After looking through the archives last year, I decided to try something ewest had posted from a presentation at the PB III conference.
Towards bottom of page

Instead of tying the trees to a post, I looped them around a t post covered by a piece of used oilfield drilling pipe. Because of my water level fluctuations, I wanted something that could rise and fall with the water until the trees ultimately sank. I did this last year, and it took approximately 3 months for the original Christmas trees to sink.

Today, I just boated out to the posts, and it took less than a minute to hang 7 more Christmas trees over the ones from last year.

Oil field pipe is cheap, but any galvanized post would do. I just made sure to have it extend 6" above full pool, so the trees couldn't slide off the top.

My CNBG were back feeding less than an hour after all the commotion.

t post cover by a feeder.


Close up of post and trees.

Nice Al!

and nice lake too!

Good job - looks great...

Now just a dang minute - what happens on George's Point stays on George's Point...

FIH, how many Tilapia are you going to stock and when?

I know where I'm flycasting my foam popper - about 6" from those cedar piles. Big CNBG here I come!

George, I think this year may be the year.



That hurt. Actually, probably in 3 or 4 weeks. I got one of those inexpensive laser thermometers, and it's consistently only 2 degrees low of the actual water temp. It makes it easy to ride around the puddle and shoot the water temp, and I'm staying pretty close to 59 degrees. We'll see after the next big front comes through next week. I'm figuring 2 or 3 pounds should be plenty.



TJ, the gate's always open.

Truthfully, doing the trees this way has been so much easier and cheaper than weighing them down. I'm working on a way to float them upright as they sink, but that's down the road a bit.

I have ton's of dead cedars from the ice storm, so I'll start adding more posts as things slow down a bit. All it takes is a 3/4" paddle bit and a spool of cheap rope to get them ready.

So now you are openly attracting Beaver?

Those CNBG better have boxing gloves on!!

I agree, two maybe three pounds to be safe....

As far as floating the tops of the trees it might be as simple as tying a couple of 2 liter Coke bottles with string to the tops.

Where I am diving they have temperature sensors places around the island on ropes tied to weights on the bottom. The sensors are at certain depth levels, then the rope extends up a ways from there. To float these sensors they do not use any high tech foam or plastic floats. Two 2 liter Coke bottles with the caps tight and string around the necks tied to the rope. They last a few years and as one of the bottles goes bad of the pair a diver replaces it.

I bet two or three Coke bottles tied to the top of the tree would be enough to maintain it upright. Two few and the tree would lie down. Too many and the bottles would float the tree in mid water till the but of the tree hit a shore line somewhere. But the bottles would be visable on the surface, which you probably would not want. Or maybe you would so you knew where the tree was to fish it.

Just an idea and cheap to try.

I supplied one of the Coke bottles one time as the divers that come around once a week came in the resort. I told them one of the bottles had failed and they thanked me and that they did not have one with them. I had an empty in my room, they took it, thanked me, and tied it on as a replacement when they took the sensor readings.

They last a lot longer than a person would imagine when covered with algae and deep enough so the sun does not deteriorate the plastic.

Here is a picture of the Coke float in use. They last longer than a person would imagine.

Sorry the picture is not too good. Shooting into the sun and the bottles are probably fifty foot away out in deep water.

I use metal conduit from Lowe's or Home Depot. You can buy 10 foot pieces for about $2. Easy to work with and cheap. Never had any problems and those Christmas tree piles are the best places in the lake to fish.

Would fishing improve if you took out approx 1/2 the branches of the trees first? It may not make much difference if it is a pile you are after, but for just a few trees, maybe thinner is better?

I have been noticing the Christmas trees that I have sunk have such dense branches and crud on them that there is no room left except for the smallest of fish. Darned wives have to pick out the trees that can squeeze on the most ornaments.

I like to leave them thick. The smallest branches will rot in a few years anyway. I like to have a lot of small areas for the smallest fish and minnows to survive for a little while before the bass eat them. I think it gives the little guys a chance to get a little bigger before they get eaten.

I dare them to come back. With esshup's most excellent help, I got almost a dozen in the last couple of years.

I like the trees thick also. I did let them dry out to lose some needles, but leave the trees as they are. I'll try them with a dead cedar tree mix next, and see how that does. So far so good with just the Christmas trees though.

Al nice work. I added this to the structure archive.

Thanks Eric. I'll be posting results from the habitation documents you sent me soon. I'm trying something a little different with that as well.

Each year I sink trees for crappie cover. I drill a hole in the trunk to put pieces of rebar in. Then I put the trunk in a small bucket and fill it with concrete. They will sink on there own. A small float will keep them up right.