Without places for baitfish to reproduce, hide and feed, we don't have game fish hanging near the shoreline. Often, deep reservoirs contain open water fish. The baitfish that survive are the species that prefer open water. However, even largemouth can adapt to deep, open water. We can fit lakes into three main categories.
Oligotrophic lakes are deep, cold and infertile with rocky shorelines.
These are your trout lakes, but all gamefish will survive in these waters, but with slow growth rates. Mesotrophic lakes have medium fertility and are my favorite to fish. Food and structure are abundant. The habitat is varied with deep water near shallow coves. Sand and gravel abound.