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What Makes a Good
Brushpile
In
summary, Location, Location, Location. You have to realize a brushpile
does not manufacture fish. Nor
will it draw a fish from across the lake. A good brushpile takes
advantage of an existing population of fish, in
an area they already frequent. All the brushpile does is congregate the
fish in a small area, making it a time
effective way to fish a particular spot. You will seldom catch a fish
that you would not have caught had you
only worked the surrounding area thoroughly without the presence of the
brushpile.
Given a good location,
there are still differences between brushpiles and their ability to
attract and hold fish.
The Berkeley Research Center in Nebraska did a study on the effects of
location, number, and size of limbs.
They found fish will gravitate to an area where the limbs are just big
enough for the fish to comfortably fit
between. This means lots of little limbs close together will hold lots
of little fish. Big limbs spaced widely apart
will hold pretty much nothing at all. Limbs spaced between 6" and
18" will attract and hold large numbers of
legal size bass. What this research should tell us is a Christmas Tree
is just about the poorest choice we
could make for something to sink. With it's tightly spaced limbs, bait
fish will simply have a good place to hide
from being eaten. Now there still will be a few predators about, and no
doubt a few bass, but chances are slim
any bass will actually take up residence and wait for you to show up.
You'll pretty much have to meet him
there and trust to timing. For a better effect, prune several of the
limbs out of you Christmas Trees and leave
room for a bass to get between the branches. Research and experience
suggest you'll much improve your
chances of finding a bass at home.
So, given location and
limb spacing, anything else? The next most important factor is strong
vertical
presence. This simply means given a choice, a bass will prefer a tree
standing straight up to one lying flat on
it's side. We've all seen bass hold to a dock post or around a partially
submerged stump. Same thing for
submerged cover, horizontal is good, vertical is excellent.
If you're going to all
this work, some consideration should be given to how long before the
thing falls apart.
Once again Christmas trees are a very poor choice, ( if they weren't so
easy to get you'd never fool with the
things.) Soft firs have a life expectancy of a few months under water
before they simply fall apart. The vertical
trunk will still be there, but those fish attracting limbs will fall to
the bottom quickly. Hardwoods are the obvious
choice. Fair size Oak wood will stay together for years. Orange Trees
are the preferred material for the state
attractors which can last 5 - 10 years underwater. If you have some
branches off a hard wood tree, add them
to the brushpile mix. The fir trees will give your pile some bulk and
the hardwood will help keep it active over
the long haul.
Where to Sink a
Brushpile
If you
ever had a reason to be a good structure fisherman, a brush pile would
be it. Offshore structure is
always a good choice for reliable fish, and a brushpile can make picking
those fish up embarrassingly easy.
Although a brush pile can concentrate fish where ever they are found, a
deep water brush pile can actually
seem to manufacture fish. The reason for this is simple, a brush pile
located in or near deep water will become
the home turf of bass that are normally found suspended over deep water.
Now they can't always be caught
even on the brush pile, since they are commonly inactive. But, at least
you'll know where they're at and have
chance at a reaction bite.
Start you location
search with a favorite offshore area. The prime location will have deep
water access to
the main lake body. Points, humps, cuts in ledges, all of the
traditional structures are good candidates. An
ideal location will also have a slight current, such as from an
inflowing creek or the main lake dam draw. Too
much current will make the brush pile a feeding station, but will
prevent the bass from taking up residence.
And after all, you'll looking for a reliable location for those tough
times, not just another place to catch a few
when they are active. When looking at currents, don't overlook the
possibility of a wind induced current. Many
offshore structures have surprisingly good current flow when a strong
prevailing wind is blowing. Just make
sure you'll be able to effectively fish the brush if the wind blowing.
It doesn't do much good to know where
they're at if 3' waves keep you fishing in a cove.
Although it's not a
hard and fast rule, about 20' deep seems to be the best for brush. This
will allow you to
put some significant vertical cover down with the tops at a safe depth.
The 20' mark is easily fished with a
variety of lures, including worms, jigs, crankbaits, spinner baits, and
suspending jerk baits, while still being
deep enough to make the inhabitants feel secure. Keep in mind the
changes in lake levels when selecting the
area or you may find your carefully constructed brush pile either buried
in 40' or sticking out of the water half
the year. If your lake is one that routinely sees a 20' difference
between summer and winter pool, then a pair
of brush piles positioned correctly for the season on the same or
adjoining structures can be the answer.
