Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat Pallet Stucture - Made Easy

Anyone with access to wodden pallets may take note of the following. I only had an hour to spare the other day. I took a t-post, and t-post driver. Put in the post with the t-post driver. Then all I did was put several pallets (around 5) over the top of the post. Add a couple of cinder blocks on top, and the pallets submerged. It looks pretty cool and was very easy to do. All 5 pallets were underwater, I then added a couple more pallets on top, and off to the side, to create a small little deck to provide some shade. I will have to check on how the fish are using it. I bet it will be wonderful for small perch and batifish.

That's a pretty cool idea.

Did you do this in the water or in a dry pond?

I remember a few years back when I was lamenting about not being able to really drive a post into the pond bottom from a boat. Someone suggested to put out an A-frame ladder and work from that. Great point from ewest.

I have lots of different pallet use ideas (experience is a good teacher)including a variant of stclAG's where the pallets are offset over the post by using the non-middle pallet slot as the one that goes over the post. They look like this.

Sunil, I put the t-post in a lake that was already full. I think it is a little easier to drive in the post when the bottom soil has had water over it and has softened it up over time. It would be a challenge in deeper water, but I managed to deal with water in the 5 ft. range. I actually arranged my pallets in much the same manner as did Ewest. His diagram is fairly representative of what it looks like underwater. Very easy to do.

Good idea, stclAG. Do you have any pics of the submerged pallets? Good to know that you found adding sturdy structure to a full pond so easy.

Checked on my pallets today. Amazing!! I just took a quick peak to see what was going on, expecting nothing, but lo' and behold, I saw several perch already using structure...they wrere moving in and out of the little gaps in the planks. Lots of mosquito fish-minnows on it. (Aside--I think I picked a perfect depth; trial and error).

I also noticed where the pallets already had F.A. I believe) growing on it. This was not surprising, as I have seen it take to my X-Mas trees in just a few days as well. Just to cool. Old' Mother Nature.

Another aside, but I droped in just under 100 lbs. of Golden Shiners here within the last two months--spread out dispersement. My overstocked bass were all over them this morning-mid-morning. I caught at least 40 fish to take out. Spro Rattle-Traps can be a fantatic bait. Counting at 83 undersized bass harvested; waiting for more.

I learned the hard way that it takes more than two cinder blocks to sink a pallet. I loaded up a bunch of pallets with blocks on them before we flooded the lake. A couple of weeks later, I found all of my pallets down by the dam, a few with the cinder blocks still floating on them.

This is a great idea and I'll try it. I like the idea of the ladder too.

A native Texican. They're still perch.

Jersey, rememebr that we have great fish holding cover in the way of the fish habs boxes, cheap too. I was surpriesd to hear your doing the pallet deal when this is so much easier. I do like pallets but not as easy. A combo of the fish habs and the porcupines have really held some great fish for our clients. Also we got our hands on some plastic pallets they are so much easier to use as well. If in the area swing and pickup a few. Hope the fish are doing well. spawning area


another shot of the same lake. 4 foot hump

Greg,
But I've got all these pallets that I wouldn't know what to do with!!! I do have several dozen of the big Pepsi bottle crates and plastic milk crates that I could do what you show in your pictures too. I would like to get more structure out there before the bass get big.

By the way, walking around the perimeter of the pond, there is a solid mass of little fish all the way around. Gazillions of them. I assume they are BG.(?)

Cool use those crates I think you mentioend that actually I just forgot. Maybe ewest method will help with pallet placement. It could be bg or maybe the fathead minnows as well. Good luck