Hey Yall.

I'm overthinking things again.

The typical rule of thumb is 10% 25% structure.
How much of that should be spawning structure? Is there a good rule of thumb for that?

There I fixed it for ya.

I'm on the fence whether it should be called cover or structure. I'd just call it habitat because spawning areas could be either cover or structure.

Either term is correct but the better one (concept) is structure as it includes pond bottom contours. Actual spawning sites (beds) are not structure or cover conceptually. However, cover is used around beds to improve survival.

What to put around beds is dependent on survival in your pond. If to many yoy BG are surviving to reach your goal, then less cover around beds is better. If you want increased survival, then add cover to protect yoy.

Then you have spawning cover such as densely packed brush or Christmas Trees that Yellow Perch use for draping their eggs on, grassy areas in very shallow water that Golden Shiners utilize for reproduction to broadcast their eggs on, or stacks of pallets that are used by Fathead Minnows.

According to Lusk, only a very small % of the eggs laid, hatched, etc. will see their first birthday. They get eaten.

My experience: Structure is more "permanent". Cover is less "permanent"...cover is considered aquatic plants, maybe small-stemmed brush, etc. Cover and structure are elements of habitat. So is spawning substrate. Different species have different spawning requirements, so you need to know what that means, especially for fish you want in your pond. My "go to" advice for bass fishing lakes is to minimize spawning areas for bass, maximize areas for bluegills. I purposely add 4-6 shallow, flat, gravel-covered (sometimes sand if we can't find gravel) areas for bluegills. To visualize, I tell people to make their bluegill beds in water 2-4 feet deep, about the size of a pickup truck, flat. Lay down geotextile fabric and add 4-inches of gravel. Adjacent, have 3 to 1 slope down at least 5 feet. Expect healthy, native aquatic plants to grow for baby fish. Add brush or dense artificial structure nearby for baby fish. Next to that, add structure to attract bigger fish, and so on.