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So will be retiring soon, lake cabin with 2 boat covered dock. My idea is to place a lot of crappie habitats (pvc type) in the opening of one of the boat slips just for fishing. I’ll have the boat docked in the other. This would allow the kids to go right out back and have a decent fishing area. I see a lot of people shooting docks and catching fish so would this be overkill and or pointless?
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Personally, I would think you'd want the habitat under the dock part just to the side of the slip. That way, you could still use the slip and you could fish straight down without getting hung up in the habitat. Plus, the shade under the dock would be another attractant.
That makes a lot of sense. My plan was to dedicate that whole slip as a habitat and sink Christmas trees under the dock it’s self around the habitat. The dock being covered allows the shade like you stated and also allows comfortable fishing in the rain lol. Habitat under the dock does sound better and can tie it off to the structure of the dock....Quote:
Originally Posted by DoyleAlley
See a lot of docks with structure added under the dock and in the slips as well. Seen a few docks lately with Christmas trees tied in the back of the slips. Most appear to be weighted on the top with the rope tied to the to the cut end of the trunk ( hanging upside down) . Lights over the water are also a good attractant for fish and fisherman alike.
Hanging upside down? Really would have thought right side up but more brush in the water column makes a strong argument also. Didn’t think about lights they also will promote algae growth which attracts bait fish. ?Quote:
Originally Posted by DockShootinJack
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The trees are hung by a rope from the dock . They are visible during winter draw down so the base of the tree would be about 4 under the water during summer levels
When shooting docks at daybreak I will hit the ones with lights first.
I have put 2 PVC condos in mine. They are about 5 ft tall and the dock is in 10ft of water @ full pool. I also added 2 upside down bamboo tops about a month ago. Last Saturday, we caught 20 crappies in an hour at midday.
Moral of the story..... If you structure it, they will come!
Chris
at the risk of sounding like a skipping record would consider a variety of types of cover depending on the bottom type, layout/ slope/ draw down, ect. mixing PVC AND naturals tends to be the best overall as well as laying them from shallow to deep in rows with the PVC attractors deepest. and YES rigging a light tends to boost their overall effectiveness.
That is awesome! Great looking catch
Have added those tips to the binder. Will look into the dock lights also
joined local lake anglers who are bassing dudes primarily just to know where they put out all the xmas trees companies donated to them each winter. had several put in open dock next to my toon and same in next dock with buddies toon. that was two years ago and neither produces fish still. anything I could do to get them more productive?
A good thread, thanks!
Have heard with xmas trees, that before putting them in, they work better if the needles are burned off, and also cut some limbs off to create holes. Go to a saw mill and get the cut offs, and make some. If you have bamboo there, you could use it too.
I'd think that once people see the trees, you'll have a lot of people fishing your dock. That bothers some folks, so it's just an observation.
Christmas Trees are too thick just Pine or Spruce usually . One of the sorriest things to put out for fish habitat . Look for videos on stakebeds on YoutubeQuote:
Originally Posted by hdhntr
Just drop the Christmas trees in....you don't have to burn off leaves or cut branches.
They will attract the entire food ecosystem from Zooplankton to baitfish...which will then attract the Crappie to your other cover also. Laydowns with cement blocks will hide crawdads too.
In a year or two the small branches will be gone, so Crappie can use then too, then supplement more Christmas trees for baitfish/Zooplankton/etc.
large oak limbs with little or no small branches will draw larger fish , difficult to sink though .
pvc is user friendly and wont eat jigs , bamboo is a close second on that, along with stake beds .
if it were my slip I might fix it up with cut in half hog panels on the perimeter where the boat folks couldn't shoot it .
dock shooters leave LOTS of line and jigs in the cover to mess up your experience , because they are hitting it from the wrong angle .
I am sure some folks will be upset i said this but the truth is the truth. :cheers2
I found that you really need to thin the limbs on most trees. You want the crappie too congregate among the branches not just on the edges. Christmas trees are simply to thick for crappie to get in them unless you trim some of the branches.
