MIke, I am not sure what kind of grass it is, but if you want some, come on over, I'll let you have a start of it. There is probably at least two kinds, one I am sure is a type of burr reed. It gets about 2' tall, does well in an inch of water and at wet shore line and can be fully submerged for several days without dying.
The trees are artificial Christmas tree sections. I get them at auctions for a buck or two. I set them anywhere from 6' to 2'. I have even bunched branches together and staked them into the mud in 1' of water.
What's been your experience with artificial trees? Do fish use them as well as natural brush? How long do they last in the water?
Anthropic,
Like any other structure, it depends on where I put it as to how quickly it is used and by what species. I like the artificial trees due to the dense structure that can shelter lots of small fry. I fished one of the artificial trees I placed on Sunday last night, I got 3 bg around 7 inches, 1 bg 9" and an 18" LM (on a tiny little nymph!). That one is about 8' from shore, but in only about 3' of water and is very close to my main feeding area. Another set of 3 sections I placed 3 weeks ago I haven't been able to catch anything off of yet. It's in deeper water, on the other side of the pond near a drop off between a spawning area and deep water. I thought it would attract fish.
As for how long they last, I don't have an answer for that. They certainly last longer than the cedar trees I put in. I have branches in shallow water that I placed over 2 years ago that have no deterioration I can see. They get lots of "stuff" on them, bugs, snails, algae and whatnot, but don't drop needles. I suppose the metal frame will rust at some point.
