I need some brush piles in my life

Posted By: Chris_K

I need some brush piles in my life - 07/29/15 05:43 PM

What's the best way to find some piles on lake Athens? I've graphed and graphed with sonar and DI and never find any. Is it easier if you have side imaging? I've point blank seen a dude drop a pile and then couldn't find it when he left!

What's the secret??

Posted By: B-rader

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/29/15 05:47 PM

Make your own?

Posted By: B.Hollingshead

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/29/15 05:49 PM

The "Secret" is put in the work and sink your own.

Posted By: Chris_K

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/29/15 05:53 PM

What's the best way to make them? How deep should they be dropped?

Posted By: DEFMP

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/29/15 05:59 PM

SI is the easiest way to find them. I usually start by scanning around docks, since the owners have usually placed them already. On certain docks, a good indicator is rod holders.

Posted By: David Burton

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/29/15 06:19 PM

Originally Posted By: DEFMP

SI is the easiest way to find them. I usually start by scanning around docks, since the owners have usually placed them already. On certain docks, a good indicator is rod holders.

Another good indicator for docks is fish feeders.

As to finding them. Start with sharp points near channel swings on Main Lake at 10 FOW. Run a sweeping pattern across the top of the point overlaying side-scan to your map. Slightly overlap and work your way out to 25 FOW. If you record your track, it should be clear where they are. Once you find one, repeat in similar locations across secondary points.

Posted By: Jake Shannon(Skeet4Life)

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/29/15 06:39 PM

Originally Posted By: B.Hollingshead

The "Secret" is put in the work and sink your own.

Seems like he is putting in work he just isn't successful yet....

Posted By: 5Redman8

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/29/15 07:41 PM

Willows and bamboo are easy to pull a lure through and fish love them but they don't last very long.

I have access to all the bamboo you could want if you want to go get a load.

I put the bamboo in cinder blocks and the concrete them in.

There are lots of brush piles on Athens but with all the grass and shallow cover.....the brush bite has been slow for me.

Posted By: Rob Lay

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/29/15 07:41 PM

I have dropped big piles that go 5 feet high and it is amazing how hard it is to find even though I have Gen 2 Lowrance structure scan and all. you have to go over it the right line and know what you are looking at.

Posted By: Mulholland

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/29/15 08:22 PM

I have seen crappie guys discuss making them and putting license plates mounted on the tops of them so they can pick them up on graphs easy *shrug* may be worth noting. That's definitely where I'd go looking for info though probably, not the bass section.

5redman8 does have a generous offer on the bamboo though, may have to look into building my own little honey hole on Lavon or Lewisville hmmmmmm

Posted By: 5Redman8

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/29/15 08:42 PM

Mullholland.....before the drought, we had a ton of bamboo on Lavon.

Always had more crappie than bass.

Posted By: JoshMan734

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/29/15 09:58 PM

It's why I have made a few PVC piles... Only me and another guy know exactly where they are! PVC is very hard to pick up with SI and DI

Posted By: Rob Lay

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/29/15 10:37 PM

Originally Posted By: Josh Fulton

It's why I have made a few PVC piles... Only me and another guy know exactly where they are! PVC is very hard to pick up with SI and DI

have you had luck with bass hitting them? my PVC have just been good for Crappie.

Posted By: JoshMan734

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/29/15 10:40 PM

We sank 2 pretty big trees off a point and caught fish off of them 6 weeks later! Won a tournament off them 3 months later! But like true brush piles some are good and some aren't!

I haven't crappie fished the ones on the vine but have sank a few at the lake house and have definitely caught crappie!

Posted By: Okie Poke

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/30/15 12:07 AM

Originally Posted By: Josh Fulton

We sank 2 pretty big trees off a point and caught fish off of them 6 weeks later! Won a tournament off them 3 months later! But like true brush piles some are good and some aren't!

I haven't crappie fished the ones on the vine but have sank a few at the lake house and have definitely caught crappie!