All you have to do is use your fishing skills if you’re a fisherman. Meaning if you have been fishing very long. You know the type habitat that every type of fish including bait fish likes hanging around. With that said can you recall catching many or any fish at all around a newly fallen tree in the water? I can tell you this will happen in about 2 to 3 months on most any type trees that don’t produce much or any sap such as pine tar. Oak trees, popular trees, pecan trees will attract very quickly. I had a friend who used some sweet gum nothing happened for a long time. Sweet gum trees produce sap. One reason why bamboo works so well is because it slick sided. Go to most any tree standing in a lake that has been partly submerged with minimal limbs still attached and you will catch fish. Bamboo works the same way. All you have to do is experiment on each side of your dock. On the east side place your light or the sunrise side. It will generally hold more fish first thing in the morning. Yes they are that intelligent. On the west side make sure you get more shade it will attract in hot evening time. Just follow how God has been providing habitat for these fish well before we started paying attention. He is the best provider and will always create better than anything we can think up. As in life just follow His patters. Hope this helps and is just what I have witnessed in a lifetime of successful fishing.
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Now that my dock holds fish consistently due to the structure I built/installed, it gets fished regularly by lots of folks. Even though I'm jealous when I'm in the house and see them catching from my dock, I understand it has to be ok since I fish other docks on the lake and get the benefits of their hard work too. I guess turn about is fair play.Quote:
Originally Posted by Schmoopie
Chris
This is the days and times we live in. Unless you own something like a catfish pond and you stock that pond then and only then should you be able to claim something like the fish around the habitat you made. God made the fish and wildlife for us all. He also gave some of us the gift to fish and others of us the gift to do other things well. I tend to actually search natural areas rather than docks and man made areas and leave those areas for kids and those who struggle to understand fishing to have a place to go. But that’s simply my view as I am older. And no matter your gift they are going to be times when they just ain’t bitting. That’s why it’s called fishing not catching! Fellows have a blessed and prosperous fishing day.
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Was watching a recent 3 Pound Fishing video, and the lake he was on had a 10 foot rule. No fishing within 10 feet of someone's pier/dock/boathouse.
Never heard of that before. I think it was on a Power Plant lake in Illinois.
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Nothing is surprising these days. I just wonder does the law if there is a law that in forces that? But once again I don’t fish those areas. My question would be when the property owner purchased his lot or land how far out in the lake or river does that cover? And if he is able to claim it then he should have to fence it under water with something like chicken wire. This would keep the fish out they don’t own that is in the lake or river and then they could stock inside the wire with purchased fish to stock with. Then like the land they own and have a say over they could own the fenced water with the fish. Like I said I am too old and have never been greedy and never stopped anyone from fishing or hunting on what I have been blessed to have. As long as they respect it as just that. None of us own it’s all been given/ loaned by our Lord and Savior. Just like every breath we take. So try to enjoy this life and fish where you can for now.
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I owned a piece of property on a lake years ago. They had a 20 foot rule. I had no claim over the land withon 20 feet of the lakes edge. I paid taxes on it and was required to maintain it. Drove up one weekend to find a travel trailer using my lot. They were within 20 feet of the lake. Different areas have different rules
Thanks DockShootinJack, that clears up a lot of questions. I guess somehow when we are fishing we should do like in times pass. As a young kid and man I was a avid quail hunter. To hunt I always ask permission to hunt other people’s properties even timber company land. I even asked when they told me I didn’t have to ask again just so they would know I was on their property. Where I did get a bit frustrated was when I was hunting on property that I was give permission and an adjoining property owner would claim the quail that I was shooting was their property because they as any wild creature God made really doesn’t understand property lines and is in the Wild. I guess this is where I don’t understand the claiming of fish that lives in lakes and rivers. The bottom line here is we should respect other people’s property. One thing that I found back in those days of hunting. I would offer those who seem to claim the wildlife a cleaned free meal of quail. That always seemed to do the trick. We all should share more kindness. Luke 10:27.
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NO ONE owns the water their dock is on nor can they stop you from fishing it. you do have some PIA fools who try to but I laugh at them and come back later as legally they don't have any rights or if fishing slow and I feel ornery have a education session where i never raise my voice and they usually calm down and have even got permission to fish off the dock as I often will offer to put brush around it and teach them how to ketch fish. they may have a courtesy on the lake 3 pound is on but truly silly at ten feet, that is public water PERIOD. on one state run lake a buddy of mine fishes he put so much brush in city passed an ordinance to fine someone for doing so, meant for him. He laughs at them and simply does it at night when dude who tries to enforce it goes home. they are just jealous because while lake is loaded with crappie, mostly dinks HE ketchs up to 3 pounders consistantly and folks hate his success.