Try not to overlook
the obvious. Be able to find your way back to your brush pile BEFORE you
sink it. I
don't know how many stories I've heard over the years about brush piles
that magically disappeared when their
makers tried to return. Use shore structure, radio or water towers,
houses with street lights, etc. to line up
exactly where you want the pile then put down a buoy before dropping the
first bundle. Most brush is sunk at
night to prevent prying eyes from knowing the exact location. When
sinking at night and using shore lights as
the mark, make sure it's a permanent light, not just someone's back
porch lit up for a barbecue. I prefer to use
towers when available since they are visible for miles and even a tree
line silhouette works well for lining up.
Try to select the intersection of at least a couple of shore marks. Not
only does this make it easier to find, but
when fishing in a wind, a second and third mark can help you stay on
target if your main mark ! is down wind.
And please don't make
the mistake of solely relying on a GPS. First, they really aren't
accurate enough to
exactly position you on something that is only a few feet across.
Second, the drift error changes day to day
so even if you get back today, you may not tomorrow. Third, you'll end
up spending several minutes idling
around with a depth finder to locate the exact position and may be
disturbing the fish while you're at it. After
all, the whole reason for the brush pile was time management, wasn't it?
And last but not least, the
coordinates and drift change between units even of the same brand are
not exact, so if you replace your GPS
with a new one, chances are you'll loose your exact locations even if
you had them. And that should answer
any questions about finding a small brush pile from your buddy's GPS
coordinates as well. If you just can't
stand it and have nothing except a GPS, then at least position the pile
on some unique feature such as a
secondary point or c! ut on the main structure so you ccc can find it
easily with your depth finder once the
GPS has put you close just by monitoring the depth change.
How to Construct a
Brushpile
There
seems to be two generally accepted ways to sink brush depending on the
materials at hand, the
expense, and the trouble you're willing to go two. You can tie the brush
to concrete blocks, or you can embed
the brush in a bucket of concrete. Either way, the idea is to get as
much vertical cover down as you can, so
just tying a block to the side of a limb and throwing it overboard isn't
what it's all about.
Selecting the brush to
sink should be more than simply community service on a handy tree on the
lake
shore. We've already talked about hardwood with lots of forks, but how
about size? You'll have to get these
things to the bottom, and that's not really as easy as it might seem.
I've seen more than one case of some
carefully selected full size branches and trees merrily floating along
with a brick or bucket attached. Even if it
starts to sink slowly, I've also seen large branches float sideways in
current 100 yards before settling to the
bottom. When selecting branches or trees, don't get carried away. A 6' -
10' branch with 3 or 4 forks is about
the most you'll get down with a single weight. Branches without leaves
or greenery sink better than those fully
populated. A neat trick to harden the wood for a longer stay is to burn
the branch before sinking. This will also
get rid of the smallest twigs, letting you put more of the large wood on
the bottom in a single bundl!e. Although
the majority of the brush does need to be strong limbs, a bundle or two
of twigs, (or a small Christmas tree),
will attract bait with it's safe haven and get your brush pile off to a
quick start.
For those endowed with
an excess of 5 gallon buckets, a bag of Ready Mix and some fair size
branches
and trees, and you're all ready to go! Cut the bottoms of the branches
to leave a straight section about 2 1/2
feet long to put into the bucket. Mix up a bucket of concrete, insert
branch, (again it may be surprisingly
difficult), and let it set up. When inserting the branch, you will
probably have to weight down the upper portion to keep the tree all the
way to the bottom of the bucket, (trees float in concrete as well.) And
make sure the
branches are balanced and standing straight up. If they are crooked in
the bucket on dry land, they'll be on
their sides soon underwater.
If you prefer the
concrete blocks from the local building supply, pick up so nylon twine
while you're at it. The
twisted 100 - 500 lb test works well. Turn the block on it's side, with
the holes facing up. Cut the branches this
time with a fork about 1 foot above the bottom then insert the branch in
the block. Use the twine looped on all
four sides of the hole to keep the branch upright. Again, if it's not
balanced out of the water, it won't be
underwater either. If the brush is going on a soft bottom, I like to
leave about 3" of limb sticking below the
blocks. This extension will spear itself into a soft bottom when you
drop them and help anchor the cover
upright. I've seen a similar thing done with concrete buckets by driving
a few 20 penny nails through the
bottom before pouring the concrete, (be careful of the boat finish if
you try this one.)
Some folks like to tie milk
jugs or similar containers to the top of the trees to keep them upright
underwater.
The success of this depends on where you put them and the water where
you sink them. If the water is clear,
the jugs may attract every fishing guide in miles since they can clearly
be seen a few feet underwater, (I've
found more than one brush pile that way.) If you do use jugs, tie them
directly to the main truck and use them
to steady the cover, not to try and hold it up.
