Brush pile fishing rant.......

SMH....... I read a lot of post on CDC. Out of all the things that bums me out. The number one thing is people who want s omebody to teach them to use electronics to find brush piles. Hardly ever do they include teach me to build brush piles and locate places to put them. Most elite fishermen I know put out the effort to replenish the habitat. Not just search for other fisher mans hard work. Now there is quite a few that are requesting info on structure dropping. Just putting this out there. It should be a group effort on building the structures and you will find others as you search the spots to place yours. :twocents

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Originally Posted by BAMA S

SMH....... I read a lot of post on CDC. Out of all the things that bums me out. The number one thing is people who want s omebody to teach them to use electronics to find brush piles. Hardly ever do they include teach me to build brush piles and locate places to put them. Most elite fishermen I know put out the effort to replenish the habitat. Not just search for other fisher mans hard work. Now there is quite a few that are requesting info on structure dropping. Just putting this out there. It should be a group effort on building the structures and you will find others as you search the spots to place yours. :twocents

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I totally agree. Unfortunately, most people are too lazy to put out their own.

I wish they would make in legal here in Michigan so we could put out structure.......big nono with a fine! If they did I'd be making some habitat for the fishies to hang out in.

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Originally Posted by Just Steve

I wish they would make in legal here in Michigan so we could put out structure.......big nono with a fine! If they did I'd be making some habitat for the fishies to hang out in.

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What they don't know about won't hurt them.....

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Originally Posted by bandchaser

What they don't know about won't hurt them.....

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Some of us law abiding citizens will never believe that. Illegal is always illegal.

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Originally Posted by chaunc

Some of us law abiding citizens will never believe that. Illegal is always illegal.

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How do ya know I was referring to an illegal act?
What the fish don't know about won't hurt them either.
I fish with a state game warden, and I'm a firm believer in game laws. I'm also friends with many in the state wildlife department.

It's time for mother nature to settle and get all of us out of the house!

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MI is a strange state to NOT allow brush piles to be put out. WTH are they thinking?

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Originally Posted by hdhntr

MI is a strange state to NOT allow brush piles to be put out. WTH are they thinking?

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Yep....i would just move lol

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In Kansas planting brushpiles requires government notification. Enforcement of laws nowadays only apply to certain people, attention moderators --- trying not to get political here LOL!!

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Originally Posted by bandchaser

How do ya know I was referring to an illegal act?
What the fish don't know about won't hurt them either.
I fish with a state game warden, and I'm a firm believer in game laws. I'm also friends with many in the state wildlife department.

It's time for mother nature to settle and get all of us out of the house!

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So what? You fish with a warden. If it's against LAKE laws to drop brush, don't do it. Plain as day, dude. Argue all you want, it still won't make it legal. Cabin fever, huh? Come on up north and fish the ice with us.
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Originally Posted by "G"

Yep....i would just move lol

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4 more years and I can spend winters in the south.

I guess there is a way to ask the authorities for the paperwork to begin a process asking their blessing to put down structure.

I’d be the guy who’d get turned in by a lake resident for doing anything illegal, heck I was legally hunting deer on my own property, shot a 6 point. Next day the neighbor comes over asked me if I’d like to see the video! He was in the fence row shooting video of the deer on my land!!!!


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Originally Posted by BAMA S

SMH....... I read a lot of post on CDC. Out of all the things that bums me out. The number one thing is people who want s omebody to teach them to use electronics to find brush piles. Hardly ever do they include teach me to build brush piles and locate places to put them. Most elite fishermen I know put out the effort to replenish the habitat. Not just search for other fisher mans hard work. Now there is quite a few that are requesting info on structure dropping. Just putting this out there. It should be a group effort on building the structures and you will find others as you search the spots to place yours. :twocents

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I am one that has posted requesting more education regarding the use of electronics.

i am a west Tennessee native, born here, lived here all 67 years. I have two friends, one a full time guide, the other part time. Between helping them, and on my own, I have put out more fish attractors (brush, stake beds, bucket beds, with trees, cane, and pvc) than crappie I have caught.

if all I wanted to know and use electronics for was finding brush piles, I would never have bought one, I can go out on the lake today at winter pool, and mark with my handheld GPS more brushpiles than I can ever fish!

Habitat for Michigan is done in partnership between the Department of fisheries, Lake and watershed associations, and local fishing and outdoors clubs. It is done for the benefit of the lake to which it is placed. Not all lakes can and will benefit from habitat. Some of them can be detrimental to the health of the water based on the species that predominately resides there.

When a structure is placed on any body of water it is registered with the State. As a result, it is perminatly marked and available for everyone to know the location of said habitat. A vast majority of our lakes already contain habitat in the form of sunken trees, rock piles, and weed beds. Certain habitat (man made) placed in certan areas can be counter productive (IE kill native habitat).

