Sinking Christmas Trees

[Blazerman]

I managed to get 5 nice big Christmas trees from a local lot yesterday and now I am thinking about the best way to sink them. I have done it before and i normally cut some branches off to give them some openings between the branches and then tie a line to the top and add some weight to the trunk at the bottom and hang them off the dock.

But maybe placing them horizontal would be better?  Also it might be better to let them sit for a month or two to dry out and lose the needles? Also might be better to sink two or three together? Create a good size brush pile right behind my dock?

I am curious to hear what you all think is the best way?

 

[fishinwrench]

Everyone likes to make deep water cover, but I prefer to plant brush in shallow/mid-depth water.   I do all of my rock piles and brushpile building in the Winter while the water levels are at their lowest.   Usually building them on dry ground.

[MOPanfisher]

Sink them, they will use it.  Have never cut any openings in them.

[Quillback]

Here in Bella Vista the lakes department always plants a bunch of Christmas trees they get from residents.  It's a good way to get rid of them, but they tend to have really soft wood and deteriorate quickly.  If you got them, might as well use them, but if I wanted to create some longer lasting habitat I'd use cedars or some kind of hard wood.  

[Ham]

I would not recommend letting them dry out. Easier to sink when green. Horizontal would be better, but vertical is plenty good enough. 

[fishinwrench]

Pines and cedars tend to just curl up into a tight ball of sticks when cut and sunken. Better than nothing I suppose, but sinking brush is kinda hard work and if you're gonna go to all that effort you might as well use the best wood cover you can get your hands on.  

Pallet stake beds weighted down with a pile of rocks are great.

A half dozen piles of rocks is even better.

[Gavin]

What about PVC stuff? Should not rot out in a lifetime.

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, Gavin said:

What about PVC stuff? Should not rot out in a lifetime.

My experience with that stuff is that it just sucks.    There's alot of elaborate pvc condos underwater around here.....the best ones usually hold a few dink crappie, and that's about it.  

Old sunken steel dock walkways and dock framing, or sunken boat hoists are really good though.  

I know where there's a steel patio table that consistently holds a few fish. 😉 

Never met a tire without a fish on it either. 😂 If I was gonna suspend something off the edges of a dock..... several old tires with rocks in them and a few holes drilled in them.  Killer!

[Gavin]

Tires work well on the river too.

[nomolites]

On 12/26/2019 at 4:42 PM, Quillback said:

Here in Bella Vista the lakes department always plants a bunch of Christmas trees they get from residents.  It's a good way to get rid of them, but they tend to have really soft wood and deteriorate quickly.  If you got them, might as well use them, but if I wanted to create some longer lasting habitat I'd use cedars or some kind of hard wood.  

Agree with Quill - mix decent sized hardwood branches like oak with the Xmas trees for the best results.  Have been maintaining a productive bed at our place for years - the fish love it.

Mike