Bass Habitat
A great bass lake can lose its thunder in short order when something happens to significantly reduce or damage the habitat.
Story and Photography by Matt Williams
It’s no secret that Texas bass fishing ranks among the best on the planet.
That’s not to say each of the state’s nearly 200 “major reservoirs” spanning 5,000-plus surface acres are top shelf, because they are not. But a bunch of them are.
The reason? Actually, there are several factors that lend to the blend of a primo bassin’ hole.
Aggressive stocking with Florida bass has proven to be an integral part of the puzzle. So has good water quality, restrictive regulations to protect the fish from overharvest and plentiful forage to keep everybody plump and sassy.
As important as all of these elements is the glue that holds it all together — good habitat. Without it an average lake will never become a great one.
Conversely, a great bass lake can lose a bunch of its thunder in short order when something happens to significantly reduce or damage the habitat. Sometimes this occurs naturally as the result of extended periods of low or extremely high water. Other times it happens when outside measures are taken to control aquatic plants.
