Houens Odde

When mussels fix themselves to the seabed, it often occurs in places with current and good water flow, so nutrients and food options will come to them. Mussels are good indicators of life, and it’s often near them you’ll find hunting sea trout. Besides creating banks and reefs that provide other fish with conditions of life, the mussels also clean the water, and that has a huge impact on coastal water quality and fauna.

In many fishing spots, large areas of the bottom are covered in sand, and often the coastal angler will skip these areas since they don’t seem like much. However, it’s worth considering that many small fish like sand eel and sprat often migrate across the sand bottom, and they have sea trout and other predatory fish chasing them. On days with waves, unclear water, or dimmed lighting, you’ll likely find predatory fish in these areas. The sandy areas along the deeper water or close to dark areas can be true sea trout magnets.

Even though walking around on rocks along the coast may feel annoying, it’s often a good indicator of the presence of optimal bottom conditions for the sea trout and its food options. Everything from pebble to huge chunks of granite provides cover for sand hoppers, shrimp, and small fish. If there are waves, these food options are easily whirled up into the water column. A rocky bottom can be good all year round, but especially so during the cold months with few food options in the deeper water. A rocky bottom at a good depth also attracts other predatory fish such as cod and garfish.

Along with the eelgrass, bladder wrack is the most prevalent aquatic plant along the Danish shores. This seaweed attaches itself to smooth surfaces such as rocks, gravel, and other variations on the bottom. The bladder wrack is a good hiding place for food options and fish. Bottom conditions with bladder wrack are good indicators of fish being nearby.

The muddy and soft bottoms are often found in inlets, fjords, and brackish areas where outflow from rivers or drainage canals has transported sediment for many years. At the right times of year, these areas offer some fantastic fishing. From late fall till spring, the soft bottoms tend to be where the sea trout, for instance, can easily find food such as bristle worm, goby, and shrimp, since this type of bottom is a good heat insulator during winter.