Christmas tree Habitat

[Blacknredflake]

My buddy who allows me to fish his acre or so pond gabe my the thumbs up to put some christmas trees in it cause really therr isnt much cover in the pond other than a few grass beds and a dock.

So I was thinking of tossing a few xmas trees in the pond maybe 10 or so yards off the bank sorta close to each other. Ill be tieing cinder blocks to bottom or if need be cement in a 3gallon bucket.


Has anyone with their own pond done this before? Did ya stand them up or let them lay around?

Looking to make this effective as something to flip to from the bank

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

[SFL BassHunter]

What I would worry about is the live trees dying and sucking oxygen from the water. I know nothing of this stuff, but my understanding is that when vegetation dies it sucks oxygen and generally fish move to areas that have more of it.
Maybe someone else can shed some light on this idea. But the general idea of making cover sounds cool.

[Capt. BassinLou]

What I would worry about is the live trees dying and sucking oxygen from the water. I know nothing of this stuff, but my understanding is that when vegetation dies it sucks oxygen and generally fish move to areas that have more of it.
Maybe someone else can shed some light on this idea. But the general idea of making cover sounds cool.

Rick, placing dead  Xmas trees in lakes and ponds is very common.

[coldfront]

Rick, placing dead  Xmas trees in lakes and ponds is very common.

limited biomass available to deteriorate (unlike O2 sag when weed beds stop photosynthesizing).  loss of O2 won't be an issue.

I would think that laying them over would be better.  Only because if you want to concentrate bass, they seem to prefer horizontal cover.

vertical would be good too; it is likely to concentrate baitfish.

[68camaro]

My son and I are sneaking a tree ot two into our neighborhoods ponds this week, will have to do under cover of darkness but a year after they put carp in there fishing has been dreadful.

[analfisherman]

I've done it.

Let tree lye out and dry as much as you can.
The less 'sap' the better. Put in to early the sap can leak out and it will take a year before the bait fish come.
Ever have evergreens in your yard....you see how around the tree base....everythings dead...including grass.

Next, upright has been best for me/us.
Reason being.....bait fish tend to like to surround branches/trees pecking off small insects/worms/micro-organisms, etc.
Allows for more and better schooling.

Last BUT NOT LEAST....cut out a couple of large branches in the center of the tree.
This allows the Bass to actually 'HIDE' within the tree itself......ambushing incoming bait fish.
Bass by nature are 'ambush' hunters.....and flat out seek these openings.
You pull a large Bass out of these slots.......another one will replace it within a day or two.
PLUS if there is Crappie and Sunnies in the pond....the bigger ones will also seek out the gaps.....ESPECIALLY Crappie.

Avoid plastic barrels filled with cement.
Plastic WILL deteriorate over time.

Instead use Cement Foundation Blocks.


Put in/tie up with block standing up right.
This allows for mud and stuff to bury in the lower half (opening) allowing for more secure placement.

Start with just a couple.......see if you notice any increase around them.
Plus if you put in to MANY......it will end up the same as having NONE.......a few baitfish will congregate around each and everyone of the trees.......in other words......the Bass will be 'scattered' EVERYWHERE in the pond.....exactly what your trying to eliminate in the first place.

Another great idea is to tie a plastic jug to the top of tree at the start.......leave enough line to allow it to float STRAIGHT UP from top of tree.......this allows you to locate it easily and that helps while you learn to fish the new structure.
Use a simple string or two....they will deteriorate and break off within a year and jug will simply float to shore for removal.

If you want to get elaborate.....tie three jugs...one at tip....one on the WIDEST portion of the tree's base.....really helps to learn how and where to fish the tree.

The Bass at times will hang around the trees......10+ feet away.....coming in to feed....then go swimming around.

[SteveTX]

Its been done for what seems like centuries. Sure some cover is better than no cover but Christmas trees in particular are the Crappie cover of choice. Everyone and their mother has snuck them out in the lakes to make their private crappie hole. I have basically no fish finder but I know where many a Christmas tree has been dropped over the years and I know plenty of crappie fishermen that fish them every year. I presume there are some bass there as well but I never see or hear them going I caught me a 5lb bass today crappie fishing.

[analfisherman]

Actually, Steve, that's where the whole 'Float'n'Fly phenomenon came from on I believe it was Dale Hollow but the Crappie Anglers were continuously catching HUGE/LARGE Small Mouths on their Crappie jigs/setups.

[Mike Cork]

A pond void of cover can benefit greatly from a Christmas Tree. However, it's been my experience that pine and fur, anything with a lot of sap, is not the best choice for bass cover. Let it dry well before sinking and it will attract bass faster.

Hard wood like oak or pecan draw bass faster. So while your letting a few pine trees dry out, visit your local Pecan grove and pick up some of the self pruning they do and slip it into the a bucket of concrete as it drys 

D.W. Verts has a lot of experience on brush piles and I hope he'll jump in and share some after the holiday.

[SteveTX]

Crappie Anglers were continuously catching HUGE/LARGE Small Mouths on their Crappie jigs/setups.

That may be the case some where but we don't have small mouth here and well like I said I know quite a few crappie guys that fish the trees and they are great for crappie just don't see large mouth being pulled from the Christmas trees. Not saying it doesn't happen but I'm not seeing it here is my area. Sure a bass has been caught here and there but its not a large mouth bass attractant from what I see.

Pine, Oak, Pecan, yeah toss some of that in the water and you will have a bass and perch happy environment. Well around here anyway. 

[Blacknredflake]

Well ive yet to pull any crappie from this pond.. noy saying it doesnt hold any ive just yet to see any.

Lots of bream and a good population of bass from 10" up to 4lb bass that ive caught and release.

Always flippin from yhe bank to yhe grass bed edges and it produces but I figure a few trees would help as well.     My make some pallet habitats as well later on.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

[D.W. Verts]

Any brush is better than no brush!

Before you drop those trees, take a match to 'em... Burn off the needles. They'll burn very hot for a few seconds, and it will cauterize the branches, sealing them up and making the tree last much longer.

[FlatsNBay]

This is what I did. They are really easy to make and sink and are fairly cheap. You can make them as big as you want by increasing the length of pvc. The only problem is they will eat crankbaits!

[SFL BassHunter]

I knew some smarter folks than me would comment


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk