Anyone doing a Christmas tree brushpile this year?

[LCpointerKILLA]

When I get back to Florida me and my buddy are going to start looking for Christmas trees. I think we will put them on top of the brushpile we made last year, and sink them with cinderblocks tied to em. Hopefully some bass will start to congregate around the pile once it's bigger with these new trees, because last years holds no fish.

[Rebel Angler]

my granda said that'd be a good idea...thinkin about tryin that myself

[ttufishinman]

I know a guy from around here that goes out and sinks cinderblocks in big piles and in one of them he has over 400 blocks on one pile. he says that he catches a 6 pounder on it atleast once a month and i know he wins a lot of tournaments off his piles. i have no idea where his pile is but ive thought about doing it myself woldnt hurt to try.

[Sam]

If memory serves me right, there are differences among Christmas trees and you need to sink the correct ones to attract bass.

I think we discussed this issue last year so please consider searching the site for Christmas trees to see if you can find it.

Be sure to give us a follow up this summer on your results. 

[fishfordollars]

I will sink a couple. They are not really piles though. Mine are set up like fence post leading to a spot I currently like to fish. They are more effective for me that way.

[Bassnajr]

You are right Sam...

I think the discussion went towards staying away from X-mas trees because of the way the branches are (Too close together I think??)

I am thinking about pallets with cinder blocks on all four corners. Then fastening downed limbs off of that horizontal and vertical. It helps that all the ponds here are frozen solid!! Bring your stuff out on the ice, set it up, and leave it for the Spring!!

AJR

[cart7t]

You'll want to stick with Balsam fir type trees as the branches are more spread out.  Christmas trees don't tend to last long in my experience, most are falling apart by the 3rd or 4th year and gone by the 6th or 7th and those are good examples.  Cedar or hardwoods are the better way to go.

Make sure you remove any tinsel that was on the tree. 

[LCpointerKILLA]

I will sink a couple. They are not really piles though. Mine are set up like fence post leading to a spot I currently like to fish. They are more effective for me that way.

interesting.

I might try something different this year with them. Even though the branches are too close for a big bass to settle in for cover, hopefully it will still attract baitfish. Last years pile sucked I think because of it's location. This time we are going to do it in about 8 feet of water off this large point that holds fish.

[topwater.va]

You could cut large pockets in the branches.

[fishfordollars]

I will sink a couple. They are not really piles though. Mine are set up like fence post leading to a spot I currently like to fish. They are more effective for me that way.

interesting.

I might try something different this year with them. Even though the branches are too close for a big bass to settle in for cover, hopefully it will still attract baitfish. Last years pile sucked I think because of it's location. This time we are going to do it in about 8 feet of water off this large point that holds fish.

You need the deeper water nearby. I set mine up out deeper and work my way up the deeper side of a hump. Works for me. Place then 15-20' apart. I don't place them in a straight line either. Just zig zag them up the side out of the channel.

[Gangley]

I am throwing my tree in a small lake that I fish in, but not for the bass to use.  There is so much structure in this lake that throwing a tree in it won't really be of any benifit for the bass in terms of them having something to hide around.  All of the structure is fallen trees, stumps, logs, etc. with no branches.  I am throwing it in there hoping that the baitfish will use it as dense cover to hide from predators because there is no other really dense cover for them to hide in.  I am placing it close to a structure point that I know the bass hang around occasionally and I am expecting the bait fish will draw the bass to the area in larger numbers.  Who knows, I could be completely wrong in this approach, but I figure if i can attract the baitfish to it, the bass will come in time.

[angler1]

My club will be doing one as we do every year. One of our members works for the NJ Dpt. of Fish and Wildlife and he ends up doing several lakes.

[Glenn]

We have several articles on this very subject:

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

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

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/brush-pile.html

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

[Bud]

Don't use cedar trees.   They will not last and they are so thick you cannot fish then without getting hung up.  It is better to use a hard wood like Oak.  Or better yet use some Porcupine Attractors. 

Be sure to check with the local D&R

[BUCKEYEone]

My wife may be ticked off if I throw our expensive fake tree in the lake! I'll tell her BR made me do it

[Thai]

My wife may be ticked off if I throw our expensive fake tree in the lake! I'll tell her BR made me do it

Who says the old gal has to know? :

[seyone]

My club will be doing one as we do every year. One of our members works for the NJ Dpt. of Fish and Wildlife and he ends up doing several lakes.

Does your friend work out of Trenton or is he from a field office?

[RobE]

My wife may be ticked off if I throw our expensive fake tree in the lake! I'll tell her BR made me do it

Who says the old gal has to know? :

Who said she was old? Oh man... t r o u b l e is right around the corner.  :-X

[clipper]

If you didn't catch fish off the brush pile last year I would try a new location.  It should be near or on some bottom feature such as a channel edge or bend, point, grassline, hump or other feature.  Somewhere you would naturally expect bass or baitfish to be.  I have had better success when I put out several trees in one location.  Good luck and good fishing.