Anyone know of a hardwood that sinks without adding concrete blocks? Was thinking about trying Hedge (Osage Orange). I'd like to sink some brush but don't want to put any money into it. I figgured a hardwood would sink if it was green.
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Anyone know of a hardwood that sinks without adding concrete blocks? Was thinking about trying Hedge (Osage Orange). I'd like to sink some brush but don't want to put any money into it. I figgured a hardwood would sink if it was green.
you need blocks to hold in place go down to river bank where they dump fill always blocks around
Agree with Bill; except for in a pond current and/ or wave action will move it around, the blocks will anchor it in 1 spot. As far as heavier than water wood am not sure of any readily available. As far as using osage orange- EXCELLENT! Will last 15- 20+ yrs underwater in fertile bodies of water; in a gravel pit (infertile waters) MUCH longer...if may suggest, stuff 1 side of a cinder block with 5- 6` limbs do the otherside going the other direction, ie, "opposed" and secure with very heavy duty weed eater line tied to diagional opposite corners in an "X" pattern. Top with more 5-6` limbs with more of the weed eater line tied close to block. Shouldn`t have $3.00 each invested NOT including GAS to get them to said body of water (ha ha!) Add LOTS of water...fish them often with kids and probably grandkids and maybe great grandkids...
Persimmon Trees make great cover and are dense enough to sink when still green. But to insure they don't move I would still tie on a block or rock.
Agreed NIMROD. 1 point to consider, if they are GPSed the blocks ensure they stay at the position(s) given...
The last bunch of stuff I sank, dry, bouyant, sweetgum, we used rocks gathered on the lakes bank side, no cost other than elbow grease, need plenty of rope or whatever your going to tie them on with. We normally use two boats for the operation, placing the material to be sunk on an aluminum john boat sure makes it easier to get it to its final destination.
American Sycamore is another dense wood that will usually sink on its own.
Sycamore will also sink but again block to ensure staying power.
Green hardwood may sink without weight, but as others have mentioned, it won't stay in place. I try to use the KISS method to anything I do, keep it simple stupid, hey it fits me. I use bags that are used for sand bags, carry a small army shovel and some tie wire. I can use anything from bank sand to shore line rocks and the only time I have to transport any weight is when I actually sink the brush.
Osage Orange if you have access to it is the best you can get, friend and I put some in a pond 20 some years ago and it's still there. Tie it in a bundle (watch for the thorns, they hurt like a big dog,) find a block, rock, etc. and tie everything together with baling twine, the stuff they tie hay bales with, (the stuff has the half life of uranium) and put it down. We made about half a dozen bundles and grouped them together when we sunk them. Didn't cost anything except the time and blood to get it done.
"God made men, Colt made men equal, Winchester made men equal at greater distance."
Mostly can be done very cheaply, with priceless results; the osage will be there after alot of us are jigging/ tossing lures at that big fishing hole at a considerably higher elevation...chances are our grandkids or even great grandkids will be fishing it...
Rocks along the bank are free.....a little piece of nylon rope and you're good to go.
We are required to use steel cable due to a fiasco 12- 15 yrs ago; a local bass club sank 300 "C" trees without removing the lower limbs on 1 side and barely tied them LOOSELY to cement blocks and them dropped them, hoping for the best; unfortunately, 270- 280 of them were soon migrating around the lake... the Park Maint had to remove them and understandably were FURIOUS!!! Hence their requirement for the steel cable, and YES they did check more than 1 or 2 for proper attachment before we dropped them...
I've seen where people sink trees while they are still green and they sink. The problem with this is they are very heavy and if the water comes up enough they could pull off the bottom and float away. If I took the time to put brush out, I would want it to stay put.
We put out 2 huge green black oak trees yesterday and even though they would have sunk on their own we still tied 2 blocks on each one,be some good fishin for years to come.
Gee, Bugman! WISH wecouild sink stuff like that! We are resticted to 8` or smaller...and atleast 8 fow...
Lake ozark is a deep lake without cover with the exception of what the fishermen put in so they're very good about letting us put in what we want,i'd hate to be restricted especially on the depth part most of my big fish and several of my beds are in 4'-8' and thats the area i'll be concentrating on this winter.
CJ Brown was throughly bulldozed before being filled in the 70`s, that was the Corps of Engineers standard operating procedure then to avoid snags fouling the outlets of major reservoirs; they have since realized many species of fish NEED cover to spawn on and/ or as cover as juveniles. In 1980, when the Marina was constructed the Corps added 11 sets of cedar posts but only 6 remain. That and the floating Marina docks were the TOTAL amount of cover in a 2100+ acre lake...since they are rather conservative by nature, we`ll abide by their wishes; we just keep bumping up the numbers; they are already getting so many compliments and praise for "improving the fishing" at no cost to themselves it`s just TOO EASY for them to say "OK"....
11 sets...wow they really went big:rolleyes:1100 would be a much better number.
Actually, each set was/ is 6 X7= 42 posts in each set, was informed the Corps origionally was going to place 16 sets but cost overruns with the Marina meant only 11 went in; they were supposed to have smaller riprap put inside the sets to allow them to last longer, but due to cost overruns didn`t happen. After 20+ yrs of ice, wind and waves, only 6 sets remain, hense the project.... we are also restricted to sinking them between 8- 15 fow to maximize their spawning cover ability, particularly for yellow perch whose #s have decined seriously since the mid 80`s and early 90`s when they were VERY abundant; so have the walleyes. Since then as the perch went into decline, so has the overall walleye population; we HOPE with more cover, as the # of perch increase....actually, the last shock survey found good #s of young perch; it SEEMS to be working, crappie #s are up too...
I have somewhere near 50 stakebeds with up to 100 stakes in each one along a 2mile flat and each and every one holds fish,i just don't think you can have too much cover in the water if you spread it out enough in fact i'm waiting on the drawdown so i can go back to work,the lake is still up thats why we've been dropping brush in deeper areas along the channel.
Question. Why remove lower limbs on ine side?Quote:
Originally Posted by Lowellhturner
We remove the lower limbs on 1 side (about 14- 18") to allow the tree`s trunk to fully contact the face of the cement block; this is so when we secure it we can get a complete turn of the steel cable around the trunk and back through the block. We then clamp Vice-Grips on each cable end and pull it as tight as humanly possible so there is NO slack in the cable; while 1 person is pulling them tight another adds the clamp and tightens it. We then check it by lifting the cut end of the tree; if properly done there should be less than 1" of slack; the block should "lift" with the tree immediately. Remove said Vice-Grips and add LOTS of water in a fishing hole near you...so far of 600 "C" trees tied and sunk this way only 1 failed; that 1 had a weak block that fell apart upon hitting the water. We took off the cable, added a new block and guess where it is now...by the way most of ours are intended as "laydowns" so perch will lay their egg strands upon them...
After reading these posts, isn't it amazing that some people think fishermen are destroying the resource when it's the fishermen who are the ones making the greatest effort to preserve it. Yes, we will take some fish from these areas but look how many more will benefit from it. Where would fish and wildlife be without sportsmen? Like many of you, I've put out brush and PVC that I seldom have fished but figure fish are still putting them to good use.
Bronson, will admit, for many yrs was simply a "loot and scoot' type, wasn`t trying to depopulate any bodies of water, just wasn`t aware that was 1 of many causing a gradual decline in the overall #s and quality of the local fish populations...figure time to give something back to a sport that truelly love; let`s face it; whom wants the fishing to be WORSE???