Artificial reef ??

[Rob LaMoy]

Serious topic now. This past week I picked up over a dozen abandoned Christmas trees and will get some concrete blocks tonight. Any of you in the south ever make your own reef before. I have read that many southern guides need to on featureless impoundments. I have a great smallie spot on a point going to deeper water, littered with huge boulders meeting a transition into pea gravel and sand. However, I thought if I put some isolated structure like trees down there it would concentrate them and maybe even hold some crappie, which are scarce lately. Would 2 blocks hold down a 6 ft tree? Any other info would be greatly appreciated.

Rob

 

[Mark Hofman]

My Boy Scout committee did this in several spots on our council's private lake. We could attach one 4 to 6 foot cedear tree per concrete block. You shouldn't have a problem. We dropped over 300 trees using this method.



Mark



I've posted a link to our site about this lake. If you click on "Lake Map", you can see where we dropped the trees.
http://www.stlhofman.com/fishingnims.html

 

[Adam Murray]

You'll definitely attract more crappie than bass with the Christmas trees. Couple things you need to do before sinking them, though.



1. Get permission...have seen guides get littering tickets while sinking trees

2. Get ALL of the tinsel and crap out of the trees

3. Hang upside down for several weeks and spray with water occasionally



The last is to eliminate tannins and other acids which do not serve as good fish attractants. By blocks, I assume you mean cinder blocks...if so, 2 should be plenty.



Don't be too put-off by my original statement about the crappie. Other baitfish will use these trees for cover as well, and as we all know, the bass aren't usually too far behind the baitfish!



There's hundreds of other ways to build fish attractants or man-made structure. We tried many of them with great success on my parents old private lake. My girlfriend's father is a consultant to the DNR and TPWD on lake/pond matters and recently got me some copies of Pond Boss magazine and two books he helped write, "Basic Pond Management" and "Raising Trophy Bass". Both go into great detail on creating structure to attract fish. Great reading, especially when you can't fish!



Any other questions, give me a shout. I don't know much, but I think I know where I can at least get some answers.

 

[Mark Hofman]

Oh, forgot to mention this: Pines and other evergreens like cedars don't hold up as well as hardwood. Over time, with our sonars, we could see the tree piles collapse into flat piles.



People who have property on Lake of the Ozarks will tie hardwood branches together in the fall, from trees they have trimmed or using branches brought down by storms. When the Corps drops the lake for winter seawall maintenance, these brush piles will be pulled out into the lake. As the level comes back up, they're covered. Great for crappie, but they'll hold the occasional bass.



Mark

 

[stan jones]

i agree,now where exactly are you doing this? just kidding.stan

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Mark, I only want them there for a couple of years. By then people will start to figure it out and I will set up somewhere else. The problem with Lake Champlain is that it is receiving so much press now, that once somebody sees a good bag come from a spot and figures out where that spot is, everybody and their grandmother is on it. Trust me I know! Plus many of us are predicting that Champlain is going to break the state records soon. Largemouth is over 11lbs, and smallie 8 and 1/2. There in there somewhere, just need to put a bait in front of them. Maybe they'll wind up in my trees!

 

[Bill McElroy]

Well Rob,..we all hope that happens too, but keep in mind,..BIG bass don't get that way by hanging out in "new" stuff,....they stay where they've always stayed and nobody seems to know where!..LOL That's how they got BIG and they don't have any reason to go anywhere else!! As long as they've got food, cover, and a place to spawn,....they won't roam far!!

 

[Rob LaMoy]

So is that why you're always at Hooters? LOL sorry too easy. Not commenting on the big aspect, but good cover, food, a place to spawn? LOL I thought you would prefer it coming from a friend rather than the dark side, (Trep).

 

[Bill McElroy]

Dayum!!!,...Now that's an angle I never thought of,.......gotta be a cartoon in there somewhere!! LOL

 

[Rob LaMoy]

yeah, I guess hooters could be considered by some, an artificial reef! LOL Wait until Ken gets ahold of this one!

