Placing brush piles?

[bassquatch]

Is planting brush piles in lakes legal in Washington State? I've searched here and WDFW's site and can't find anything. Last year the log I caught my new PB off (in 20' of water) broke loose from the bottom and eventually floated away.

I would like to replace it with a small tree, but I can't fish it from prison. Thanks.

[Mfowl]

Tag, I have wondered about christmas tree reefs for years, never did much research though.

[Brushcrawler]

They have put artificial structures in Potholes. I wonder if it was the state, Mardon, or a sportsman’s club?

[metlhead]

As helpful as artificial structure would be, I cannot imagine it being legit in Washington without $$$$ in impact studies.

[Dan-o]

I know nothing about this, but I always thought a personal Christmas tree reef could make for amazing fishing.

[bassquatch]

Currently leaning towards black-op scenario 

Have a couple emails pending, if I get info I will share. 

[Blacklab]

 

[fowl smacker]

They make some pretty sweet artificial "brush" structures.

[rainshadow1]

If I ever end up with a private body of water big enough to fish, I can imagine losing lots of gear, ‘cause I’d be dropping trees and stuff into right and left!

It would be ‘interesting’ to hear about the state’s rational for not allowing it… but even still, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was covered up with rules and codes.

[Seabass]

I don’t know about the legality but I can’t think of a lake I have fished where it hasn’t been done. Potholes, Banks, Lake Spokane (Long Lake), Moses, Lake Washington, Samamish, C’da all have man made brush piles on them. Those were just the lakes that I could remember without thinking about it much.

Bass clubs used to do these projects all the time.

[ASHQUACK]

I don’t know about the legality but I can’t think of a lake I have fished where it hasn’t been done. Potholes, Banks, Lake Spokane (Long Lake), Moses, Lake Washington, Samamish, C’da all have man made brush piles on them. Those were just the lakes that I could remember without thinking about it much.

Bass clubs used to do these projects all the time.

And yet if a timber faller fells a tree into a lame they can be fined as much as 10,000 00 at least that was the case back in the late 80's in Thurston County

[Sandberm]

My buddies an I, thinking we were the next Roland Martin drug a brush pile out into the little cattail pond we lived by when I was about 10 or 11 years old. Think 1981-82

It was quite the production of handsaws, rope to bind, a large rock to weigh it down and 3 years of swim lessons. We practically dragged a whole tree about 30 feet from shore into 10 foot of water. Year later I caught the biggest crappie ever by it.

Good times

[bak2huntn]

In South Dakota the explorer scouts used to collect Christmas trees and string them together with concrete blocks and put them out on the ice to sink during spring thaw, some were a few hundred feet long and made for great fishing for the shore and dock fishermen. Er fisher people !

[NRA4LIFE]

They did the same on Lake Winnebago in WI near where I grew up.  Only problem was we couldn't find them very easily when the ice came off.

[bassquatch]

ILLEGAL!

WDFW is considering some projects on the west side, similar to what they've done on the east side but not legal for us. Do I send them GPS coordinates now, or wait until the project officially starts?

In other COMPLETELY UNRELATED news, I ordered my ninja suit from Amazon last night and it will be delivered Monday 

[10Key]

ILLEGAL!

WDFW is considering some projects on the west side, similar to what they've done on the east side but not legal for us. Do I send them GPS coordinates now, or wait until the project officially starts?

In other COMPLETELY UNRELATED news, I ordered my ninja suit from Amazon last night and it will be delivered Monday 

I won't tell as long as you PM me waypoints

[Mfowl]

Thanks for posting an update!

[OutHouse]

I would love to sink some structure into Lake Merwin for the muskies to roost next to.

[metlhead]

They roost? Seems like that rez has too much structure that really spreads them out

[bassquatch]

Structure: Flats, Ledges, Drop-offs, Humps, Creek channels, Points, Bedrock, etc.

Cover: Brush, Grass, Docks, Rocks, Laydowns, Lily pads, boats, anything that floats or has sank to the bottom, especially if it's on a structural element!

If you were to place 'cover' in a body of water, do it near a structural element for maximum effect! End of a point, edge of a drop off, middle of a featureless flat, near a creek channel, on top of a hump, etc! Make a much more high percentage target 

[Angry Perch]

Structure: Flats, Ledges, Drop-offs, Humps, Creek channels, Points, Bedrock, etc.

Cover: Brush, Grass, Docks, Rocks, Laydowns, Lily pads, boats, anything that floats or has sank to the bottom, especially if it's on a structural element!

If you were to place 'cover' in a body of water, do it near a structural element for maximum effect! End of a point, edge of a drop off, middle of a featureless flat, near a creek channel, on top of a hump, etc! Make a much more high percentage target 

The spot on the spot.

[bassquatch]

Amen brother! 

[Alchase]

Back in 2004, we stayed at the Sky Deck Motel on Banks Lake. We were there to fish for rainbows, and we noticed these large barges loaded with dead trees in concrete filled barrels, being towed out from the boat ramp at Banks Lake Lodge. Out of curiosity I trolled down lake following them. They were installing them in the big bay (Barker Flats?) a crossed the lake from Steamboat Rock. I ask them what they were doing, and they said they were installing Walleye habitat. Well it must have upset the trout, because we all hooked up, and limited in about an hour and a half, 

It was pretty cool to see how they mapped it all out!

[Stein]

I was diving in Flathead Lake back in the day and came across a couple bedsprings placed on edge in a popular fishing spot where the bottom came up abruptly.  They were loaded with lures and we filled up two gallon buckets pretty easily with the better ones.  I'm not sure if they got a permit or not..  After that we just revisited whenever we were running low on gear.  Never saw a fish around them, but obviously they were good at attracting fishermen.

[Alchase]

I was diving in Flathead Lake back in the day and came across a couple bedsprings placed on edge in a popular fishing spot where the bottom came up abruptly.  They were loaded with lures and we filled up two gallon buckets pretty easily with the better ones.  I'm not sure if they got a permit or not..  After that we just revisited whenever we were running low on gear.  Never saw a fish around them, but obviously they were good at attracting fishermen.

We use to do the same up at Lake Cushman. Every year they dropped the lake levels, My Uncle who worked at the dam, would let us know. We would run up the North end in the lake " we called Stump City" by the bridge. You could walk out and collect tons of gear, especially blade strings that got hung up on the stumps!