My brother lives in Dallas, I'm in Tyler. We decided to start crappie fishing together so all year long, even in the blistering heat we put out brush piles and built bamboo crappie condos at Lake Palestine.

The last couple of times out Ive noticed the same person slowly boating by us and watching closely. I had the feeling he was spotting our pile, possibly even setting a way-point.

Saturday, there he was anchored on top of our brush pile.

We did extensive searching before sinking that spot and I can assure you, there were no other brush piles in that area, he was without a doubt on our spot.

Whats a fisherman to do, nothing?

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

These can be put together in the boat. So you don't have to take a bunch of noticable stuff and people won't follow you. Contact me if you need me to explain.
Scott Solis
CrappieMaster

Nice condo Scott!

I understand your frustration. But being a public lake, there is not much you can do. Just try to get to your pile before that guy does.

Public water, not a thing you can do. Maybe sneak out and move it 40-50 feet might be enough to throw them off.

Put your piles out at dark ,paint your markers black ,dont fish your piles with boats around.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate you letting me vent!

We did the right thing and just moved on. I thought about trolling up next to him and start jigging but we wouldn't do that, it was just a bad thought for a couple of seconds.

I fish Palestine about twice a year; could a feller fish your pile with permission?

Crappie Buster said it all.

Redfin had it right. Make a grappling hook by bending a piece of rebar and connecting a rope to it, hook the brushpile and move it. With more and more people with SI sonar, none of our brushpiles will be safe. I guess we'll just have to deal with it, but someone following you around and taking advantage of your hard work is just wrong.

I build piles and I fish other piles put in by others. None of the piles are mine whether I put them in or not. Once in the lake they are fair game. The only advantage you have is that you know where it is.

If you are just fishing structure you place in the lake, then your missing out. If you spend an hour placing a pile then do yourself a favor and search another hour for other piles in the same area you placed yours. You'll most likely find 5:1 placed. Then if somebody is fishing the one you placed, you'll have other options in the same area.

Yep, that's just something your gonna have to deal with on Palestine and probably every other lake too...

Wait till you come upon someone moving your pile for you, that will really get under your skin.

Like others have said, try not to fish piles when other boats are around and use dark colored markers when you do fish them.

Gilly

I almost vented on this same subject last week, didnt want to open up a can of worms. One of my best fishing partners worked all night to build the best brushpile on Navarrow Mills Lake. On top of all the hard work he suffered a massive heart attack a few months later. Now, he doesnt get to fish as much as alot of people do, but he could count on his brushpile for his fish. That is until it got discovered this summer, now it gets hammered hard on a regular basis buy a feller who fishes quite often. Now there's nothing wrong with fishing a brushpile you find, just don't sit on it and milk it dry, every time you go out, have a little respect for the feller who built it.

It was not me, I never anchor over a brush pile.
I found a couple this weekend, but they were not holding many
fish, but they are marked and in the book.

Never Put all you your eggs in one basket. Place more piles,
you need several piles in various depths , and fishable in
different wind conditions. I repeat , place more piles.
Please put them on the south end , Chimney and Cobb cr, on main
lake points. Close to my place, so I don't waste so much gas.


I used to have a bp just out from my dock, didn't have to
even start the big motor. It was nice , but it was found and
very popular, and was always fished out. It has rotted away
and I won't be replacing it.

Good luck
Mo

Thats the thing about brushpiles, once they hit the water, its fair game. Just smile and sit out some more.....