artifical structure?

[hollis]

anyone create one for ice fishing?  I saw an article many years ago of using brush or an old Christmas tree in which the bottom was weighted and a plastic jug was used to hold it upright attracted fish,..
I live on a lake that is very weedy on both ends but has a long section with no cover,..I was thinking that a bit of structure in between these areas migh hold a few fish for a while,..I don't want to add to lake garbage and at sometime it will detach and float to the shore and we all pick up shore stuff such as bottles and other debris,..but I was wondering if anyone found these or something like it to work. When I used to scuba dive I noted that you seldom saw a game fish  unless it was near some cover,.. would be pretty easy to sink a pine tree through a hole in the ice ,..not sure it has to be "aged" before fish are attracted to it,..(?)

[swalleyi]

I no some states it is illegal to put christmas trees down the hole. I think it has to be portable type that you can take back out when you leave.

[FishDaddy09]

 Hmmm? I don't think I've ever heard of structure you take with you when you leave. The idea is to give the fish something to hang on, if you took it with you( boy that would be some big hole) it would do you little good. Check the laws in your state about adding atifical structure.  It might take several trees weighted down with cement blocks to attract fish.

[HIMO]

I agree with fishdaddy. you are walking a very thin line here. check out your states regs. better yet call the DNR and talk to a game warden about it. they will let you know right away if it is legal or not.

[Webguy]

Our local club sank 80 christmas trees this past spring to help give the crappie some cover. We drilled o hole in through the base, slid a cinder block over it and drove a piece of re-bar through the hole to hold the block. We formed 2 rows of 40 trees about 50 feet apart in 16-20 feet of water. We got permission from the state before hand and still got the third degree form the marine police. There was a guy on shore screaming at us and waving his arms but we just ignored him.

I'm hoping to try the ice over them this winter!

[dogfish]

Hey Pepe, what lake was that again where you sank those trees? 8)

[Webguy]

Does it say Pepe again?

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

[Cooley]

Here in Michigan you can put a christmas tree in a
lake,but you have to call the D.N.R and get a permit
to do so.This could take about 60 days.The DNR,they
want to make sure that you sink the tree deep enough
for water skiers,boaters,swimmers,ect.

[dogfish]

No, your still back to webguy.  For some reason the Pepe thing just stuck with me
Good luck with those Crappie
Dogfish

[Hard_H2O]

FYI

http://www.upperredlakeassn.com/crappie_fishing_project.htm

[swalleyi]

Fish Daddy about twenty years ago there was a artifical tree that folded up when you shoved the tree down the hole, then sprang out. You could pull it back through the hole when you were done. I dont think it sold very well. I think it was the same guy that invented the color selector. Remember that great invention.

[wiper]

Hollis' Take a 5 gallon bucket Get 7-8 stakes (wooden oak or Locust 5 to 3 foot)fill bucket with concrete about a third full. Have about 50 in the lake I live on Crappies and Gills love it...Later

[Mr.Seaguar]

Xmas trees last about 2 years under water. Cut some red cedar from some poor farmers fencerow. Itll probably be there for your grandkids.

[Cooley]

Hey Mr.Seaguar,you say X-mas trees only last two
years under water,how deep are they.Just curious.

[FishDaddy09]

Swalleyi: Nope i never heard of the fold up tree. I don't think it would work very well. I do have a friend who has a color selector he never uses it.  I like the bucket idea fast easy and effective.  Getting the permits would no doubt be a pain!

[UnderCoverBrother]

What about rocks?
They are natural, look natural, and don't pollute!
There are plenty of rocks from baseball size to soccer ball size in all the farmers fields around here. And the farmers would be glad if you took some of them from there property. Ask first! 8)

[Mr.Seaguar]

I have watched a lot of trees over many years fishing limestone quarry pits. The county conservation board would put lots of them in but you could only fish them for a couple years until all the limbs fell off or rotted away. Maybe its 3-4 years but not very long. I also fish some lakes with red cedar trees and you can see jigs we snagged 10 years ago.  Even the county conservation board quit using Xmas trees. The trees were in water from the surface down to 15 feet maybe. They do attract fish for the time they hold together.

[hollis]

Hey Seaguar,
Do you think one of the factors is that they were limestone pits? Bacteria are a lot more active in higher PH water,..thus fast breakdown (?) But I agree cedar should last a long time due to its oils (ie cedar fence posts)

[Mr.Seaguar]

Probably the limestone had an effect. I know the CCB quit using Xmas trees in all the lakes in that county, maybe cause they had basically an endless supply of red cedar. In other lakes in southern IA I saw they were putting structure in, no Xmas trees were used. Blocks, tires, and bale rings with cedar trees tied on to them.

 Not that Xmas trees dont work. They work. Its just that you have to do it over in just a few years.