When you're ready to
drop the bundles, use your trolling motor to get you close to where
you've got your
buoy. Try to drop bundles all the way around the buoy so your markings
will remain accurate. About 5 or 6
bundles make an excellent brush pile. It gives plenty of cover without
spreading out too much. I've seen several
cases where folks have put down 8, 10, even 20 bundles in a single pile.
Your purpose was to concentrate
fish, not frame a house. With too many bundles, the fish will select one
or two, then you have to fish ALL of
the bundles to figure out which two! All of a sudden, it would have been
quicker to cover the entire area with a
Carolina rig that it was to fish the brush pile. Kind of defeats the
purpose, doesn't it? And scattered brush just
opens up the area, again giving you too much water to quickly cover.
Keep the bundles close so you can fish
the entire pile in a few casts.
How to Fish a
Brushpile
There are
a couple of ways to approach a brush pile, depending on the mood of the
fish and personal
preference. The key to the selection is realizing the aggressive fish
tend to be in the top branches while the
neutral and negative fish tend to hug the bottom.
Approach One is to
pick off the aggressive fish first. For this, an aggressive bait is
called for, and current
thinking suggests a deep diving crankbait as the preferred tool. Cast
well beyond the brush pile and crank
down to depth. Use the feel of the line as it crosses a limb to
anticipate the lure hitting the limb, (read as
"time to slow down.") When the bait hits the limb, give a bit
a slack allowing the bait to float above the limb
before restarting the retrieve. Most bites come on the pause or the
first movement after the pause. Cranking
brush piles is hard enough, and getting the fish out is another chore
all together.
With treble hooks
flying, the fish's first instinct is going to be to dive into cover.
You'll need a rod that will
not pull out the treble hooks yet still has the backbone to keep the
fish out of the limbs. It's an acquired skill
that takes some practice, but the results of the recent years of
professional tournaments shows it's a skill
worth acquiring. Another good option is a spinner bait brought through
the upper 1/3 of the brush. When you
hit a limb, bring the spinner over the limb and allow it to drop on the
near side. Most strikes will come on the
fall. Jerkbaits, or even top waters can coax aggressive bass from the
top branches, and many times without
disturbing the other fish relating to the pile. The problem with
Approach One is it is cherry picking the bass.
You normally have a fish that will run back into the pile, flushing the
remaining fish from the brush during the
fight. And those neutral fish were going to be hard enough to catch
anyway.
Approach Two is to
fish for the neutral fish first. Use a worm or a jig worked slowly in
the branches on, or
near, the bottom. You really can't approach this too slow, because dead
worming for a minute or two can
catch the biggest fish in the pile. These bites will seldom be vicious
hits, more likely an exploratory mouthing
of the bait. When you set the hook, set hard and don't wait too long.
Every second the fish has the bait and
you're not pullin', he's doin' something you REALLY don't want him to do
with it. If you get tied up in brush,
give the fish some slack and a chance to swim out of it. When hurt, the
fish will naturally try to escape to
open water, and a lot of times will simply take your lure with him.
You're going to lose a few that tie you up,
so expect it and accept it as part of the game. Try not to tear up or
tip over your brush, or to kill a big fish, just
for the sake of landing a fish that's wrapped around a limb. Better to
cut your line, (don't just pull until it breaks
or you'll turn the fish inside out), and wait for another day.
Which ever approach,
try the other approach before moving on. There is likely both aggressive
fish and
neutral fish on a good pile at any time, so give yourself a chance at
both.
When you do catch a
fish, give the pile a rest for a few minutes and let them settle back
down. Fish the
surrounding area since chances are the last fight caused a few fish to
scatter away from the pile. These
scattered fish are disoriented and a little shaken up. This means if
they stumble across an easy meal they
will avail themselves of the opportunity. If there are several fish on a
good pile, it's not unusual to catch 3 or 4
off of the pile, and another 3 or 4 a cast or two away from the pile.
When looking for scattered fish, you can
almost bet they will go to the nearest cover. For this reason, a grass
bed right next to the brush pile can be a
gold mine.
When fishing a brush
pile, remember the fish will reorient themselves on the brush just like
any other cover.
The direction of the sun, (fish prefer the shadow side), any current,
and the day's barometric pressure can all
change the way the fish relate to the cover. Given a choice, always cast
into the wind, bringing the bait in from
a natural direction with any wind current. If they won't bite from one
direction, move the boat and try a different
one. Keep the boat as far back as possible when circling a brush pile to
keep from spooking the fish.
