Types of wood 4 cover?

[fishingrl636]

The 10-15 acres my family lives on got hit pretty hard by the ice storm. We r still cuttin, haulin and burnin limbs from the storms in January and we still hav a long way 2 go. I was thinking the silver lining could only b plenty of material 4 structure. I no I read on here someone awhile back which types of wood where best 4 structure, but I cant find it. Seemed like it said hard woods, but they r all pretty hard on my back. haha I hav unlimited pecan, black walnut, cottonwood locust and large supply of MANY others. Any help appreciated.

Then I gotta find someone 2 help me sink it or it'l sink me :rolleyes: but thats a few week down the road.
thanks- fishingrl

[slabbandit]

Any oak trees or limbs 4 to 6 inches across at the butt end and about the length of a boat are about all two people can handle. I wouldn't use gum or pine, won't last very long.
If you use any cedars make sure that you prune them a little more open first. Personally, I wouldn't mess with a bushy cedar tree. I would try to use something a little more open like the oaks.
Building brushpiles is a lot of work but it has it's rewards! And the more that you build the easier it becomes each time as you learn how and where to build them.

[hillbilly_gunner]

i have heard from a few people that Osage orange trees last for years and when they are in the water for a few years they turn hard as a rock and don't decay anymore.

[kincade]

Any kind of tree will last a couple years. Use what you got and make the most out of your beds while they are there. Some people constantly rebrush their piles every year.

[nummy]

Would sinking buck brush be good? Does it last long?

[caseydrew]

I prefer oak and hickory.

[CrappiePappy]

Would sinking buck brush be good? Does it last long?

If by "buck brush", you're referring to "Button Bushes" ... they'd be better left along the shoreline, where the Spring water level would come up around them. They make some of the best spawning bed areas, when the water around them is 2-4ft deep. And this is why :

This is a picture of the trunk/root system of the Button Bush (shown when water levels are below their normal levels)



Notice the root "legs" .... they make for easily defended nesting sites !!

Nummy, I can't really answer your questions, but ... if I did sink a pile of these, I'd definitely be using weedless jigheads to fish them :D

But, as for fishing them when they're alive and along the shoreline ... in the Spring spawn period ... OH YEAH, I've been there, done that !! Used to make trips to Barkley Lake every April ... fishing 12ft poles with minnow/bobber - right down in these flooded bushes. Here's the results of one days catch, on one of my mid 1970's trip:



............ cp

[crappiefarmer]

If by "buck brush", you're referring to "Button Bushes" ... they'd be better left along the shoreline, where the Spring water level would come up around them. They make some of the best spawning bed areas, when the water around them is 2-4ft deep. And this is why :

This is a picture of the trunk/root system of the Button Bush (shown when water levels are below their normal levels)



Notice the root "legs" .... they make for easily defended nesting sites !!

Nummy, I can't really answer your questions, but ... if I did sink a pile of these, I'd definitely be using weedless jigheads to fish them :D

But, as for fishing them when they're alive and along the shoreline ... in the Spring spawn period ... OH YEAH, I've been there, done that !! Used to make trips to Barkley Lake every April ... fishing 12ft poles with minnow/bobber - right down in these flooded bushes. Here's the results of one days catch, on one of my mid 1970's trip:



............ cp

GOOD GOD! CF

[crataegus]

Generally trees with compound leaves have a coarser structure (fewer and thicker twigs)than simple leafed trees. This is convenient for me because I prefer to remove all the twigs less than 3/4" dia. before I haul it into the lake. This reduces the amount of snags and frustration--as well as the leverage that a snagged hook has to break off a branch entirely. I also feel that coarser brush piles hold larger fish (can't really prove it though).

Hickory (Carya sp.) is my favorite crappie tree because it's twigs terminate at 1/2", it lasts 3-6 years as a brushpile, and best of all, a healthy live-cut hickory doesn't need weight to sink--just drag and drop!

Another self-sinking green-cut tree is the shorter lived but more renewable Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). It will only last a couple years as a brush pile, but it will produce stump sprouts that can be re-cut every 7-10 years (or forgotten to become the native beauty nature intended it to become). Count the rings on a fresh-cut hickory and contrast that to a sycamore!

Hillbilly Gunner has great tree, too. In many midwestern impounds, Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) is present as standing timber, washed up on banks (petrified roots and all), or as living shore trees. This tree will last indefinately--at least 30 years--in the water. It is common to find the thorns still present on Maclura pomifera that has been flooded and dead for 30+ years. After having used these trees as brushpiles, I would best describe them as investment structure. It is one of the most difficult (and and painful) species to process; and you may find your saw a bit duller after cutting it. But remove the twigs and find the "right spot" for it--it could potentially remain the "right spot" for the remainder of your fishing days. A live-cut Maclura won't take too much effort to sink, but a dead and/or washed up tree will take an exorbitant amount of weight to secure to the lake floor.

[turkeyfootnc]

I wouldn't waste time and energy cuting up a locust except cut just what you need to make a brush pile. Locust is tough wood. I work at a lumber yard and years ago we got a bit of locust and it was like trying to cut steel.