Brush piles

go blue

New member
Getting ready to make some brush piles and was wondering what everyone used to make them. Are Christmas trees good to use. I have heard that they give off a chemical that the fish don't like any truth to that. Thanks
 

Carl Guffey

New member
<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">Most Christmas trees work great. Be sure that you do not create a navigational hazard. You will need a permit to place your brush pile or piles. Contact the TWRA Region 3 office. (931) 484-9571 or 1-800-262-6704 </font>
 

SlabDog

New member
Carl Guffey - 12/18/2014 10:17 AM

<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">Most Christmas trees work great. Be sure that you do not create a navigational hazard. You will need a permit to place your brush pile or piles. Contact the TWRA Region 3 office. (931) 484-9571 or 1-800-262-6704 </font>

Are permits needed for the PVC attractors made with pipe, bucket and concrete?
 

drumking

New member
Carl Guffey - 12/18/2014 1:17 PM

<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">Most Christmas trees work great. Be sure that you do not create a navigational hazard. You will need a permit to place your brush pile or piles. Contact the TWRA Region 3 office. (931) 484-9571 or 1-800-262-6704 </font>

Unless they have changed the laws, which they certainly could have done and me not know it, then you don't need a permit to plant brush. I called TWRA about this years ago and they welcomed the addition of brush to our reservoirs. Just make sure you don't make them navigation hazards. They never mentioned that I needed a permit. emoGeezer
 

Punisher

New member
Permit?

Never I have put out over a hundred over the past 25 years and never asked about a Permit?

Better to ask for forgiveness then ask for permission
 

SlabDog

New member
If you had to wait on a permit from the state and supply all that information, you'd never get one put out.
 

the maddog

New member
I think the operative word as outlined in the TVA report is "should" instead of "shall" when describing the placement of fish attracters.
 

Hal

Active member
About 3 or 4 years ago I jumped through all the TWRA/TVA hoops to find out what the rules were about putting out fish attractors. The final from my inquires was that I didn't really have to have a permit but was cautioned as to where to put these attractors. "Do not put these where anyone diving from a dock could injure themselves if they dived off the dock. Do not put them in any navigation channel of the river or any creek. Make sure that the material that you use is very well secured to the device that you use to sink/hold the structure in place. Do not use any type material which could release any chemicals into the water supply, including old tires".
I use old pallets. I cut them across the boards then use the cut off pieces, nailed onto the 2x4 frame for the upright part of the pallet. That makes a bottom to put rocks or concrete blocks to keep the structure in place. Be sure to wire the weight in place so that they can't come apart and let the pallet float!
I also have a theory about the type of wood. If you think about it do you catch very many fish from pine blowdowns? I don't. So I try to find old pallets which are constructed of hardwood. These will also last longer. The pine deteriorates in a shorter period of time compared to hardwood.
I have made some from PVC pipe also. These take 3 or 4 years to collect enough algae to attract the minnows. Maybe if you took some 60 or 80 grit sandpaper and ruffed up the pipe, taking the shine off it would collect the algae a bit faster.
I did build some bamboo buckets and put these out;
I'll post a couple pictures of the pallet hotels later;
 

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TightlineT

Active member
Hal - 12/19/2014 1:05 PM


I also have a theory about the type of wood. If you think about it do you catch very many fish from pine blowdowns? I don't. So I try to find old pallets which are constructed of hardwood. These will also last longer. The pine deteriorates in a shorter period of time compared to hardwood.
I have made some from PVC pipe also. These take 3 or 4 years to collect enough algae to attract the minnows. Maybe if you took some 60 or 80 grit sandpaper and ruffed up the pipe, taking the shine off it would collect the algae a bit faster.
I did build some bamboo buckets and put these out;
I'll post a couple pictures of the pallet hotels later;


I wonder how pieces of cedar sticking out of a bucket would work. Used to use cedar posts on the farm and they would last forever seemed like. I would really like to make some, but never have.
 

Hal

Active member
OK, got back over to the shop today and took the pictures of the pallet crappie hotels that I built.
The description of how to build them is above and with the pictures you should be able to construct
your own. emoSmile emoThumbsup
 

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Hal

Active member
Not sure about the cedar. Probably be pretty much like the pine.
 

drumking

New member
I like your bamboo bucket, Hal.

emoBigsmile emoGeezer
 

TightlineT

Active member
Hal - 12/21/2014 6:00 PM

OK, got back over to the shop today and took the pictures of the pallet crappie hotels that I built.
The description of how to build them is above and with the pictures you should be able to construct
your own. emoSmile emoThumbsup


How do you ever get those to hold under strong currents? Seems like if anywhere out on the the river they would be gone with the first strong current and rain. Also, how do you keep from laying them over instead of standing up?
 

spnplgr

Member
I have seen whole trees wash up and over the weir dam at the nuke. Anything you weigh down with a couple cinder blocks will be washed away if you put them where that current can get to them.
 

Hal

Active member
I use big rocks and or 8" cinder blocks filled with concrete. emoThumbsup Also don't put them in places where the current is strongest emoSmile the bamboo hotels that are in 5 gal buckets are half full of concrete. Also put a 1"x4" bolted to the bottom of the bucket. Once that 1"x4" cross settles down in the mud or sand it creates that "suck" effect and is pretty hard to move.
 

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foodsaver

Active member
thanks for sharing hal. I haven't forgotten about our catfish trip. Just haven't been on any catfish worth talking about this year.
 

vhype

New member
X-mass trees are tuff to sink, way too buoyant to sink from a boat. Tie them to a stump and they are ok but don't last long.
 
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