I sink mind in shallow water because that is what I like to fish. Safety for boating can be a issue so choose your spots well. I use mostly plastic style piping.
I find a place where there is a pretty abrupt depth change, creek channel ledge, point, sharp rise, etc. I put brush at different depths in the same spot, but separated by 20 yards are so. Start fishing those spots from shallow to deep to get a handle on how deep the fish are. Sets up a pattern for the rest of the day. As the water warms the fish get shallower (in the spring anyway). As the sun gets up the tighter they get to what they are relating to.
I have found you can usually always find some fish on deeper brush but not always on the shallower brush.