# Sinking brush piles



## hailtothethief (Jan 18, 2017)

So what do you guys do for cover for your blue gill and crappie? This is just a branch with a cinder block attached to it. When the ice melts it will sink and the pop bottle will identify its location.


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## mach1cj (Apr 11, 2004)

we used old Xmas trees tied to a couple concrete blocks.


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## 1BigIcehole (Nov 19, 2015)

This is what i have. Some trees and then some buckets with irrigation tubing that won't break down.


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

I use copper wire when sinking trees , and a block. they,ve been there 30yrs,


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## hailtothethief (Jan 18, 2017)

Christmas is over so not sure about xmas trees.

Do you put rocks in the buckets to sink them? It looks like they still have the top on. They’d sink upside down. I ‘ll try the buckets with tubing

I used rope instead of copper wire . Plan on removing the branches in the fall. I’ll add new next year .


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## 1BigIcehole (Nov 19, 2015)

hailtothethief said:


> Christmas is over so not sure about xmas trees.
> 
> Do you put rocks in the buckets to sink them? It looks like they still have the top on. They’d sink upside down. I ‘ll try the buckets with tubing
> 
> I used rope instead of copper wire . Plan on removing the branches in the fall. I’ll add new next year .


Yes, I put quarter size stone in half of bucket, cut hole in sides to let little fry in to hang inside. I got this idea off of youtube, look under brush piles for pond.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

looks like your water bottle marker is going to get tangled in the branches when it sinks


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## hailtothethief (Jan 18, 2017)

Yeah it was really vicious wind the other day. Blew the bottles all over


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## ufaquaoiler (Jan 14, 2010)

i got all the old christmas trees i wanted from a lawn company that was just going to burn them anyways. tie to a cinder block and sink them was all i did and 10 years later theyre in the same spot. as for your water bottles, perhaps half fill them with water and place away from the branches so they dont blow over and get tangled but still float when the ice melts.

ive also done rock piles for cover with great success too. one of the farms i hunted had an old barn the lady didnt want anymore anyways and a tornado took it down for free. she told me to take all the busted up cement that i wanted so i sunk multiple truck loads in a spot id remember. id have to imagine you could find a farm with a random junk pile and they would probably be happy for someone to get rid of some of said junk pile for free. if not, cinder blocks at lowes are maybe $1.50 each


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## hailtothethief (Jan 18, 2017)

Ive given some thought to rock piles, but if i want to remove it it will be hard. I’ll prob stick with light stuff like plastic and tree branches that i can move easily if i want.


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## fisherman 2 (Dec 29, 2012)

what would be nice is for the chrs trees to stand upright...


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## Willyfield (Apr 1, 2007)

It seems like Christmas trees only last a few years. I sunk some 5 years ago and all that is left is the main trunk and the cinderblock. I have now been using hardwood branches sunk with sandbags.


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## Eyegagger (Jan 13, 2018)

Are you putting those in public or private Lakes? I do not know but I have heard that there could be steep fines and possibly prosecution involved with sinking brush piles in public and state-owned lakes or ponds? I'd really like to know the truth of this matter as I would love to put some brush piles and brick piles in my favorite fishing holes. My buddy and I were just talking about this today on the ice while fishing. If anyone knows about this matter some information would be greatly appreciated, thank you. And good luck fishing your structures it looks great!


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## hailtothethief (Jan 18, 2017)

I dont know the legality of sinking brush piles on public lakes. I know some straight shooters who dropped brush piles on lake erie in their spots. 

Really its habitat for the fish. Dont see how it would hurt. Given how neglected a lot of lakes are it could be an improvement. One of my old spots is land locked and needs drudged. Nobodies going to do it. Nobody goes back there to drop brush piles any more.


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## Eyegagger (Jan 13, 2018)

I totally agree with you hailtothethief no one is going to do it for us. I guess that's just the chance I'll have to take if I want to add any type of habitat or structures to my favorite fishing holes. My friend recommended that our group of guys take a couple bricks with us every time we go out to a certain spot , for the bait fish to School up around ,which in turn, I believe would keep the walleye around as . I'm I'm sure you'll notice an increase in the fish around your structures as well! Anyway good luck and Fish on!


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## 1BigIcehole (Nov 19, 2015)

1BigIcehole said:


> This is what i have. Some trees and then some buckets with irrigation tubing that won't break down.


I looked outside yesterday and somebody stole all of my pond structure.


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## Doboy (Oct 13, 2008)

"buckets with irrigation tubing,,, (ANYTHING) that won't break down."

If you swim, dive or snorkel,,,, & CHECK the condition of those 'TREES' after a few years, you would NOT use them.

