depends on how these green evergreen garland strands were placed or arranged.
Spaced out so fish could freely swim among it then it is fluffy. More compact with very little little open space between each strand then it becomes classified as dense. Open is fluffy and dense is close together where a predator quickly looses sight of a smaller prey fish then it is called dense. and it served as a refuge area. A new tree brush pile is basically dense cover and after 10-15 years all the small stuff has rotted away to the largest branches 2"+ remaining and it becomes more like open spaced fluffy cover. You will be surprised how fast tree branches decompose when they are underwater.
Another quote from Bob about cover.
"Another option is PVC pipe "trees", anchored with a concrete block. You can take 1" PVC, cut into six foot lengths. Then, six inches from one end, drill a half inch hole. Spin the pipe 1/4 turn, drill another half inch hole six inches down....do this to the bottom. Then, take six foot lengths of half inch PVC and push them through the holes. That makes one "tree". Then, couple several together and position them to sink into 6-8 foot waters.
Personally, I like hardwood tree limbs, too. Keep this in mind...you are trying to attract fish, both baitfish and game fish. So, you need some cover to be dense, some to be "fluffy". And, for a 3/4 ac pond, three to five "piles" of cover are enough. Your goal? No more than fifteen percent of the pond should have cover. And, stay away from the deepest areas. Put most cover peripherally."
More cover quotes from Bob: "Structure is simply social gathering points for fish. Different fish need different structure. Small fish like dense structure/cover. Structure is considered 'permanent' while cover serves the same purpose, but could be temporary, such as aquatic plants.
Larger fish such as largemouth bass prefer 'fluffy' structure in shallow water with quick access to deep water, off a point. Hybrid striped bass don't want cover, they want open water. Smallmouth bass want deep water with rocky outcroppings or rip-rap. So, based on the types and sizes of fish you have, structure should be thoughtfully designed for fish as well as fishermen. One last point...structure should be placed in shallow water, peripherally for most lakes."
Another example of dense and fluffy.
As Bob noted fathead minnows are very slow swimmers and very easy meals for LMB and trout. The pallets are poor refuge areas for small fish when small bass are present. Pallets are not intended as hiding areas for minnows but they are intended as spawning sites for fatheads. Small bass can easily hunt among and hide and ambush minnows in the coarse structure of pallets. Lusk calls this type of structure "fluffy" as compared to finely divided structure such as tree brush or rooted weed growth. Fluffy structures are hunting areas for predators not refuge areas for small fish.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 12/16/20 08:12 PM.