 

[Bill McElroy]

hahaha,...you're a regular comedian today bigdog,.....I didn't know you use to be a PI either,...guess your new "Delta Tau" nickname should be "Magnum"...Ha

 

[Ken Neeley]

Is it live, or is it Memorex? I don't really care, it's all music to my ears!!!

 

[Bill McElroy]

Okay,...lunch is over,...time to get back to work!!..(gawd, I almost busted a gut laughin' at THIS post)

Will peak back periodically for "serious" issues,..LOL...now I am dyin!!!!! LOL

 

[Ken Neeley]

Serious??? Oh yeah, that's what Rob said in the very beginning of this post---wait just a minute---who was the first to turn this from serious to this senseless but humorous drivel??? ROB!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Rob LaMoy]

HEY! I've been framed! Read my lips..NO new taxes, no wait, yeah, but I didn't inhale, no that's not it, I got it, I did not have relations, no......um OJ did it!

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Yeah Mac, I got out of that line of work. Kept worrying my wife, and regardless of what you see on TV, there is NO $$$ in it. I make a lot more in sales, and no one has pulled a gun on me recently. Must be doing something right. Well, maybe after these posts, somebody will WANT to pull gun on me! LOL Easy Trep!

 

[Ken Neeley]

Don't worry Rob, if little 'ole Trep is wielding a gun, it won't be a big heavy one LOL

 

[TrepMan]

Guys - You ever carried a Glock, not a real heavy gun but lots of fire power.



I prefer the larger ones that leave more visable marks - Like a '96 Mercury Wagon!

 

[Ken Neeley]

Love the Glocks, just gotta use the right holster.

My other favorite carry gun is a Colt Airweight 38.

 

[Mark Hofman]

Oooh, I gotta get in on this one.



Beretta Centurion Border Marshall .40 with tritium sights. This one was my 5-year anniversary gift from my wife. What a gal!



If that don't stop 'em inside the front door, she has my back with a Colt AR-15. Definitely NOT a concealable weapon.



Oops. Lunch is over. Back to work.



Mark

 

[Bill McElroy]

Rob,..ROTFLMBHO!!!!....and Mo,...visualizing your wife behind you with an AR-15,...that's BEEE-Youteeful!!! LOL

 

[Rob LaMoy]

My dream is a baby eagle nickle plated .45acp! More power! oh oh oh, (supposed to sound like Tim the toolman). That and a tactical .50 cal from Chistiensen arms with the carbon barrell. Seen that beast? Good for 1000 yards, 12K and it can be yours! See now you guys are going to get me all excited! Hooters girls, a wife with an AR-15, high powered rifles, this is too much for my weakened heart. Pack them all into a 911 cdc and I may have to up my meds!

 

[Mark Hofman]

Talk about a Tim the toolman,"oh oh oh", how about a Tim the toolman "Uuuugh?" Try taking your "just-started-dating, not-yet-my-wife" out shooting and she pulls out her very own (James Bond) Walther PPK .380 and proceeds to put five through the ten ring steady as a rock. Then there came the the "ohh-nooo".



I swore I'd never leave her for another (too durn sexy and I didn't want to BE the next ten ring), not even for a Hooters girl.



(And I can only dream about a Barrett .50 rifle.)



Now, how can we get this thread back to artificial reefs?



Mark

 

[Rob LaMoy]

To far gone for that. Say, can your wife call mine sometime. First time I took my wife shooting (wasn't my wife at that time either) we went clay shooting. Told her, "hold the butt tight to your shoulder, weight on back leg and don't stand legs too close together, ok?" "Yup"

First thing she does is puts her feet together and pull the gun about 2 inches away from her shoulder. BANG, butt on the ground and a bruised shoulder. Well, the next date went better!

 

[Mark Hofman]

Hey! That was MY first experience shooting too! Only I was seven, and was pitching a fit in front of my father and grandfather because they wouldn't let me shoot. Dad handed me the shotgun and said, "Okay, go ahead." Sometimes it feels like I still have that bruise.



You can tell her that I feel her pain.

 

[Craig Roberts]

Carried the Glock .40 on my hip for almost 3 years, and Ken's right. The right leather is a must. Dream piece is a Kimber compact .45ACP