The problem with allowing people to put in habitat (as they see fit) is IF the material they utilize could possibly be detrimental to the body of water. Some states do NOT allow PVC structures. Other States ONLY allow PVC structures. Obviously there is a disconnect on what one state feels it good and another feels it is bad. Some states allow the mass dropping of used christmas trees. The issue with that is that the majority of Christmas trees use several products (herbicide and pesticide related) that could leech in to the watershed. Item such as needle stick (so the needles don't fall on your floor) brown rot anti fungle (to ensure these trees don't turn brown), tree paint (most trees before harvest are actually painted), and pesticides that prevent such things as the pine beetle.

It would be vary difficult for a State to publish a one size fits all manual to allow for the dropping of "State Authorized" materials. This is the reason that Michigan regulates it at their level. By being invovled in the entire process, they can ensure that the proper materials are placed in the best possible locations in a lake or watershed.

Understand that in Michigan, the vast majority of lakes could care less about species such as crappie, blue gill, rock bass, and other. These are not high dollar game fish that bring money to the State of Michigan in the form of travel, lodging, and license purchases. Walleye, perch, pike, Salmon, steelhead, and trout are king. If several people drop habitat in to a lake to build up crappies yet this lake produces some of the best walleye fishing on any inland lake in the state, the State puts 10's of thousands per year in to maintaining a healthy fishery, and people travel to this lake to fish them specifically, there is going to quickly become an issue.

First let me say... I am using older dsi and handheld GPS to mark spots. Now the question... not all structure people are seeking are man-made. If I am seeing brush on my dsi how am I supposed to know if if someone put it there or natural? Not all questions about seeing brush is to deliberately find somebodys hard work. Just structure.

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As you all know if you spend hours putting in piles the first time someone sees you catch a fish off of it, it is no longer yours, one person will lead to 100 fishing it . It does not matter if nature or persons put it in the lake use your gps mark it and fish it , try it all seasons and no fish there anytime delete it from your list. Not all piles are productive anytime. This fall we were fishing one we put in 30 years ago and were catching fish on it two boats came in and was trying to run us off people have no ediqute about space. If you fish close enough to where I can hit your boat with a 1/16 oz jig you will be hit just wait and we will move when we are done


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Originally Posted by ozarks ranger

This fall we were fishing one we put in 30 years ago and were catching fish on it two boats came in and was trying to run us off people have no ediqute about space. If you fish close enough to where I can hit your boat with a 1/16 oz jig you will be hit just wait and we will move when we are done


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Here's one for ya. Not even a dropped pile. Was fishing in a tree filled cove catching fish as fast as we got it back in. A boat 20 yds away caught nothing but kept moving closer. At about 15 ft and still catching nothing asked if I minded if they tied up to my boat so we could fish together. I pinkie swear :yikes

As far as I know I've never fished structure that somebody else put out. I primarily look for "natural" structure. It's out there, just gotta hunt it. SI finders make that a lot easier. I have put out trees in the past and I'm going to start putting in stake beds as soon as I get my boat going again. You're right, it's a lot of work.

I will say catching crappie from brushpiles for those relatively new to focusing on the species leads to those questions on finding more brushpiles, then those same people decide to start putting down their own.

I live on the lake and have refurbished stake beds, trees which just happen to fall of my boat, pvc that accidently dropped off the boat, once in, I have no expectation that others will not locate and fish this structure. It is not like years of old, with new electronics forget about the secret spot. It may be missed by some, but more than likely picked up by side scan or other methods by others. I understand why folks who don't live on or near the lake may not drop structure , just not logistical possible for some. Once dropped it becomes public. I watch a steady flow of boats from the house and they are definitely scanning for structure. Now, I do agree with this intrusive fishing with boat fishing right on top of you, it is disrespectful, you know it is but do it anyhow.

Do you all think that in some lakes more people dodge brush piles now instead of fishing them? I primarily push jigs in the summer from .8 to 1.2 and if I mark a brush pile its to go around it. A lot of people push/pull cranks and jigs now almost year round.

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Originally Posted by hdhntr

MI is a strange state to NOT allow brush piles to be put out. WTH are they thinking?

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They say the brush piles don't benefit the fish only the fishermen.


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I'm glad that on KY lake we can add structure and there are some folks here that add a lot. It's almost impossible to fish very long without going across a brush pile that someone has added. I also realize that the brush I put out will be fished by others even at times when I plan to fish that area. However if it wasn't legal I would expect everyone to follow that rule. As far as the gentleman from PA I believe that was the only point he was trying to get across. I met him on the lake one day had a short, pleasant conversation and later found out through this site that he seems to be a heck of a good guy and fisherman.

