Dumping Christmas Trees

[PeterF]

With the holiday season here, the curbsides will be filled with Christmas trees. I plan on dumping a few in my lake (backyard). What's the best way of keeping the trees from floating away  :-[? I heard that some should be upright and others should be layed down.

Should they be placed close to drop offs, near shore lines, in deap water...? Any help would be great.

Thanks

[Fishin Phil]

Concrete blocks are cheap and heavy.  Get creative with them and some cord.  I'm not sure the placement matters to much because the point is to create a new habitat.  I wouldn't drop them in a water depth you don't feel comfortable fishing in.

[flechero]

I've always used old buckets (as forms)  and concrete... 1 bag for every 2 trees.    I figure the concrete holds the trunk better and longer then some rope.

Even if they are all upright, it's better than what was there before Christmas.  

[Tom Bass]

I would let the trees dry out and drop off most of the needles before sinking them.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

I have also heard that pines give off an odor or chemical when they are decaying in the water. Not sure of the truth behind that statement.

[llPa1nll]

I remember vaguely Denny Brauer commenting, that he doesnt profess about sinking Christmas Trees for brush piles. He uses and recommends using hardwood trees/limbs or Cyprus.

Making Brushpiles

For my brushpiles I prefer to use the limbs of hardwood trees. Though they aren't as thick as cedars, they provide ample cover and are easier to work with.

Always look for branches that provide both horizontal and vertical cover: do not make gigantic piles. Two or three good-sized branches usually are enough, with rough dimensions of about 3 feet by 5 feet.

Concrete blocks work great for weighting, but large rocks will do the job too. Just attach the weights to the branches with a large wire tie or some twine.

I hope this helps.

[FIN-S-R]

There is a fellow I fish a gainst regulary, and he is the king of the brush pile as a far as Ive seen. He uses cinder blocks to sink cedars and christmas trees. Now here is what sets him apart. He uses weed trimmer line to tie the blocks to the trees, you wont hang up on the twine like you can w/ rope, and its cheaper and more durable that using electrical wire. Also, he doesnt like cedar or juniperous type trees for brush piles in their natural state because they are too "thick" to fish effectively. So he trims circles around the trees such that you have an area of dense branches folowed by an open lane and then dense again and open again...well you get the idea. He has won lots of money doing this. Also, He emphasizes location, if there is brush around, he doesnt waste time putting "his own" brush out. He only puts brush in areas that are relatively free of brush, and only in these areas if they hold fish, and then not a bunch in 1 spot...LMB are territorial. You cant magically turn sterile water into a slug fest by dumping some wood in the h2o. The main point he harps on is that the brush must be closely relating to an edge, like a breakline or dock, or bridge, or steep bank. Im starting to get the hang of this, but its harder than you might think to get a brush pile to sit correctly on a ledge or under a dock. I dont mark my BPs anymore w/ bottles or anything, I just GPS em, and its usually good enough to get em' located w/i a few minutes using a DD22. Oh, and no-ski bouys are super spots for suspending BPs. Just tie up to the bottum of the bouy and put your block on the bottum of the tree. You will create a cover feature that almost no-one else will ever fish...just dont let the lake patrol catch you doing it. I generally go a more leagal route w/ suspending BPs, I will use a H2O bottle tied to the top and  the block on bottum. These generally last only a few months though.

[PeterF]

Thanks for the tips. I'll keep you guys posted and sent some pics of the process.

[Other.]

I have also heard that pines give off an odor or chemical when they are decaying in the water. Not sure of the truth behind that statement.

\That is a true statement. I have also heard that some pine needles can be poison to some small fish.

[Valascus]

I don't have any problem with sinking brushpiles, but sinking Christmas trees may not be a great idea. Most Christmas trees you buy from the local tree lot are pumped full of chemical preservatives to help prolong their lush green appearance. Those chemicals can't be good for the water or the aquatic life that inhabits it. If you are gonna sink Christmas trees, I would let all the needles fall off and let it dry up as much as possible before dumping it.

[FIN-S-R]

The chems are algae food (organic chems) which makes bait food which makes fish food.

[Matt Fly]

Xmas trees have been sunk before most of us were born.     Xmas trees offer smaller bait a chance to hide in the denser limbs, thus crappie love Xmas trees and so do bass, but don't take my word for it, just look at fishing reports from good lakes that are void of timber and vegitation.

Hit the docks with Xmas trees tied off them.       If chemicals are a worry, look at all the lakes houses that fertilize their yards and think of the run off from those properties back into the lake.

A mixure of brush is always a good choice, brush that extends vertical and horizontal makes good habitat.

Matt

[Hookem]

I have sunk a few on a lake around here that is devoid of any cover except boat docks. (Travis, Matt ) I have sunk them in the morning and found fish on them by lunch time. 8-)

[orey10m]

My friend and I always talk about sinking some brushpiles,  because we usually catch fish on brush piles. Whether natural or man-made, we know they hold fish.

Its really funny though cause everytime we talk about sinking one, we get distracted or don't really think we have the best materials or whatever. So we say, "oh, we'll just wait till we get some good wood and cement ," lol. I'm glad about this thread though because it answered some of the other questions we have. I still have a question though, how do yall transport the wood to the spot on the water? Just put your limbs and junk in your boat, launch it, and take off?

[volpster31]

i round up all the trees in my neighborhood every year & i use cinderblocks or a bucket & concrete to weigh them down....

I DO let the needles fall off completely before dropping them in because  christmas trees are sprayed with a chemical to keep them fresh & green longer.that cant be good for atracting fish or the enviroment...if youve ever thrown a tree onto a fire, you know there sprayed with something the way they go up in flames.....  

[Hookem]

Another thing.....

Be sure it is lawful to dump trees/whatever into your lakes.

Its actually illegal to add them to Corp lakes without a permit.

[5bass]

If I am sinking xmas trees out deep on points or sinking a few together in the same spot I will have them standing.Any time I sink one by itself on a flat or in shallower water I lay it down.

I always hear people say the things about the pine needles and this and that but evidently the fish around here dont listen to all that stuff.The trees I sink are always in the water for 3-4 months before I even mess with fishing them and I cant tell that the needles or chemicals are a factor.

[Glenn]

These articles should help you!

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/bass_structure.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/tree_structure.html

Enjoy!

[PeterF]

Great articles. Good food for thought.