Remember the boat can cast a long shadow underwater, and rarely will the
fish react in a favorable way.
Managing Brushpiles
Once the
brush pile is down, with a little luck it will hold a number of fish.
The first step keeping the pile
productive over the years is to prevent over-fishing. Nothing will kill
a brush pile faster than catching everything
that swims by it. If you plan on several return trips, take one or two
fish from the pile then leave it alone for a
couple of days to recharge. I've seen time after time good piles be
fished out, while near by piles with reduced
pressure produce good fish for several years. Never hammer the pile for
hours, you're cutting your own throat
for the future.
In order to keep the
pressure to a minimum, it's a good idea to keep the location to
yourself. You do this in
a number of ways, number one keeping your mouth shut. Don't tell
everyone in your club about your brush pile
or soon it might as well have a public fish attractor sign attached.
When you do show someone, trust them
that they will also keep it's location a secret and not tell their next
fishing partner. When you're fishing your
brush pile, try to avoid making it obvious by putting a buoy down. A
buoy in the water with a boat casting to it
is one thing I always take note of for future investigation. I've found
more than one brush pile by simply paying
attention and hitting a single button on my GPS while on a plane. I can
then return later, burn a little gas, and
may add a honey hole to the spots I know.
There are exceptions
to the rule, and the one exception I can think of is when your pile in
invaded by dinks.
New piles are prone to attract dinks, keeping the bigger fish at a
distance. You can reduce the effect by
selecting the proper limb spacing as we discussed earlier, but it
happens even to the best ones. If your pile is
loaded up with dinks, then have some fun by catching as many as
possible. If your lake has a slot limit, do
everyone a favor and take them home for a fish fry. If they are under
the legal limit, then at least troll a few
hundred feet away to release them and hope they take the hint. I've seen
a time when I caught 30 - 40 dinks
off a single pile and never caught a keeper. Then, a week later, I
pulled into the same pile and caught 3 nice
keepers in 3 casts, (might have caught more but just couldn't stand to
hammer it.) Dinks can be the death of
a pile unless managed so if you find a horde of undersized fish, catch
them off of it.
If you have a favorite
brush pile down for awhile, it's seldom worth it to try and refresh it
with new trees.
Between being hammered over the years, and the natural scattering of the
brush, attempts to refresh it will
normally be less than fully successful. Better to find a nearby spot and
sink a new one. This gives you a fresh
start and fish will readily move from an old pile of rubble to a fresh
brush pile. To help the migration, try finding
a new spot on the same ledge or grass line, giving the fish a natural
road to travel to the new spot.
Brushpile Etiquette
Once a
brush pile is on the bottom, it is public domain. If you find someone
else's brush pile, you're free to
fish it. If you sink your own brush pile, you can almost guarantee
someone else will eventually find it. So, in
order to reduce gun play on the water, here are a few generally accepted
rules about brush piles.
First and Foremost,
never share the location of a brush pile you found with someone you
wouldn't also
share your own brush pile with. You and the people you tell must show
the courtesy to the builder you expect
yourself. That goes for throwing a buoy on it, or leaving a bottle
floating on it was well. treat all brush piles you
know about as yours, regardless of who sunk it.
Give courtesy to
people fishing a brush pile. If someone is already on it, chances are
slim there is enough
room for two. Even if you just sunk it yesterday, if someone else is on
it, then give them the room. If invited in,
that's fine, but don't go blowing in where someone else is fishing just
out of some misguided sense of
ownership.
If fishing a brush
pile on a structure, give room to someone fishing the rest of the
structure. If you're just
going to be sitting in one place, don't be so rude as to interrupt
someone who has run a ledge for the last 1/2
mile. He already knows you're fishing something or you wouldn't have sat
there that long. And he'll be trying to
move on by without disturbing you. Move your boat to one side and let
them fish by. It won't hurt what you're
doing and chances are if you haven't caught that big fish already,
you're not going to in the next two casts
either.
If someone does
approach you and object, be courteous and firm. You can explain you have
the right to fish
anything underwater you find without being rude or antagonistic. If the
guy has taken the trouble to confront
you, he's already having a bad day. Don't run the risk of ruining both
of your days by getting defensive and
starting a shouting match on the water. If he wants it that bad, give it
to him and go fish the next one. This is
suppose to be fun, remember?
Brush piles can be
well worth the effort, especially in lakes with little open water cover.
Some well thought
out plans can create a little honey hole all your own. The pros sing
their praises after practically every
tournament, and I think once you try them, you will too.
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