I agree that adding brushpiles is a good idea. On the lake that I primarily fish, nature seems to have taken care of it. Also, in this case, it is definitely nature and not me reaping the gain of someone’s labor. That being said, I’m going to try my hand at creating my own structure.

I got a giggle when i read this post, i just commented somewhere else the other day about how SI is a useful tool to find some other persons brushpiles ...lol

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Originally Posted by Ketchn

I got a giggle when i read this post, i just commented somewhere else the other day about how SI is a useful tool to find some other persons brushpiles ...lol

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I hear you, lol, your structure becomes public property once it is off the boat, it is what it is.

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Originally Posted by wmac62

I hear you, lol, your structure becomes public property once it is off the boat, it is what it is.

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I remember back in the 80's working HOURS getting Christmas trees ready to drop and then slipping out well after dark to sink them. Took a month to get the sap off places I didn't know I had. Usually within a couple weeks, other folks would be fishing them. We kept a large hook on a tow rope and would sometimes drag the pile down the bank if it got too much traffic but eventually they were all located by others. That was in a time when you were big-dogging if you had one of those big ole flasher units. With todays electronics nothing is hidden or private and most lakes get 24/7/365 pressure and eyes are everywhere.

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Originally Posted by 1187mg

Do you all think that in some lakes more people dodge brush piles now instead of fishing them? I primarily push jigs in the summer from .8 to 1.2 and if I mark a brush pile its to go around it. A lot of people push/pull cranks and jigs now almost year round.

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I pull through them alot of the time.30lb braid,on ky lake fish are usually close to the structure.

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Originally Posted by 1187mg

Do you all think that in some lakes more people dodge brush piles now instead of fishing them? I primarily push jigs in the summer from .8 to 1.2 and if I mark a brush pile its to go around it. A lot of people push/pull cranks and jigs now almost year round.

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When trolling cranks I steer around them. Lost several flicker shads in the darn things, many times a lure retriever doesn't work if your line is caught in the branches.

I have volunteered on the Corp/Game & Fish Habitat Days for the last several years. We put out a mountain of brush.
I didn't do this thinking I will catch a few fish off of one on them. I do it for the future of the of the fish. I think a lot
of this tread is missing the point. Bama is right. Bird down (Mississippi chapter, habitat day) is right. I spent most of
my life jig polling. We called it doodle socking. The last 10 years all I have done is slow troll. I hope I never find a
another brush pile. I'm going to ride'er down slow trolling.

In Ohio it's illegal to add brush also. I really wish it weren't but it is. Still some folks do drop it.
Once anyone decides to drop brush in a public lake, the brush itself then becomes public. If you want to create your own private fishing spots, go build your own lake.

Ima knocking on heaven's door, but ima still dropping brush. It's my civic duty to drop piles.

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Originally Posted by Cane Pole

It's my civic duty to drop piles.

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That's what my neighbor said about his dog and my lawn :biggrin

What he said


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I collected several truck loads of Christmas trees this year.Only for the local state lakes to tell me it's not allowed.I ask them why and they said there was already too much debris in the lake.I then asked them do you personally fish the lake in question?They said no.Smh.


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I had 2 friends teach me how to find brush piles and fish them. Even gave me a card with all the coordinates. So I'm going to try paying them back by dropping about 40 stake buckets and giving them the cordinates. Just one way of saying thanks.

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I really do not see what the big deal is. Once you put the structure into a public lake, it no longer belongs solely to you. Most of my fishing is done offshore on structure that I find using my electronics. The majority of what I find is natural and some is man made. I fish it all regardless. When you guys are fishing docks what is one of the main features you look for with your electronics? Man made structures placed there buy the dock owners! How many of you fish boat docks that you obviously do not own?

Putting out brush piles or dropping anything in a lake can be against the law, so check your local laws.

There are many lakes that ask for local volunteers early every spring to help with planting fish habitat. These are organized by the lake management and DNR and placed in areas that work best. The great thing about volunteering to help is they will give everyone that helps a free lunch and most importantly a print out with all the GPS coordinates for the fish habitat. I have done this on several lakes and it has paid off for me. Look up the lake on your local DNR site and if it isn't posted you can call and ask about their fish habitat program.
By doing this you are actually helping put out the brush piles that you are using. Like the guy said who started this thread, it takes a little work but is easier than building them hauling them and taking a chance of breaking the law. As I mentioned the locations of the brush piles are decided on by lake management officials that are educated in providing fish habitat for best results.

Hope this helps. Attachment 287289Attachment 287290Attachment 287291

I pass on this one:dono