These living trees offer more options for habitat than dead trees. Insects, small animals, snakes, lizards and other animals live in the above water areas of the tree. These trees offer a lot of things to eat below the water, also. Shad, bream, minnows and other baitfish as well crawfish offer a variety of food for bass to munch on too. The size of the tree is also a factor in determining the fish holding potential of a cypress tree.
Small trees are bushy and have limbs in the water.
These are good bass habitat during a high water situation, providing cover in the limbs. Medium size trees have good size roots systems as well as limbs that may hang low to the water offering shade as well as cover for bass away from the trunk of the tree. Also, the limbs harbor insects and other creatures important to the food chain. Large trees have trunks with large indentations, offering a place for large and small fish to hide. Also these large trees have massive root systems and provide much shade from the large limbs.