![Trina smarky mark](https://loka.nahovitsyn.com/238.jpg)
While fishing the TVA lakes of the Southeast, I learned that fish would sacrifice food requirements in favor of more temperate feeding zones. The added factor of salt, coupled with relatively shallow water in the Bay, throws additional considerations into the equation and makes locating fish more challenging. Freshwater bass fishermen have long recognized the importance of locating optimum temperature zones for fish. The Bay is a giant mixing bowl of varying water temperatures and salinity levels.
![waht was patterno f settlement in chessapeake bay waht was patterno f settlement in chessapeake bay](https://www.pilotonline.com/resizer/-7WgrBGJYAovOvpln6u1a4Fwsuc=/1200x0/top/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/I6SLBATSJVBP7CEDTIXBFFEQCM.jpg)
This is especially true in the spring and fall when many fish are traveling to and from the ocean. Scientific opinions are mixed as to the optimum salt content, but there’s no denying that salinity influences the behavior of rockfish in the Bay. While they can live and thrive in fresh water, they prefer water with some salinity.
![waht was patterno f settlement in chessapeake bay waht was patterno f settlement in chessapeake bay](http://thumbs.slideserve.com/1_7083705.jpg)
Striped bass are classified as anadromous fish, meaning they live primarily in salt water but migrate to fresh water to spawn. Salinity and temperature are closely related in the Bay. Since locating feeding fish is a fisherman’s primary challenge, it’s important to understand seasonally changing temperature zones in the Bay. The “perfect” water temperature for stripers is around 68 degrees, but perfect conditions are rare. Fish are cold-blooded, so they’re more likely to be active in water that keeps them warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Sometimes stripers congregate near underwater structure, at other times they travel in schools out in the open bay, but they always prefer specific depth zones which vary depending on the time of year.
![waht was patterno f settlement in chessapeake bay waht was patterno f settlement in chessapeake bay](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c1/70/d7/c170d76d2b15ca97696ad3d5aa865d62.jpg)
Two very important factors to consider when looking for fish in the Chesapeake Bay are water temperature and salinity. While no one really knows what fish think, it’s usually possible to predict where they might be located based on climatic conditions and the time of year. It’s sometimes said that good fishermen think like a fish.
![Trina smarky mark](https://loka.nahovitsyn.com/238.jpg)