I say,,,, Do not use anything that eventually makes MORE MUCK ON THE BOTTOM!
If you guys would dive down 10'-30' & see the 3' of BLACK GASEOUS MUCK, that now completely coats the bottom of our club's pristine limestone quarries, You would totally understand where I'm coming from. The snails, crabs, & mussels are GONE! 
No visible rock, on the bottom anywhere.
Thanks


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## SJB (Mar 22, 2017)

Doboy said:


> "buckets with irrigation tubing,,, (ANYTHING) that won't break down."
> 
> If you swim, dive or snorkel,,,, & CHECK the condition of those 'TREES' after a few years, you would NOT use them.
> 
> ...



Not a water biologist, but wouldn't you think the muck is more from run off going into the pond vs decomposing material? It would seem it would take a lot of decomposing material to coat the bottom of a lake in 3' of muck. Thoughts?


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## Doboy (Oct 13, 2008)

"Not a water biologist"?

Yep, same here. Dumber than a stone,,,,,,,,,,,,
*I would just love to 'hear' A biologist describe these 'situations' properly! ;>)*

Through the years, I've seen 2 MAJOR mistakes take place;
The big #1 mistake) NEVER clearing back thousands of trees,,,,,, & the PLANTING of honeysuckle type brush, all along the shoreline. BAD,BAD, BAD board decisions. "save a tree mentality!"

2) 'PLANTING' *foreign grasses* in a 95% stagnant type strip-pit that's SO CLEAR, that those 'grasses' over-flourished,,,, & were able to grow down to the 30' bottom! 

Imagine that,,,, weeds & grasses growing to 30' down, & STILL so thick at the surface that a BOAT couldn't power through! Wall to Wall!
(I figure Thousands of truckloads of CRAP. figure a 250 acre lake, x 20' deep average, = How many cubic ft???? All that Settling to the bottom each winter!? now TIMES 50 YEARS!) omg,,

Our camping gang would actually get together for a long 3 day weekend, & HAND RAKE & carry truckloads of weeds, branches & decaying leaves out of the small shallow swimming area. 
The BLACK DECAYING MUCK followed. It was even hard/ sickening to breath in,,, when the gasses were released from the muck!

A #3 mistake,,,,, Never build your swimming beach on the EAST side of your lake/ pond. 
EVERYTHING that's in, or NEAR, falls into the water & will eventually end up on your beach!

lol,,,, 'OUR BOARD' (another bad decision in my mind) actually paid near $30,000 to have a diving 'crew' suck up & pump out multiple FEET of MUCK! 
In two years, you couldn't even tell they were there!



MOF,,, I just met an old club-member friend, who use'ta dive down to the bottom, & STORE HIS BEER IN THE HUGE, SUPER-COLD WHITE-BLUE WATER,,,, the *'VOID-OF-LIFE' GAS 'PUDDLES'*, that were stationary on the bottom*. (HEY biologist,,, please describe this situation properly?) *Like swimming in a HYDROGEN FILLED DEEP FREEZER! Everything in it was dead.
Wish I had some underwater pictures for ya.

Anyway,,,, I started diving there,,,, say 1968. It was a hard rocky bottom in A beautiful 30' deep water limestone strip mine. HUGE DUMP TRUCKS, previously ran across the hard bottom.
Maybe 90% spring fed,,,,, clear, clean, tested drinkable water. 
I was able to flip over rocks & catch a multitude of crabs, snails, salamanders & hundreds of fresh-water mussels,,,,,, 
NOT no more.

Hey Gary,,, now it's your turn to 'chime-in'! 
Care to reiterate? 
( lol,,, I can't even believe I spelt that right!)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_aeration

*How to Remove Odor from Lakes, Ponds, Rivers ... - CLEAN-FLO*
https://www.clean-flo.com/drinking.../trihalomethanes-geosmin-hydrogen-sulfide-odo...
Jan 2, 2010 - To reduce _the_ geosmin, trihalomethanes, chloramines and bad taste and odor in drinking water, _the_ first step must be to remove blue green algae from _the_ water reservoirs. To control _hydrogen_ sulfide and bad odor from _lakes_, ponds, rivers, reservoirs and wastewater, both blue green algae (cyanobacteria) ...
Missing: puddles
*Seasonal Changes in Ponds and Lakes | Vertex Water Features*
https://www.vertexwaterfeatures.com/seasonal-changes-in-ponds-and-lakes
Cooler autumn temperatures reduce _the_ energy required to mix _lakes_, allowing complete _lake_ turnover to occur. This mixes nutrients and gasses (like smelly _hydrogen_ sulfide) from _the_ summer hypolimnion throughout _the_ water column. Mixing of _the lake_ increases oxygen by exposing a greater volume of water to _the_ ...
Missing: puddles
*Aerobic Bacteria: Nature's Rapid Muck Digesters - Lake Savers*
lake-savers.com/aerobic-bacteria-natures-rapid-muck-digesters/
Mar 22, 2013 - In essence, these enzymes give _the_ bacteria a “jump start” in digesting _lake_-bottom muck. Clean & Clear also reduces odor caused by toxic gases from pathogenic (disease-type) bacteria, including _hydrogen_ sulfide, ammonia, amines and mercaptans. Clean & Clear provides _the_ following benefits:.


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