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Hey All,
I'm new on the forum. Been browsing for awhile and finally decided to make an account.
I was chatting with a buddy that lives in texas and he was saying how he watched a group get ticketed by the water patrol for dropping brush in the lake to create structure.
Once work settles down a little bit I was planning on building and sinking some structure here in Arkansas, but I never thought about legal issues. Has any had any issues with AGFC? I could see it being an issue on Corps lakes.
Some say you need a permit on COE lakes but never had anyone say anything but ''good work ''
Some lakes definitely have restrictions like Norfork. Other lakes may say that you can't use certain materials such as metal or pvc. It would be a good idea to check on a specific lake before placing cover.
For AGFC lakes, we encourage brush piles. It makes it better fishing for everyone (including you). Just remember, just because you made it and placed it, doesn’t make it yours (if in a public lake). Some general rules of thumb:
-don’t toss in a bunch of junk and call them it a brush pile (it happens)
-don’t use metal like rebar (bad on boat hulls)
-don’t toss a load of yard waste into a lake and call it a brush pile (it happens)
-don’t use tires (have potential to leach chemicals in to lake)
-don’t place brush piles in a way that would create a boating hazard
-natural material seems to work best but artificial lasts longer
-the larger and more complex the brush pile the better
If sinking in a COE lake, check with the local project office. They will likely tell you the same things I did. Good luck and happy brush pile making!
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Appreciate the info! We're in the process of building our house and the builder is leaving me his leftover PVC/PEX scraps. Never made them out of that material but we'll see how it goes!
What about hay bales?
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Clay - The theory behind hay bales is they introduce nutrients into the water as they decompose, start to grow algae, attract small bugs, attract small fish, which attract bigger fish. So I think they are somewhat affective at attracting catchable fish but they aren’t very complex and don’t provide a lot of mocks and crannies for fish to hind in.Quote:
Originally Posted by blueducklane
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For Bull Shoals Lake and Norfork Lake, you must have an USACE issued permit. They issue them in January of each year.
Here were the stipulations from the 2020 permit for Bull Shoals Lake:
• This permit expires on 30 APRIL 2020.
• A maximum of eight (8) trees may be sunk.
• Dead trees along the shoreline, of any size or species may be sunk.
• If live trees are cut from the shoreline they may only be EASTERN RED CEDAR.
• Two trees no larger than ten (10) inches diamenter, measured at ground level, may be cut. The remaining six trees must be six ( 6) inches in diameter at ground level.
• No tree further than one hundred fifty (150) feet from the water's edge at conservation pool, 659 msl, may be cut.
• All trees or tree bundles must be sunk into Bull Shoals Lake in close proximity to the locations shown on the attached map.
• At conservation pool, 659 msl, all trees will be sunk to a depth so no portion of the trees reaches within 10 feet of the surface. Commonly 20-25 feet deep.
• Only native stones, picked up along the shoreline, may be used as anchors to sink the trees.
• Only wire of sufficient strength may be used to fasten the trees to the anchors. 16- gauge wire is the minimum acceptable. Rope or cord may not be used.
• The permittee shall have this permit in his or her possession at all times while cutting, hauling, or sinking trees.
• This permit is non- transferable.
• The government may terminate this permit and/or issue a citation for failing to comply with any or all of these pe1mit conditions.
• The permitee accepts all responsibility and shall save and hold the United States harmless for all damages to property or injury to all persons arising from the execution of this permit.
• No trees may be cut from park areas, see map, parks are highlighted in red.
• NO TREES MAY BE CUT WITHIN 250 FEET OF ANY BOAT DOCK OR RESIDENCE.
I know that there are definitely some rules to putting out structures. The ones I've seen them be most concerned about was that the structures did not create boating hazards. I know it never happens but they usually want the exact location of the structures. The main thing that we as fishermen have to remember is once we put structure in a public body of water it becomes public property. With the usage of sidescan and LiveScope no new brushpile or structure will remain secret long. Really all the brushpiles did was bring the crappie and the fishermen to the same spot. But, with LiveScope, the open water crappie have now become more accessible to anglers. Really, who wouldn't rather catch big open water slabs then constantly hanging up trying to fish brushpiles when you don't have to.