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2. Freshwater Sportfishing: The Lifetime Enjoyment
3. Aquatic Environment

Aquatic Environment

The aquatic environments components relate to the fish are aquatic plants, temperature, light, oxygen, pH, and the surface film. Each will be discussed so that the angler has a better understanding of the factors that influence a fishes’ behavior.

Aquatic Plants

The presence of aquatic plants is one of the best indicators of whether a lake or a stream will be a good producer of fish. Most aquatic life which fish feed upon requires these plants for food.

Light

Light influences fish’s activities. A photo period is defined as the amount of day light in a twenty four hour period.

Oxygen

Oxygen is essential to all aquatic animal life. Because the distribution of oxygen throughout a body of water without it respiration is impossible.

pH

The pH scale is a measure of the acid and base concentration of a solution. A pH of 7 is the neutral pH; furthermore, 0-7 is the acid range and 7-14 is the base or alkalinity range.

Surface Film

The surface film tension is the property of a liquid by which it acts as if its surface is a stretched elastic membrane. This tension allows insects to stand on the water’s surface.

Temperature

The purpose of this segment is to provide background information concerning the relationship between water temperature and fish. Since fish inhabit only a small fraction of a body of water, it is imperative to be able to locate these areas; otherwise, it is a waste of your time to fish in areas void of fish.

Background Data

Fish are cold blooded animals with their body temperatures controlled by their environments. Temperature directly affects their activities, and each fish species has an ideal temperature range in which they are the most active.