Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat cedar trees?

Hey, Everyone.
I'm about 2 weeks away from starting the "dig" on my new pond, which is going to be about 1 acre, 10-12 ft.

I'm in the process of cutting some cedar trees out that have grown around the trunk base of several oaks and elms. Also, there are three-four pretty sizable cedars that are currently very close to where my banks will be. I want to take them out as well. These are multi-trunk, old growth cedars, others are about 5' to 7' Christmas tree-types.

My question (Which may been addressed before):

Can I use any of this cedar brush/trees in the pond? If so, where should it be placed before the water starts coming in?

Thanks.
Glen B.

P.S. I just got my first issue of Pond Boss Magazine! Great stuff!!

my two cents, i've used alot of the post oaks, cedar's, and blackjack oaks that i've cut.. small... no more than 6-8" in diameter.. i've laid them in "laydowns" in several piles around the edge of my far bank.. and man!!.. it rocks.. we pull bass left and right off them.. also the bait fish, "bgills, and fatheads" love em!!.. i also use them to rig my turtle traps by. works like a charm!.. like i said.. i use em!.. and i've had no ill effects, only positive..

good luck.. this site is the best!!

chris

It has been mentioned here that bass (if that is your target fish) prefer "bushy" structure. If you have the time, I would cut some of those cedars, put concrete or a block around the base, then make them sit upright on the bottom with just the tops sitting out of the water. First, it makes them easy to spot, second, it gives structure in a variety of depths, suiting several different needs. You could also "tee-pee" three or four cedars, tying the tops together and weighting the bases.

I have 4 cedars (6 - 8') in my .7 acre pond. I drug them out until they were submerged and that is where they lay now. They sure do attract the BG, which sure does attract the bass, especially when I am feeding. I don't KNOW that I did it right but believe that any tree put in the water will last longer if it is completely submerged so mine are about 18-24 inches underwater with 1 cinder block attached. One of the experts will surely give you a better answer but I seem to remember reading here that 15 or 20 percent of your pond should be cover.

Glen,
If possible you should dig the trees instead of cutting off at the ground. The roots will greatly add to the fish holding qualities.

My pond is still filling, so the shoreline is always changing. I keep multiple sets of submerged cedars around the bank by tying 100 lb. nylon string to the cedars, then to a duck decoy that floats on the surface. I always know where my structure is, and can move it any time I want.
I can also remove and replace with new trees when needed.

Thanks for the input, Guys!
Update: I thought we were 2 weeks away from getting started--but, when I drove up to my property yesterday afternoon--lo and behold there was a big, ole yeller CAT sitting there! My dirt guy said they're starting Monday morning--early!
YEA!!
He said not to worry about the cedars--he's gonna push several up for me and will stack them wherever I want them.
I like the idea of marking them with the duck decoy. The older I get, my memory sometimes fades, even though I'm making a map and record of the bottom topography, brush pile locations, etc.

Thanks again. I'll keep ya'll posted on the progress.

By the way, for you Texas folks that are near the western Tarrant and/or Parker counties, do you think an average depth of 10'-12' with a 3:1 slope on a 3/4-1 acre surface area is o.k., especially as we combat the evaporation issues every hot summer? Or, do we need to be deeper?

Glen, mine is 17 to 20 ft. deep at Bowie. Or started out that way. After 3 years of drought, mine was down 7 ft. It is a little over an acre but in drought times it was about 1/2 acre. Maybe less. Fish management is impossible under those conditions. It's hard for me to say anyting is enough. I would go deeper and also see if there is any way to raise the dam enough to flood more land. Another thought. You can start off with 10-12 ft. but if you have any sand in the sandy loam, it will end up in the pond after washing from the sides and from the surrounding area. Thats why flooded creeks are muddy. Mine is about 1.5 ft of sand at the bottom after 3 years.

Eastland, I love the duck decoy idea! I used to hunt ducks but my deer feeder near my pond makes it illegal. Come to think of it, a fish feeder that "attracts" ducks might also be considered baiting and therefore illegal to hunt around. Anyway, I wondered what I was going to do with all my old duck decoys! I am about to add two or three cedars to my pond in a week or so. Bobbing duck decoys will give my dog something new to bark at.

Don't quote me on this...I'll do a little more research, but I think that as long as feeder is 100 yards away, it's not considered "baiting". (I believe it works that way with Dove hunting in Texas) I'll poke around the internet and see what I can come up with about ducks.

Just curious--I read on another thread that some folks were having a lot of trouble with herons, other waders, etc. eating their forage fish. Would putting duck decoys on the pond to mark brush piles just invite these type birds and/or ducks to "come to supper"?

You might attract a few more ducks, I wouldn't use a goose decoy. Herons I don't think would be affected one way or the other.