Thread: GPS Coordinates for dropped structure - CJ Brown Reserve

Thank You, Slab! Spoke to Chris Rappenchuck, US Army Corps of Engineer Project Manager of CJ Brown , upon OFFICIAL permission we are a "go for splash" the last one for the record is Debra Walters ODNR District #5. We are looking for "afew " individuals interested in assisting us gather evergreen shrubs in the Springfield area and moving them into pre approved assembly sites inside the park and moving cement blocks shortly. If interested contact me at [email protected]. WE WILL NOT ACCEPT MONEY, thank you, we WILL accept whole cedar bushes , taccis? shrubs, CLEAN (unpainted) cement blocks and help moving and assembling and placing them. Soon this project will be the stuff of legend, if only in our own minds, none the less, many may claim, only the "few" will know whom was there. After all, when was the last time you helped change the fishing for 10+ yrs in any body of water, let alone an ENTIRE reservoir? Thought so.. Respectfully , The Friends of CJ Brown Reservoir

Where can I find an updated list?

Originally Posted by CrappieDreamer

Where can I find an updated list?

There is none....this was a disaster...People don't understand that CJ was a dying lake....THE FRIENDS OF CJ are GREATLY/MOSTLY responsible for it's revival.
After we started the project, the ODNR thought it would be a GREAT IDEA to give out all the GPS locations for that year....
Well, GREEDY, LAZY, IDIOTS, sat on this cover 24/7 and destroyed all the work we put in.
They were pulling up trees with anchors, etc, because they thought they would do better somewhere else, or wanted it out. Some got into fist fights over who was going to fish there, people were arrested, they would not allow handicapped, the elderly, or children to fish the cover and in areas that who it was intended for, people were cussing at kids and others because they were in THEIR "hole", besides "locals" we had "out of town", and "out of State" people coming in JUST TO FISH THE COVER...it was the saddest thing I had seen in a long while....and we lost all the fish that was drawn to and used the cover!

I headed the group the last 3 years....I told the ODNR and COE that the drops would stop if we had to make GPS locations Public...I told them that the cover WAS FOR THE LAKE, NOT FISHERMEN! The only way to improve the entire fishery was to have breeding cover that people could not fish, regular dense cover for small fish to grow in, and Big Cover for all fish. They agreed.....the only people who know where the cover is, are the people who put it in....I am the only person who knows where it all is. We stopped the drops because IDIOTS were complaining that they deserved to know where the cover was, even though they did nothing to help, they complained that this gave locals who gave their own time, money, and hard work, a advantage in Tourneys....even though none of our members fish Tourneys (except Catfish). The same idiots that destroyed the first batch of Christmas wanted access to THE GOOD STUFF....AND NO WAY WAS THAT GONNA HAPPEN!

My best advice to you is to get a map of CJ and take the time to learn the lake and the species you are fishing for, DROP-OFFS and FEEDING FLATS are gonna be your friend!....I bank fish most of the time and I have no problems catching fish...others that have learned, do the same! AND WE DON'T FISH THE COVER, OR TAKE FISH OFF THE COVER....IT WAS PUT IN FOR THE FISH AND THE HEALTH OF THE LAKE, NOT US!
When we do fish cover it is to see what kind of fish are using it so we know what and where to add...Electronics can tell you if it's holding fish, but you also have to know what is using it, so you can make adjustments for different species.
WHAT THE COVER DOES, IS TO INCREASE THE ENTIRE FISH HOLDING CAPABILITY OF THE LAKE...FROM THE SMALLEST CREATURE IN THE FOOD CHAIN, TO THE LARGEST PREDATOR...IT MAKES THE ENTIRE LAKE HEALTHY...IT SPREADS FISH OUT ACROSS THE ENTIRE LAKE, SO EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE TO CATCH FISH...AND IT WARDS OFF DOWN YEARS, KILL OFFS, ETC. This benefits all of us!

Most of the cover from the original drops was Christmas trees and is now gone....all the the new cover is long lasting material or wood, THOUSANDS have the same density/etc as water, so it disappears and cannot be seen with electronics....even then, we put so much in and in many hidden areas, fish are safe from those that did nothing but want the benefits of our work! I'm sorry if anyone is not cool with that...THE COVER WAS TO IMPROVE THE ENTIRE LAKE FOR EVERYONE NOT YOU!

Good Fishing To All
Brent

Originally Posted by CrappieDreamer

Where can I find an updated list?

I wouldn't think they would be all that hard to find with any decent electronics. With that being said just because you do find them you don't need to overharvest them.

Originally Posted by crappiemax

I wouldn't think they would be all that hard to find with any decent electronics. With that being said just because you do find them you don't need to overharvest them.

They are not hard to find....I find them all the time with my side imagineing. I don't fish them much though. I tend to fish open water following the shad that the crappie are following.

We have members with THE BEST electronics on the market (and they know how to use them)....the Crate stacks, look like rocks....the PVC, if it does show up (MOST doesn't) looks like twigs and rocks, in areas of twigs and rocks....you can find wood, but most is lay downs so it blends in with the surrounding rocks and bottom contours. Stand up wood is in areas you don't want to take your boat and can't easily get to by bank....other people have put stuff in that is in the open, but they put it in BAD areas, it was easy to find!
We are not typical....we planned where stuff was going, looked at the areas with THE BEST electronics, and did our best to hide every piece.
I don't know of any fisherman that is as "anal" as most in the group....and this was not our first rodeo! We made 1 mistake and we learned from it!
Some people have found a few "Nuggets" we set out as decoys...they are not as good as they think!lol
IT'S SHOW'S THE SAD STATE OF YOUR SOCIETY, WHEN YOU HAVE TO GO TO THESE EXTREMES, TO MAKE YOUR HOME LAKE BETTER FOR ALL!

Originally Posted by "G"

They are not hard to find....I find them all the time with my side imagineing. I don't fish them much though. I tend to fish open water following the shad that the crappie are following.

I agree with that, even if the cover is invisible the fish aren't.
I've used electronics of some sort for almost 40 years from the lowly flasher back in the 70's to the HDS units of today. I've found stumps, brush piles, manmade condos of all sorts. Some of the cover gets used by fish all of the year but most often, most it only get used by fish part of the year. Most of the cover I find is more by accident than by trying to map out the bottom.
I generally like to find schools relating to structure (points, drop-offs, humps or channels) as they seem to hold fish consistently in the area over extended periods of time. If you can locate some cover (stumps, rocks, logs) along the structure it's like adding icing to the cake.
I think the beauty of what has happened at CJ is the shear amount of cover they added. No one can find the 1 or 2 sweetened spots some one added and then beat them to death. With 100's of spots out there no one will find it all.

When I first found your posts about your drops, I was excited to think that I might be able to be involved someday. It sounds like you guys really know what you are doing and have a great love for it! It's a shame to hear how things turned out and that some people ruined your hard work. Hopefully someday I might be able to meet some of you, fish a little, and learn a lot.