Did you notify TPWD on location of brush on GV in order to make it public knowledge? If not, you broke the law. Just PM me GPS coords and I'll make sure nobody with authority finds out. Got yer back, bud.......

Posted By: JoshMan734

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/30/15 01:26 AM

Tom... Like you need any help on the Vine lol

Posted By: CCTX

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/30/15 04:05 AM

Originally Posted By: collincountytx

Works out to $12 per fish "tree". The cement isn't necessary, but I think it'll help
Average weight of each tree is around 30lbs

I made three trees from the following components
Three five gallon buckets with lids that snap on
200 feet of 1/2 inch PVC irrigation tubing
cut the tubing into 2 feet limbs for the base (about 25 limbs on the base) and 1.5feet sections for the lid limbs (about ten limbs on the lid) I cut the tubing with garden sheers
1/2 inch circular drill bit and electric drill (25 holes around the base and 10 in the lid)
1.5 inch circular drill bit to make a few big holes (two in the lid and three around the base)
gravel/rocks
50lb bag of quickrete (I used about half the bag)

Posted By: JoshMan734

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/30/15 02:05 PM

I've made them a little better since this one(one of the first ones I ever made) but again fish found it pretty quickly! It's laying on the bottom as it sits in the picture!

Posted By: Chris_K

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/30/15 02:12 PM

Thanks for the pictures. I'm going to make some of those for sure. Now before I do this, do I need to sink them at night? Any rules I need to be aware of?

Posted By: Frank the Tank

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/30/15 02:30 PM

Yes. I'm pretty sure sinking brush piles on public water is illegal. So keep that in mind. I could be wrong though.

Posted By: JoshMan734

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/30/15 03:26 PM

It is illegal... Unless "you give tpwd the gps coordinates"! But I just sunk them in the winter time early in the morning or at night in the summer time!

Posted By: TDR2

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/30/15 08:18 PM

Originally Posted By: Josh Fulton

It is illegal... Unless "you give tpwd the gps coordinates"! But I just sunk them in the winter time early in the morning or at night in the summer time!

And then you told everyone about it on a forum where game wardens frequently visit. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Posted By: Gman72

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/30/15 08:27 PM

Side scan works really good. Most east Texas lakes are as slick as a baby's butt. Smooth......(sandy bottom for days)
Just look for anything different from smooth....mark with a way point....then go back over with 2D and down image (clear as day)

Posted By: Lil joe

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/30/15 08:35 PM

Originally Posted By: TdRoss

Originally Posted By: Josh Fulton

It is illegal... Unless "you give tpwd the gps coordinates"! But I just sunk them in the winter time early in the morning or at night in the summer time!

And then you told everyone about it on a forum where game wardens frequently visit. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I thought it's the river authority not tpwd. Atleast it is here.
Tpwd gets involved if you are cutting trees in the lake or around it. Also, I have heard of people getting tickets from the game warden for putting PVC pipe in the lake - littering.

Posted By: Rob Lay

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 07/30/15 11:35 PM

these are my Honey Hole PVC trees pulled out of my boat house. I keep them on a rope. They work great for Crappie, but can't get any bass on them.

I've heard best for bass is big hardwood.

I also wonder about those fancy log cabin type condos they are doing up north.

Posted By: Bernie Lee

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 08/01/15 12:56 AM

its a giant
What kind of boat was the dude in when he was droped in the brush?

Posted By: SkeeterRonnie

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 08/01/15 08:27 PM

Side imaging is your best bet. I marked 12 piles this morning on a lake that I had no idea what was under the surface.

Posted By: Jaguar6

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 08/01/15 10:56 PM

Ive been fishin Athens for 15 years... Ill show you some brush piles, sunken boats, etc... Theyre there, but sometimes hard to find especially in the summer with all the grass in the lake

Posted By: Chris_K

Re: I need some brush piles in my life - 08/02/15 12:30 AM

Originally Posted By: Bernie Lee

its a giant
What kind of boat was the dude in when he was droped in the brush?

Like a pontoon boat with just a deck