Hello everyone, I have a few questions about man made "Brush Piles". 

 

There is a private 110 +/- acre lake that I fish that I would like to add some cover to ( I have permission). The lake is super clean and has a nice sandy bottom, no moss or grass and few lily pads.  The lake tops out at about 14-15 feet at it's deepest areas and contains a decent amount of structure,  humps, Drop offs, small ledges etc. 

 

There are several large brush piles already in the lake (about 6).  However I feel as if they aren't in the greatest locations but I do catch fish off of them.

 

Here are my questions what should I use as "brush" and how do I sink it?

 

There are a ton of shad in this lake that get stocked regularly, and I believe to some degree these bass roam around with the shad.  There is a section of the lake that is basically a gently sloping flat in 10-12 foot of water but it is basically no man's land.  No cover, structure, stumps etc.  Do you think if I drop some brush in this area of the lake I could possibly have some new fish holding locations?

 

I would want to keep the piles as compact as possible.

 

Suggestions, tips, advice?

Wait until the end of December and use Christmas trees. The dnr used to do that in a few local lakes here but I don't think they do anymore. 

You will have to use something like concrete blocks and cable to sink and hold most stuff.  Sycamore will sink without any added weight.

I would place fallen hardwoods on prime structure . It will draw the fish and be much easier to fish than  pines or cedar .

You mention "brush-piles" in your post, but vegetation decomposes over time,

providing a reef with a truncated lifespan (In about 3 years, a softwood brush pile will be sharply degraded).

No matter which reef material you choose, you're still going to be undertaking the ambitious tasks

of loading, hauling and scuttling heavyweight material. So you might as well choose a durable material 

that will at least outlive the founder 

 

DNRs, clubs and individuals have all gotten away from vegetable reefs and replaced them with

long-lasting mineral reefs. Examples of long-lived reef materials include cement blocks, PVC tubing,

concrete rubble from demolished roads or bridges, and the list goes on.

 

Roger

 

i have sunk a million Christmas trees. they will last a few years but thats about it. use hardwoods if you can, they will last longer. whatever you use, place your brush on, or near, some kind of structure, instead of gambling in no mans land. cement blocks are relatively inexpensive and weigh around 35 lbs each. a 100' roll of electric fence wire costs a couple bucks. git r done

Agree on using hardwoods. Cedars don't last long and once they start to break down there's not much left in the way of a log. A big hardwood limb or good sized tree can last for much longer. 

If you're ambitious just make your own.

The Internet is loaded with how to videos useing pvc pipes and other materials.

 

A friend of mine used Christmas trees on a private lake and 2 years later it was just a pile of debris.

 

 

 

 

 

Mike 

 

 

 

My daughter and son in law have a small lake right behind their house, flat bottom, no structure to speak of, 4-5 feet deep for 95% of it.  He put his two Christmas trees just off shore behind the house, about 20 feet out, in 4 feet of water. We caught 5 bass around those trees in about 10 minutes.  All of the them were 2-3 pounds which is bigger than average in there. 

I have made good cover out of old wood pallets .

I used to fish a small lake and there was an old timer that would always catch some good ones when others would only be catching dinks.

He told me he drops 5 or 6 rocks on the same drop-off everytime he goes out.

 

He then said he goes out 75-100 times a year and has been doing it for over 20 years. 

 

So maybe another idea to add some structure that will last over time.

 

If you have the money to invest, get the artificial "brush" that promotes bio-growth and is good for the environment.  It won't rot and they are designed to minimize losing lures in them.  I like the ones featured in this video.

 

 

https://goo.gl/images/CqR6R4

These look interesting. Called Kansas fish attractors? PVC will last forever. The pvc is filled with gravel or concrete on these.

Their is some argument on being able to find pvc with electronics. Can be good and bad.

Sand it, or rough it up first to help algae and such grow.

Also, look on crappie.com, they have a sub forum dedicated to sinking stuff. You'll find out about location, and types of materials. 

Making concrete forms, to make weights, is easy. Cheaper than buying blocks.

pine trees, they're xmas trees on steroids.

Are you looking to use them to fish on or to provide the cover needed for bass fry to increase their' survival rate?

There are lots of ideas on YouTube forcreating your own fish attractors. Here are just a couple. 

 

 

 

you can always use garden hoes and old five gallon bucket with rocks..