Man made Cover

[BiggerWorm]

Because its the dead of winter and the fish aren't too active around here, I'm thinking of putting some cover (brush piles) in our local lake to create hot spots for this summer.  What are some man-made cover that you have created to attract fish and what were the results?

[Jake.]

At a local pond I made a big rockpile and a few brushpiles when the water was down because of the drought. I've caught some fish off them.

[Thefishy1]

Mostly christmas trees, tree tops, and sometimes rocks. Although rock is mostly better for shallow water, because it is easier to place there. In the pond that I fish, I can go to the christmas trees and catch fish every single time no problem, but it all depends on placement of the brush. If you place trees on the ends or middle of points the fish will probably move into it, but if you dont put it where the fish already are then you might as well have not put it there.

In other words I use brush to position fish to be easier to find, instead of fish being scattered throughout the end of a point, the brushpile would draw them to a more concentrated area.

[Brian_Reeves]

At one place back home I made an underwater "bridge".  I piled rocks up about 3 ft, laid a piece of driftwood that was 4-5ft long onto another rock pile.  Caught a few good fish there.  It probably isn't there anymore though.

[Joe. S]

This is a tricky situation to me, I had a really good spot on a ledge it was a corner of it at one end, where the ledge was 12-13 ft for probably 200 yds and right at the corner it went up to about 10 ft and had nice rocks on it. I caught a lot of nice fish of it. I figured I would juice up the spot some by dumping a nice tree  top down there, Unfortunatley since putting that tree down there my success has declined drastically.

[Guest muddy]

I got permission to put a pile of cinder blocks and some tree stumps from the shore of a stripping pit we fish, can't wait to see if it works. Gonna slide it out onto the ice soon, then when it melts it will be in about 12 ft or watern next to a ledge and a steep drop off!

[dale]

It is well known that the smaller the branch, the smaller fish it will hold.

A christmas tree will hold bluegills and crappie.

A oak tree will hold bass

A bass will feed on the christmas tree where ever you plant it but will "live" next to a single log if placed right.

[Brian_Reeves]

This is a tricky situation to me, I had a really good spot on a ledge it was a corner of it at one end, where the ledge was 12-13 ft for probably 200 yds and right at the corner it went up to about 10 ft and had nice rocks on it. I caught a lot of nice fish of it. I figured I would juice up the spot some by dumping a nice tree top down there, Unfortunatley since putting that tree down there my success has declined drastically.

Sometimes while leaves and stuff like that is in decay, it will actually deoxygenate the water for awhile, causing productivity to go down.  If you did this just recently, wait for all the acids, leaves, sap, and all of that to break down.  Might take awhile, but you should get back to normal.  If it has been awhile, then either the fish may have moved elsewhere (winter haunts) or that tree top is cursed  :-?

[Guest avid]

Just yesterday i saw a guy with a load of christmas trees in the back of his pickup.

I soooooooooooooooooo wanted to see where he was going to put em.

I expect he was building a brushpile in his favorite lake.

At least I hope that was what he was doing.  

As a kid my friends and I would gather up christmas trees and bring them to an empty lot where we would burn them.  great fun.

one year we really got a lot of them.  I mean it was a mountain of disgarded christmas tress.  

We set a fire that looked like the california wildfires.  I mean this sucker was HUGE>     The fire dept came and we scattered but the flames were so high I could still them from my upstairs window about 2 blocks away.

Man those were good times.............for a kid.  :-/

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

Just yesterday i saw a guy with a load of christmas trees in the back of his pickup.

I soooooooooooooooooo wanted to see where he was going to put em.

I expect he was building a brushpile in his favorite lake.

At least I hope that was what he was doing.  

As a kid my friends and I would gather up christmas trees and bring them to an empty lot where we would burn them.  great fun.

one year we really got a lot of them.  I mean it was a mountain of disgarded christmas tress.  

We set a fire that looked like the california wildfires.  I mean this sucker was HUGE>     The fire dept came and we scattered but the flames were so high I could still them from my upstairs window about 2 blocks away.

Man those were good times.............for a kid.  :-/

LOL The things we used to do to amuse ourselves when we were younger ,eh?

[RoLo]

Although Christmas trees are readily available and free of charge, their effective lifespan can be very disappointing. While the trunks will last for a few years, the foliage (needles) wastes away at a fairly rapid rate. I really don't believe that Xmas-tree reefs are worth the effort, and hauling coniferous trees in a boat IS a major project.

On the other hand, manmade reefs of Cinder Blocks and 4 Slotted Corrugated Pipe (from Lowes) will last indefinitely. The possible configurations are limited only by your imagination, I've seen some pretty clever designs (hidey holes). To get the best return for your effort, situate the reef on the ledge of a drop-off. Depending on the lake involved, the depth of the reef is critical, and the impact of drought must be factored into the placement depth.

