Brush pile construction tips
Hey guys. It's been a while since I've been here. I was about to start making brush (late start) and I thought I would share some things I've learned in the past about making them. I'm sure you could find these on here in places but I felt compelled to share. I deal mainly with bamboo. Not because I think it's the best. But it's easy to get and I feel for the time invested it makes the largest piles.
Gather up some bamboo in the size you prefer. I like 10-14 foot because I like setting most in 20-25 ft of water. I try to cut the water column in half with the height of my boo. Get plenty of quikrete( check for broken bags at lowes as they may give you a break on the price). You will also need a few plastic buckets. Some Rope and twine. Cooking spray or grease, and some trash bags. You will also need a shovel, something to mix the crete with ( a drill is nice but I've burned them up before). I just use a 3/4 pvc pipe. And some water on hand.
Find an area with a few trees in a triangle or circle. Tie the rope around the trees about head high.
Dig a hole between the trees for your bucket to sit down in. IT only needs to be about a foot deep but can be deeper. Now designate another bucket to mix in. The bucket in the hole should be sprayed with Pam or greased then lined with a trash bag only if you wish to save the bucket. After mixing a bucket of quikrete pour it into the bucket in the hole. Then one by one grab some bamboo and make your pile. I make mine pretty thick because after the leaves are gone you'll be surprised how bare it looks. I put about 15-20 stalks per bucket. If I have a Christmas tree or hardwood nearby I'll place it in the middle. Allow the bamboo to rest on the rope as you'll have quite the umbrella shape. The hole the bucket is in tends to keep the whole thing from tipping with wind. After it sets you can either try to separate the bucket then or allow it to stay on for protection from scratching your boat. I remove them at the ramp or in the boat. I used to sink bucket and all but it became a cost thing to me so now I save my bucket. Also you should use twine to tame the large canopy at the top of your boo. Then cut it once u drop it in or just before. Another thing I do is find some styrofoam that has washed up on the shore. I then cut brick size pieces and put one or two in the top of the boo. I usually use zip ties to fasten it. I have been known to zip tie some limbs I've pruned from various trees in there also. Bamboo floats, but not forever. This helps get a few more years of upright fishing for you. And bottles could work but they eventually fill with water.
As far as where to drop I'm still learning. Some great looking spots I swore would work have been duds. I usually put only one bucket in a new spot. If it produces it gets a new one the following year. If it doesn't I only had one bucket invested. I make them up in the back yard one or two at the time. Then on the way to the lake I'll load them and drop them off first thing before fishing. So I make and drop them at my convenience. I know there are others on here with more experience so please add any tips. For someone who hasn't put out brush much there's nothing like having that cork go down for you or a kid on a pile you built. Good fishing to everyone this year!
