Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat Wooden pallets...yay or nay?

I am planning and preparing underwater structure for a pond that will be built on my farm later this summer and I am on the fence concerning using wooden pallets. On the positive side, I have easy access to an almost unlimited number of used pallets, many of which are bigger and sturdier than a normal shipping pallet. But I am also a little concerned about them breaking down over time, etc.

What is the expert opinion on using pallets for structure? If I did use them, I would envision them being under water 100% of the time and would place them on pond bed before it filled. So I could anchor them so they do not move over time. TIA.

Structure that you have easy and cheap access to is hard to beat. Anchoring pallets is, as you mentioned, almost necessary.

What fish are you wanting structure for? Pallets should be good spawing, in the right depth, for flatheads, also would provide cover for smaller predators and many forage. Maybe not the best for larger predators though.

Cmm

I used some pallets and liked it. You probably will get varying ideas of why/why not to use them. The one thing that I think you should be careful of is putting them in area where people might swim. You don't want anybody coming in contact with them. Not a good thing with nails and staples that are usually protruding from them, especially as they break down.

Did you find the structure thread in the archives? Good ides in there.

I asked the same question a couple of years back and several thought that pallets make good structure and are the right price, but they can be bad for getting lures snagged....they said pallets snag more lures than if you submerge trees. So I submerged trees and have not used any pallets thus far.

I have installed many pallet castles in my 2 acre pond. I have marked them with floating duck decoys. Most bites will come from around the stacks and don't have to cast right on top of them thus eliminating hangups.I don't have them anywhere near where swimming goes on.I have mine stacked 5 high to use different depths for the fish.

Dave_IA, those pallets that you refer to will hold up for a longer period of time than regular pallets. Especially if they are made from Oak and not pine.

I have a friend that receives many different chemicals in containers on heavy duty pallets. They always have spilled/splashed stains of different colors on them. Some of the chemicals are not dangerous some are at least questionable. Be selective in the pallets you choose.
I don't recall ever reading about the use of the plastic milk crates or the plastic carriers that bread and buns are delivered in. Anyone ever tried those? I do remember when Bruce Condello built BG condos out of that 4" black tubing. Maybe someone that is capable could dig up that thread, it had some good pics with it.

Thanks for the replies and advice. Just as an FYI, I own a mechanical contracting company and we get various pieces of equipment delivered to us all of the time, often with some sort of heavy duty, custom sized pallet or wood packaging. So I can get some pretty good, sturdy pallets that way and there is little to no potential for chemical contamination, etc.

BTW, I have seen the BG condo pics made from 4" ADS and I also plan to make a number of those too. In fact, I was thinking about placing them within a couple of feet of some of the sunken pallets. I thought I would sort of surround the pallet stacks with the ADS BG hotels on 3 or 4 sides.

One last pallet question...assuming that I make stacks with them...am I better off laying them flat and stacking one on top of the other...OR...would it be advantageous to stand them on end and "sandwich" 4 or 5 together?