Questions on brush piles for dock
Jan 10, 2021 17:22:46 #
I'm looking for anyone with experience in building and sinking brush piles. I will be making one to go down by the dock. Any experience or knowledge is greatly appreciated!
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by dyson2490
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by dyson2490
Jan 10, 2021 18:25:22 #
Dyson2490: While I've never built one personally, I have known of others building a home for crappie.
What they did was to take a Christmas tree, tie on a cinder block, or similair weight and sink it in a likely spot they had chosen to gather minnows and other bait, so crappies would also assemble to catch the minnows. They also baited the site with various or assorted bait for the minnows, such a cattle feed like cotten seed cake, or a bale of vetch hay. This can vary dependng upon your area and what is plentiful for you to use. This might be dog food, cat food, and such. All this needs to be in place for some time, you cannot expect immediate results! Just Sayin...RJS
What they did was to take a Christmas tree, tie on a cinder block, or similair weight and sink it in a likely spot they had chosen to gather minnows and other bait, so crappies would also assemble to catch the minnows. They also baited the site with various or assorted bait for the minnows, such a cattle feed like cotten seed cake, or a bale of vetch hay. This can vary dependng upon your area and what is plentiful for you to use. This might be dog food, cat food, and such. All this needs to be in place for some time, you cannot expect immediate results! Just Sayin...RJS
Jan 10, 2021 19:42:28 #
Check with the local authority if you have one. Did something similar with rocks just off of my dock in NC. Local authority got rather up set with me that i had disturbed the aquatic ecology environment.
Threaten me with fines if they see one more rock.
Threaten me with fines if they see one more rock.
Jan 11, 2021 13:04:03 #
whtoak
Loc: South Carolina
Don't know from experience but I've been told the easiest way is to stand ten or twelve bamboo poles 4-6 ft long up in a paint bucket at different angles, fill it with cement, let it cure, and drop it in the water. I did try sinking a 12 ft fraser fir Christmas tree with 60 lbs of weight once. It floated!
Jan 11, 2021 13:32:16 #
Jan 11, 2021 13:42:44 #
Elmwood21
Loc: Iowa
You can utube how to make crappie beds I know there is one made of pvc pipe not to hard
Jan 11, 2021 13:58:54 #
nitestrike
Loc: Belmont NC
It will take a lot of weight to sink & hold in place. From experience 4 cinder blocks may not be enough weight for a 6’ to 7’ Christmas tree. Bamboo in buckets easier to sink & makes better habitat. Also prefer small dogwood trees or limbs or other hardwood type trees over Christmas trees. For baiting try deer corn it lasts longer, dog or cat food will be gone in a day. Hope this helps.
Jan 11, 2021 14:02:58 #
Nitestrike is probaby correct. I have never made a crappie tree nest. I never thought about the tree floating if not enough weight was used. Also, check your state's regulations. My information about this practice is more than 20 years old and could easily have been "Outlawed" in the meantime. Just Sayin...RJS
Jan 11, 2021 14:28:24 #
nitestrike
Loc: Belmont NC
a fishing buddy & me learned about trees floating one evening while tied up under a bridge crappie fishing some guys came down from the road with Christmas trees & blocks they put 5 or 6 in the water along some riprap that quickly dropped to 15’ or so, 20 minutes later one of the trees floated by us as did the rest, we were amazed! Learned we needed to add a lot more weight than a couple blocks per tree on any we would sink in the future.
Jan 11, 2021 19:58:37 #
FS Digest wrote:
I'm looking for anyone with experience in building and sinking brush piles. I will be making one to go down by the dock. Any experience or knowledge is greatly appreciated!
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by dyson2490
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by dyson2490
Hey d2490, you need to google (cams crappie hole), and check out his video about building his crappie subdivision using concrete block and plastic tubing. I plan on making up about 50 of them this spring and getting them in my lake. You might want to try his method.
Good luck.
MAS fish
Jan 11, 2021 20:31:26 #
DeeJay
Loc: Southwest Virginia
In fall and winter when the lake is at winter pool I drive 1/2 metal fence post on the spot i want to the brush pile to be. When the lake starts to fill in the spring I tie the materal to the post. If no one pulls it out it will stay there several years. If the soil around the post erodes just drive the post deeper. Each year you can add materal to it. I made the mistake of putting one where there was a lot of bank fishing
And someone burned the brush when the water was low. Keep fishing. DEEJAY
And someone burned the brush when the water was low. Keep fishing. DEEJAY
Jan 11, 2021 21:08:14 #
DEEJAY: Maybe you could put up a Warning sign that anyone messing with this will be shot! Just Sayin...:RJS
Jan 12, 2021 11:31:52 #
DeeJay
Loc: Southwest Virginia
Robert J Samples wrote:
DEEJAY: Maybe you could put up a Warning sign that anyone messing with this will be shot! Just Sayin...:RJS
Then i would have to shoot someone. I put the brush in as the lake level starts to rise, dont have a problem with burning anymore, when it's covered if you don't already know where it is other people have a hard time finding it. I very seldom see others fishing there. Another method i see is dock owners attach Christmas trees with a rope to the bottom of the dock, then tie a weight to the bottom of the tree to hold it standing up. Put several around the perimeter it will hold a lot of crappie, just replace the trees as they deterioate. Keep fishing. DEEJAY
Jan 12, 2021 12:02:29 #
Deejay: Well, I don't think you have to shoot to hit your culprit. Often just a bullet singing by one's ear is sufficient warning.
But since you said you seldom see anyone else fishing in your spot, sounds like you are free to experiment with sinking a Christmas tree in the area, or several over a wider area. That way if some dude is on your spot, you can go to one of your other spots.
Also, I mentioned a cinder block, but that isn't required. Any big rock, or several and they would even be cheaper. It could be that those whose trees floated away were using ver large trees without sufficient weight to hold them in place. Just Sayin...RJS
But since you said you seldom see anyone else fishing in your spot, sounds like you are free to experiment with sinking a Christmas tree in the area, or several over a wider area. That way if some dude is on your spot, you can go to one of your other spots.
Also, I mentioned a cinder block, but that isn't required. Any big rock, or several and they would even be cheaper. It could be that those whose trees floated away were using ver large trees without sufficient weight to hold them in place. Just Sayin...RJS
Jan 12, 2021 12:21:32 #
nitestrike
Loc: Belmont NC
The trees weren’t large just average 6ft Christmas trees. We have also let em dry out a bit & remove a lot of the needles before sinking them.
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