People who like fishing should also like natural shores and vegetated shallow areas in lakes and rivers. Why? Because good fish habitat means more fish. Most fish, at some stages in their lives, are dependent on shoreline and shallow water habitat.
Rock and gravel bottoms in lakes and rivers are spawning areas for many game fish, like walleye. They also are home to suckers, darters and minnows that are food for larger fish. In addition, rocky bottoms provide hiding places and forage areas for other species like smallmouth bass and crayfish.
Mucky lake and river bottoms are important, too. They are home to insects and other invertebrates that are food for fish and wildlife.
Natural shoreline areas protect important fish habitat. Sand trucked in for swimming beaches smothers the underwater gravel and silt that fish use for spawning. And removing aquatic vegetation to create swimming and boating areas eliminates fishing habitat for spawning, shelter and food.
Shoreline vegetation not only filters runoff and stabilizes banks, it also provides shaded hiding places for bass and panfish. Eroding shorelines are a problem, sending sediment into the water, where it smothers fish eggs and underwater insects that fish eat. Erosion can be limited by planting vegetative strips along the shoreline. Changing the contour from steep banks to sloped banks also reduces erosion. The addition of native grasses, shrubs and trees further anchors the soil.
Keep shores and shallow areas natural, and have fun fishing.
To find out more about how to keep shoreland areas and waters healthy and productive, go to the DNR Web site at www.mndnr.gov.
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