Thread: whats the best sructure

Originally Posted by Hepotter

I've been told NEVER to use pine, fir, or any of the "needle " trees because they make the water acidic and unfriendly for use as habitat. I suppose it's the pine oil/resin that's responsible.

Comments???

It's weird and somehow you would think that, but as Lowell will testify...after we have dropped Christmas Trees, Cedar, Etc...the fish are using them almost immediately. Once the needles absorb water they begin to fall off and you just have branches, then after fishermen tear off the small branches or they decay, you just have the main trunk within a year!
Once the algae starts...I don't know for sure, but I think the resin is either gone by then or somehow neutralized by the water??

Keep in mind, depth, water fertility and type of pine or cedar and diameter of the trunk ALL "factor in" as to the durability of said tree. Some cedars will last 15+ yrs, most common "C" trees will last 3-5 yrs, "peaking" their 2cnd yr underwater after the needles fall off. About the only "BAD" woods are walnut (poisonous and ILLEGAL to use in a few states) and very "soft" woods like poplar, honeysuckle shrubs, ect.. if you want the BEST longest lasting attractors, use osage orange (hedge apple) and locust, then ash, hackberry, hickory, scrub oak and of course cedar. Osage WILL last 20+ yrs...tough to work with, but HOW LONG did you wanna fish `em?