UNDERSTANDING STRUCTURE

An appreciation of structure as a determinant of fishing success is imperative for all anglers. Structure is a key factor in many of our fishing pursuits. In short, structure is a man-made or natural object made more complex by the interaction of one or more factors. For example, a coastal reef is a natural structure made more complex by colonising animals and plants, so much so that you can hear the clicking of invertebrates living on a reef in shallow water on a quiet day, particularly during the dawn and dusk “chorus”. Similarly, freshwater weed beds and submerged timber are structures made more complex by the interaction of algae and small animals with the river bed and timber respectively. Both are very different, but both are important fish-holding structures. Deep holes are structures as changes in light, bottom substrate and water flow combine. Bridge and jetty pylons with shellfish and algae are obvious structures, but one could argue that the line of tidal change in an estuary is also a mobile structure due to the associated line of floating debris.

THE IMPORTANCE OF STRUCTURE

Structure is in some ways