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