I usually buy bundles of stakes and have always tried to let them season before putting them in the lake. A couple of my buddies have been catching a lot of their fish within a couple of weeks using stakes that had just been cut.

Do you think it makes a difference if they are put in fresh or do they need to be seasoned? I've always done it this way because I heard you would get better results.

They would be a whole lot easier to use while they are still green. I've had stakes rotten before I had a chance to get them to the lake. Not to mention the bugs, black widow & brown recluse spiders that love them. When you have a big pile of stakes stacked up, the ones not on the top will usually still need to be left out awhile before they season.