Roger

[Fisher of Men]

Rolo,  

You make good points about decay of brush.  I find your method intriguing, but would like a better description of the "4 inch corrugated pipe" at Lowes.  Perhaps I have lack of vision this morning, but all I can see is pieces of gutter stuck in cinder blocks.  Could you explain or provide a link to this "corrugated pipe"?

-Fisher

[RoLo]

Could you explain or provide a link to this "corrugated pipe"?

No problem

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=24137-124-HDPLI040100&lpage=none

Roger

[surfer]

, but if you dont put it where the fish already are then you might as well have not put it there.

I can back that statement up. I didn't know where the hot spots were in my lake so i drug a big orange tree out to the middle where no one would find it but me. I thought this would create a hot spot. I have since found some hot spots that have lots of fish. It's been 8 months and I have been to the tree 3 times with no results. :'(

The tree and my best hot spot are only 200yrds apart.

[RoLo]

It's been 8 months and I have been to the tree 3 times with no results. The tree and my best hot spot are only 200yrds apart.

First, let me applaud your honesty 8-)

The next time, try placing your manmade reef on the top ledge of a depth drop-off, where the ledge occurs at the optimal catch-depth.

In a northern impoundment that might be 15 feet deep or more, but in a natural Floridian lake it may only be 4 ft deep (during low water).

Roger

[surfer]

in a natural Floridian lake it may only be 4 ft deep.

I am considering relocating the tree. But its 8 ft tall while lying on its side. This is a public ski lake so I must keep the top of it 4 ft below surface during drought. That's 12 ft of water minimum that it needs to be located in during drought. During full lake times it would be in 15 ft deep water with 7 ft of water on top of it. It may be another 6 months before I come up with a new suitable location.

Maybe I should trim some branches so I can get it in shallower water.

[Catt]

Y'all are aware that conifers (Christmas) trees contain turpentine which isn't exactly a fish attractant. I've fished Toledo Bend since 1972 when there were still trees with leaves on them; the last trees to hold fish were the conifers. Every Crappie angler on the Bend sets out brush piles and every last one of them use hard woods of some kind with willow being the #1 choice.

One would ask why place brush pile on the Bend when it's already full of trees? The smaller branches have long since rotted away leaving only the branches in the 2 diameter are larger. Adding trees with small braches offer hiding places for minnows and other small bait fish which in turn attacks large fish. When I fish boat dock I usually don't target the dock itself but rather look for signs that show the owners are crappie anglers insuring a brush pile is within casting distance.

[BiggerWorm]

While on the subject of man made cover.  Has anyone spoken with a DNR rep about placing cover in public waters?  Do they minds us doing it?  To be honest with you guys I usually place my brush piles at night so they can't see me, at least when not using night goggles.

[burleytog]

Could you explain or provide a link to this "corrugated pipe"?

No problem

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=24137-124-HDPLI040100&lpage=none

Roger

I would opt for this instead.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=24129-124-CD321040100&lpage=none

[detroit1]

I have always wanted to place some fish magnets in some of the lakes i fish, but in the state of michigan, you cannot put anything in the water. I guess i'll have to wait for a tree to blow down in the water and drag it out to a suitable place...

[TruflShufl]

While on the subject of man made cover.  Has anyone spoken with a DNR rep about placing cover in public waters?  Do they minds us doing it?  To be honest with you guys I usually place my brush piles at night so they can't see me, at least when not using night goggles.

Same thing I'm wondering...  :-?

[Guest muddy]

I wrote the PA DNR, and yes they do. It requires a permit. All their concerns were legit: Navigation obstruction, chemical pollutants leeching out of certain types of wood, parasite and other biologiacl contaminants. They have to inspect both what you are putting in and where you are putting it basically to get the permit

[Tpayneful]

I know from experience that you need to put a bunch of holes in the corrugated pipe if you use it.  I tried to sink some and it was very difficult to get the whole thing to fill up with water.  I had to take my pocket knife and punch a bunch of holes in it to get it to sink.  Burlizzle has posted a better version that has big holes in it.

Whenever I hear about a tree falling I stop by and pickup the braches.  I tie them up into 4' by 2' bundles.  I attach two cinderblocks to the bundles and sink them.  I also save my Christmas trees and sink them.  I have caught fish off of all six of my brush piles at one point or another.  It has worked well for me.

I am thinking about tying 5 car tires together and sinking them.  I would have to drill holes in them to ensure that they sunk.  It would be easier than the brush piles and I could get a bunch of them for free.  I don't know if I would have to weight them down though.  

[surfer]

I don't think car tires would be good.  They are considered Hazardous Waste.  Authorities would surely have a problem with it if they saw you.