Help finding brush piles

[Dogfish804]

Hi all, I've read the forums here on & off for a couple years. My brother got a couple boats a few years ago. I've been out w/ him a few times & tried to catch some crappie but had little to know luck. I finally decided this year I may try to put a bit of an effort into it. I bought him a 1/2 decent depth finder for xmas a couple years ago. I can't remember model but it was a humminbird, less that $200. I'm sure it can ID structure but it doesn't have GPS. So we are operating without GPS & I don't know any coords for known brushpiles anyway.

So my question is if we wanted to find brushpiles do we just pick a depth range we think the fish may be & then zig zag aimlessly until we stumble upon one? Or is there a way to narrow the searching area down? Like are they more likely to be placed off of points etc. Would it be ok to watch other boats & then after they leave go scan around the spot they were on? Or would that be considered unethical?

Any help is appreciated.

[Slabs Inc]

All the above. You basically answered your own questions. If you feel it's unethical don't do it. Find some fish first, look for other areas that are similar and look there. Do your home work, send some time on the water, and have some fun. Half the fun is finding your own fish.

[CatFan]

Without a GPS, you are going to be shooting in the dark. You can drift along with a Kentucky rig and find some brush, but it's hard to find it again. You can triangulate, but you'll be spending more time hunting brush than fishing. At the very lea st, consider a handheld GPS.

As to watching others and checking what they've been fishing, I don't care for it, but the honest truth is that my sidescan can see what they are fishing before they leave it.

No matter what kind of electronics you use, finding good spots takes time and patience. I love my electronics, but I used to find fish with a Silent 60 and noting what lined up on the banks.

[Bronson]

Try to find lake maps if they are available. If I had to tell you one area to key on it would be drops. This is where water drops from shallow into deep. Most of us put brush both on top and on the deep side as close to the drop as possible. Some of us know it is easier to find that way so we will move it out a little farther so it can't be found quite as easily.

Time on water doesn't have to be during daylight hours. I've found many good spots after dark (use your boat lights) just idling around after a few hours of fishing. In a day or two I come back and give them a try. No one can afford to give away their sweet spots. They are too hard too come by and usually those who do find them, homestead them like they owned them. It doesn't take long and there no good for anyone. Fish can only take so much pressure.

If possible, look into putting brush out yourself but remember that once you put it in the water, it belongs to anyone who gets on it first. It is very satisfying to catch fish on brush or stakes you've put out. You must make sure it's legal and research what is best to put out and how to put it out. If you don't know what you are doing, you can get hurt.

The last piece of advice is try to find an experienced fishermen to go out with. That's the quickest shortcut there is. If you can't find anyone to go with, consider hiring a guide (especially one who works on the lake you intend to fish). They are expensive but you can usually share the expense by taking a buddy or two with you. It will save you a lot of time and you can learn techniques that work. Write any questions down and ask him throughout the day, most won't mind helping you out.

Remember, it you treat people right, they will go out of their way to help you.

[STUMP HUNTER]

Place your own in and you will know where to find it.

[slabbandit]

I'm not endorsing purposely trying to find brushpiles built by others but if I go to a new lake the first thing I'll do is stay right on a creek channel or river channel edge while I watch my electronics for old stump rows, brushpiles, or anything else that might hold crappie along the edge.

[bugman]

Place your own in and you will know where to find it.

Works every time.

[crappiedoc]

I place plenty of brush and enjoy doing it, sometimes it's like the lottery. Having said this, if it's not a marked pile and you "stumble" across some, odds are somebody else placed it there. Using binoculars or "glassing" other boats seems to be the norm where I'm from. I don't need to do it because I'm a "landlord", one who builds crappie condo's. I really don't mind anglers "cherry-picking", but when they brag and take/show everybody else it's frustrating. I've fished with the town crier before and every place I took him became general knowledge. There's plenty of anglers who think this is OK because they trade info back and forth and it puts fish in the boat. In short, there's no greater satisfaction than collecting rent on your investment, esp when you build a 300 day/yr pile. Whew! Coffee's working this morning

[skeetbum]

Having a marker in your hand when you find one helps you stay on it for a while and you can get to "see" where it is by reference points. I made the mistake of putting some out recently and was seen doing it. I came back a few days later and it was gone. I found it 100 feet away in another spot I fish, and when mentioning it to a guy who fishes that spot also, his poker face gave him away. He ws fishing that day and hung it with a hook and drug it to it's new home. Like has been said, once it's in the water it isn't yours anymore. I won a tourney out of a pile I found accidentally and it's worked so hard now that it's hardly worth the trouble of setting up. All the info so far will help you find em. My handheld GPS was about $100, a Garmin 72, and does fine for getting you back there. A power cord for the cigarette lighter and ram mount make it easier to use, no batteries (any hand held uses em fast) and the bracket keeps it where it belongs. If you do get one, ask folks if they mind if you bring it along, they might not want their spots known.

[Dogfish804]

Thx for all the tips. I would be happy to build a couple piles & drop 'em. But I'm pretty sure here in NC you have to have permission from dmf. I don't know how difficult that is. I'll have to check it out. thanks again