catscratch,
Your stand up cedar devices are pretty cool, but look like a fair bit of work.
How about trying a hybrid approach? I was think of something like just putting together a couple of cedars with a cinder block to lie down, and then adding a simple PVC tree to one end of the pile to create some vertical structure. I would have the top of the PVC just above the normal water level so you have a target for casting to the brush pile.
That target would also be handy when fishing with kids and a minnow under a bobber. When just the top of the PVC is sticking out, then you know 6' (for example) of line below the bobber is just above the brush pile. When a foot of PVC is sticking out, then you need to shorten the hook to 5' below the bobber.
I don't want people getting snagged on your cedars. I have never fished with an underwater camera, but I think it would be interesting to watch what happens to the crappie when you start lifting one of the cedars off of the bottom.
I also like your plan with the definition of a "whole lot" not being THAT many. The experts can give you good suggestions for locations, but experimental data may be even more valuable. Put out a few different configurations in a few different locations. Whichever ones are the best crappie producers, then repeat those configurations in future years and locate a few more a bit away from your existing piles but in the pond features (dam, flats, creek channel, etc.) that also produced the best results. Unless you have a severe case of OCD, I don't think it is possible for you to put too much cover in a 19-acre lake!
P.S. Does your old creek channel show up on your depth sounder all of the way to the dam, or has it been eroded or filled with silt over the years?
