Reef Ball Foundation Photos and Project Description Database

Outdoor notebook Artificial reefs hold real promise for bay anglers By Bill Burton So much in fishing is artificial these days: Artificial flies, artificial baitfish, even artificial nightcrawlers, bloodworms, crabs, squid, eels; you name it and it can be poured into plastic molds. The phonies are sufficiently realistic that if worked properly they attract fish to the hook. And, then there are artificial reefs, man-made fish attractants, a place where smaller marine life prospers, smaller fish go to feed - and in turn bigger fish go to eat them. In the Chesapeake and its tributaries, artificial reefs have been around for probably a couple of centuries or more, beginning when man dumped things into the water, sometimes just to get rid of them or perhaps in hopes that things stuffed on the bottom would create uneven contours that would attract fish. Artificial reefs are relief from natural flat and even bottoms - in such instances, there is little natural structure where small fish can escape larger predatory fish. The baitfish are fair game, out in the open, with no place to hide.