Crappie/Bass brush pile placement advice needed

I have about 20 or 25 Xmas trees that I plan on putting out in my local lake this week. Not sure on depth, pattern, or proper/best way to sink them. My plan so far is to get some 20-40lb chunks of busted up slab that I have access to and use some stainless wire to cradle the chunk of concrete and attach it to the bottom side of the xmas tree using a stainless eye bolt that I will screw in the base. Not really sure on what depth I should sink them or what pattern I should use. Should I go in 3 or 4 rows of say 3 or 4 trees in each row or should I maybe attempt to make a circle about 20 in diameter? Also I have heard it makes a difference whether you lay the trees down and sink them so they lay on their side as oppose to trying to sink them standing straight up. Any info greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

I WOULD USE CONCRETE BLOCKS AND STICK BOTTOM OF TREE IN THEM TO MAKE THEM STAND UP,THEN GET A GOOD MAP AND LOOK FOR HUMPS,SHARP DROP OFF ,POINTS IN THE DEPTH RANGE THAT U ARE GOING TO MOSTLY FISH TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE TIME OF YEAR U PLAN TO BEST BENEFIT FROM THEM,DO NOT LAY THEM DOWN FOR THEY WILL SOON CLING TO BOTTOM AND HAVE NO HEIGHT UNLESS U WANT THEM VERY SHALLOW,ALSO I WOULD NOT PUT THEM WHERE THEY WOULD BE ABOUT A CASTING DISTANT AWAY FROM EACH IF I WAS GOING TO JIG FISH THEM,IF SPIDER RIG THAT WOULD BE FINE BUT AS A JIG FISHERMEN I WANT JUST ONE PILE OF TREES SO I DO NOT HAVE TO SEARCH EACH TREE,PUT THE REST IN OTHER PLACES,ALSO PUT THEM ON DIFFERENT SIDES OF CREEK OR LAKE SO U CAN FISH SOME ON WINDY DAYS WHEN U CAN NOT GET TO THE OTHERS

I've always heard that you dry them out real good ... knock or burn off the needles ... sink them standing upright (even if you have to attach a sealed gallon jug or two to the top to keep it upright) ... and place them in small bunches, with space between each ... and place them where they are a little distance apart from any other major stand of trees or cover.

I've also caught fish around Cedar trees ...
>lying on their side, still somewhat green, in a couple of feet of water
>piled in large piles, with many piles scattered over a flat of moderate depth water (~15ft deep)
>hanging off the side of docks/marinas, suspended by rope or cable
>piled up at the base of a standing hardwood tree

And, of course, I've caught fish from the standing submerged ones (formerly alive) ... among the remaining larger branches, and even next to the trunk/stump (when there are no branches left on them).

Many say that piles of Cedar trees or those lying on their sides are not the best attractors ... but, many Fish & Wildlife Depts sink them just that way, and fish are caught from around them. (well, some of them, anyway)

The idea of not putting them in "green" and laying them on their sides is to keep sediment from collecting on them and covering them over. Having open spaces between the trees/branches is to allow minnows/fry to hide among those branches, attracting predator fish to hang around them when looking for a meal. And those same predator fish can also burrow up into those open spaces when they're threatened, or hiding to ambush their prey.

Remember ... not every tree, lying or standing or piled up, will hold fish all the time ... but, they will all hold fish at one time or another.

... cp :kewl

theysaid

Very good info guys. So it sounds like my plan of putting them in the water this week while they are still green is not the best idea. Maybe I will put about 5 of them out green and save the rest of them for a week or 2 until they lose the needles and then put them out.

I tried the dry them out burn it off route. Bad plan for me ASHES lol they went up so fast it was over just as it started. I'd avoid the fire. Dry them and then shake the crap out of them. If you know the Christmas tree farm guy maybe he would run them on that tree shaken duhickie they have . Better yet maybe he has more for you

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Originally Posted by Gobob

I tried the dry them out burn it off route. Bad plan for me ASHES lol they went up so fast it was over just as it started. I'd avoid the fire. Dry them and then shake the crap out of them. If you know the Christmas tree farm guy maybe he would run them on that tree shaken duhickie they have . Better yet maybe he has more for you

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Yeah ... I never understood the "burning off" idea, either :banghead

And I think I would also consider letting them sit for more than a couple of weeks, unless your Texas weather is hot enough to dry them out that fast.

In any case, I'd fish them with weedless jigheads ... lest you end up "decorating" them back to Christmas tree status :Doh: :Rofl

... cp :kewl