Arkansas Game and Fish biologists each year sink hundreds of fish attractors made from natural brush or environmentally friendly inert materials in water bodies ranging from community ponds to large reservoirs.
Adding this sort of cover can help bait fish and young sport fish hide from predators. It also provides sport fish such as bass and crappie places to conserve energy and increase their growth rate.
Perhaps the most important aspect of a fish attractor is its ability to concentrate sportfish in a known location for anglers looking for an enjoyable day on the water. Practically any flooded bush or grass line has the potential to hold fish during spring when many species move shallow to feed and spawn.
Fish attractors shine during summer when many fish move to deeper water to avoid the summer heat. Less cover is available as the water gets deeper, which increases the chances a fish will take up residence in whatever it can find.
Sunken trees, brush, plastic pipe structures and other man-made cover can be the difference between fun and frustration. Finding this cover often requires electronic sonar to probe the depths and reveal what lies beneath. Anglers can spend hours scanning their favorite lake for likely spots even with the investment of electronics.
Game and Fish fish attractors can shorten that time to minutes.
Fish attractor locations as well as fishing access points to most lakes and rivers in the state can be found through the Game and Fish interactive map at www.agfc.com/maps.
The interactive map tab starts the free software and zooms to the areas that pique interest. Fish attractors are labeled with a symbol of a white fish inside a blue square. Zooming in closer may reveal multiple attractors within the location. Clicking or tapping on the fish icon will open a box that describes the attractor's location and construction materials.
The latitude and longitude may be copied and pasted to a GPS device or Google Maps on a phone.
For people who have a GPS-enabled fish finder, the entire list of all fish attractors for each lake Game and Fish manages also is available for downloading and easy navigation. Visit www.agfc.com/fishattractors.