In regards of introducing structure.

[fishingINsemo]

I have seen many posts on here where people add structure to the body's of water they are fishing. Well I figured since the fishing was slow in my local lake I thought I would entertain the thought of maybe adding some. I wanted to make sure it was legal so I emailed the Missouri Department of Conservation asking if I could do so. I in return got this email which I will add below...(copy and pasted) He was nice enough to include a PDF map of the structures that they added themselves along with spawning benches that they introduced. I offered to volunteer any time they needed a hand in putting out new structures. I was just throwing this out there that way nobody else will get in trouble for doing something that they would think was OK to do. I am not sure if all places are managed by the department of conservation in your area but its definitely something to think about.

EMAIL I RECEIVED
My name is Salvador Mondragon and I am currently the fisheries management biologist responsible for Jerry P. Combs Lake. I am responding to your request for permission to install structures as Fish Attractors into Combs Lake. Currently we don’t allow the general public to introduce objects into MDC managed lakes. We want to minimize the potential of introduction of environmental hazardous materials (tires, barrels), and ensure the safety of the general public (sharp materials, objects sticking out of the water). I have attached a map of brush piles that we have placed along the shoreline of the lake the last couple of years. Most of these, brush piles were placed along the popular fishing locations, and the fishing docks. The brush piles were constructed using large cedar trees in 2012 and hardwood trees (hardwood trees last longer) in 2013. This year we are planning on placing about 80 hardwood trees in other areas of the lake. The trees will be placed sometime within the next couple of weeks, and you are welcome to come out and observe where the structures are being placed.

[jaxsprat]

State of Illinois doe not allow structure either. Old tires can be very toxic as other types of materials and many lakes are build for water management-mainly drinking water supply so state & local counties have to have strict control. Very nice letter you got back, much better than Illinois would of sent(if they even bothered.

[fishingINsemo]

Here are a few of the bream I caught out of there last year all in the same spot. Once I looked at the map he gave me I realized where I caught these at there was one of the spawning ledges that they had submerged under the water (which without the map I would have had no way of knowing). I just wish the crappie were bigger as they are about 7-9 inches but they are mature fish(growth stunted)..they have the body of a full grown crappie not a juvenile (you can see some of the crappie in the basket) they are pretty small compared to the fish you find in natural lakes and ponds.

[Hanr3]

A point of correction. You cannot place structure, you can place cover, but not structure. Structure is natural features, drop offs, stream beds, creeks, etc. Cover is brush piles road beds, etc.

I find you will have better luck with personal contact and describing the cover method of construction and material.

[BR1]

That was nice of them to send a map of all the locations! That'll help a lot in knowing where to go to catch fish!

[Tom 513]

BR1 on KDNR's site, the maps of popular fishing lakes show where fish attractors are located, along with other placed structure, wish Ohio would do something similar

[joey]

A point of correction. You cannot place structure, you can place cover, but not structure. Structure is natural features, drop offs, stream beds, creeks, etc. Cover is brush piles road beds, etc.

I find you will have better luck with personal contact and describing the cover method of construction and material.

??
Yes, you can place structure.......A person builds structure, such as a pallet bed. Structure creates cover.....

[INTIMIDATOR]

This is a double edged sword, Cover is GREAT, but telling people where it is causes all kinds of problems....We have a group of Local fishermen, who got together after hurricane Ike leveled thousands of trees here in Ohio. We have a local deep 2500 acre lake that was dammed by the Army COE in the early 70's for flood protection....thought, was not given to this becoming a fishery so it was pretty much bulldozed clean...the natural STRUCTURE, such as creek banks/channels, cliffs, road beds, boulders, culverts, etc still existed. But actual COVER, such as trees, vegetation, etc, was gone!
We met with the Army COE, ODNR Fish Biologists, and ONDR Park Management, and was given the OK to do yearly COVER drops for fish Habitat, spawning beds, etc.
After the first couple years the lake began to improve, the ODNR decided to allow us to put COVER near the Marina, Handicap areas, and easy access for kids and families, and to give GPS coordinates to local baitshops, on-line, and fishermen. THIS WAS A DISASTER...TOTAL DISASTER!
Boats sat on the cover 24/7, people fought over spots...bank fishermen fist fought over areas, ran kids off, people yelling and cussing all day and night, they wouldn't allow handicapped people access to platforms etc, people littered from all the extra pressure, they threw trash cans, dumpster, picnic tables etc in the water to make "THEIR OWN" cover....people were keeping illegal fish, not obeying size or creel limits...Man, it was like the lawless Wild West. PEOPLE WERE EVEN TEARING OUT COVER AND MOVING IT, OR REMOVING IT, because they lost lures, or didn't want others using it. WITHIN 2 YEARS all of that cover was pretty much gone or dead and areas did not replenish!
So we stopped giving out locations, placed cover in darkness, or the wee hours in the morning, we use Christmas trees, 'boo, cedar, hardwood, pallets, stake beds, PVC, Plastic Culverts, and other plastic...and this year we have massive amounts of Osage Orange...We also have been making "Reefs" with concrete rubble, concrete blocks, and 10 hole bricks!
The Lake has been energized and the increasing amount of fish holding ability of the lake is amazing, the numbers of natural baitfish has exploded, along with the shad population...the Walleye are growing, Bass have made a comeback, and we have SLABS. The fishery is alive AND NO FIGHTING!
WE, a bunch of local fishermen transformed a lake...now it can weather mass shad kills, bad spawns, etc...AND IT IS HEALTHY as a fishery!
Lowell and I have pretty much headed up this GRAND EXPERIMENT, and have learned many lessons along the way, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask, and will try to help in any way we can!
Good Fishing to All!
Brent

[crappiemax]

A point of correction. You cannot place structure, you can place cover, but not structure. Structure is natural features, drop offs, stream beds, creeks, etc. Cover is brush piles road beds, etc.

I find you will have better luck with personal contact and describing the cover method of construction and material.

I agree with what you are saying but I also believe that the terminology has been lost over the years and now cover has become known as structure. As you said structure is the hard make-up of the lake itself; points, creeks, drop offs, flats & even rod beds ect. Cover is "housing" stumps, sunken trees, rock piles, man made attractants (condos) ect.
In my mind the 2 (cover & structure) are very different in make up.

One of my best spots for big crappie I fish every year is a point (structure) with a brush pile (cover) sitting on the end of it.
Another good spot about 300 yards away is a drop-off (structure) but the best crappie concentrate on a few clumps of stumps (cover).

I guess in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter as long as you're catching a few fish.

[peepaw]

State of Illinois doe not allow structure either. Old tires can be very toxic as other types of materials and many lakes are build for water management-mainly drinking water supply so state & local counties have to have strict control. Very nice letter you got back, much better than Illinois would of sent(if they even bothered.

When was the last time you heard of someone wanting to sink tires anymore? Five years I've been head deep in this topic and have yet to read about anyone using tires or barrels anymore? We have learned from past problems and are now seeing PVC appears to be best suited for long term safe habitat. Even the steel ships and train cars that were prevalant in the past are becoming a rare sight....finally someone in government realized that steel was the taxpayers scrap money!!! To bad they haven't figured out how to use it efficiently! What does it cost to haul and sink traincars?????