Brush Piles

[Ranger John]

Can you use cedar trees for brush piles?

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[CrappiePappy]

Yes (short answer). Many F&W Dept's collect Christmas trees and drop them in piles. Many people like to let them dry out & then knock or burn off the needles and small branches. They don't always last more than a few years if they stay submerged, less if they end up on dry land during drawdowns.

[Ranger John]

Thanks! I was wondering about Eastern Red Cedars that grow wild in the woods here in SC. Also, do you have to wait for them to dry out? Will fish avoid them green?

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[CrappiePappy]

Thanks! I was wondering about Eastern Red Cedars that grow wild in the woods here in SC. Also, do you have to wait for them to dry out? Will fish avoid them green?

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I've heard that they will avoid green ones, then I've caught fish from some that still had green ... so

I do know that if you just drop them and on their sides, they will collapse & not really provide much in the way of good cover. I've even heard that some people (on the larger trees) will cut out some branches so as to make a "pocket" in the tree for fish to easily enter & hide ... but, those are the ones they drop with weight at the trunk so the tree will stand up.

I've never done it, so I'm just going on what I've heard/read. I do know that a 5gal bucket half full of rocks/sand makes a good "stump" ... my former roommate (1970's) did just that and went back several times and caught Crappie off them.

[Les Young]

I saw the Fish & Wildlife dropping something that looked like a type of spruce with concrete blocks tied to the bottom in Cedar Creek Lake about a month ago.

[Cane Pole]

I use cedars. I let it dry and burn such as CP mentioned. Cedar usually lasts 4-5years. I put limbs thru heavy cinder blocks and tie it to the block with electric dense wire. I drop several on top of one another and make a big pile.


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[Ranger John]

What other trees are good for building brush piles and how long does it take for fish to move in on the brush?

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[Grainraiser]

The best trees in my part of the country is Bois 'd arc (horse apple). They are very hard and will last a lifetime. Old time farmers use them to make fence post.

[CrappiePappy]

What other trees are good for building brush piles and how long does it take for fish to move in on the brush?

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Any hardwood would make a good, long lasting pile. Terry Oldham of Oldham's Jigs (Texas) once told me that Weeping Willow trees made good cover, but the Crappie always seemed to hang out "above" the tree, rather than down in the branches.

There used to be a big Sycamore tree that got caught on a cliff wall at one of my local lakes. That's where I first learned "Vertical Casting" (as I call it). Caught some Crappie off that tree that were bigger than any I'd ever caught there, and I'd been fishing for Crappie at that lake for 20 some years before then.

As long as the branches are vertical, horizontal, & angled, but not closely packed, the pile will draw fish .... but I've always heard to not place piles close to other heavy cover spots or an area thick with standing timber, but place them a ways away from those spots & the larger fish will take them over, leaving the other area to the schools of smaller fish. You would, of course, want to place your piles along a known route the fish take when entering or leaving a creek, providing them with a rest stop, hiding place, buffet bar, ambush point, or a staging spot for the females to hang around during the spawn.

[USMA65]

Mimosa makes a good brush pile. They naturally have a splayed out shape. Once anchored it last a longtime too.