Fish Shelters....

[Mac2]

Some years ago I met and talked with a fish biologist who had been planting fish shelters.....sinking them at strategic points. He described them as a wood board on the bottom, two post type pieces of wood, one on each end and a wood board top. He had observed that the bass were using them as shelters and nesting. Does anyone know what the dimensions of these shelters should be? Our local Ruritan club is interested in making and planting them in our local reservoir which has a very low fish count. Thanks for any help offered, and Good Fishing, Mac

[The Doc]

I help out the Ft. Bragg Fish and Game, and we use 2 pallets separated by 2 4x4's about 3 feet long, weighed down with a cinder block. After X-mas, you can drive around the neighborhoods with a truck or trailer and grab up all the X-mas trees, too. We take a big drill bit, like a 1" and drill a hole in the trunk, run some chain through 3 or 4 of them and sink em with a cinder block too. You can get pallets from behind big stores like wal-mart, and all you gotta buy is a few cinder blocks and a few feet of chain, maybe a couple cheap locks...

[flfireman]

They also construct them out of PVC.

[carolina-rig-01]

i would use pvc pipe or flex tubing if it were me, less likely to get hung up when fishing these shelters. you can take a five gallon bucket and put some concrete in the bottome then add the pipe or flex tubing. with the pipe you can use fittings and make a tree type structure out of it, and with the flex tubing you can cut holes in the bucket and run long pieces through it and once it dries add a foam noodle pool toy inside the tubing and the tubing will float. use your imagination and be creative.

[lowrider]

willow trees, weight on the bottom the a couple of emtpy milk jugs tied to the top. the milk jugs floating will keep the willows standing. just remember to mark them on your gps!

[TravisRush]

There is this pond in a housing development that I fish on occassion. There are houses around it and a walking track runs along it. This pond can't be more than 2 acres large...

Is it legal for myself to drop in some sort of structure into this pond? I'm not sure who to ask about this in the development as I believe the pond is private...

[CMorg]

Im pretty sure thats not legal. But , if no one seen you do it......

[TravisRush]

The thing is...there are a few houses around it that have huge windows...

I should take a picture tomorrow and post it here so you can see what I'm working with

[The Doc]

You need a covert ops mission. Code name "tire swing"

[CMorg]

LOL Doc. Are the houses all on the same side , or on both sides ?Dump em during a nite fishing trip with a full moon. And PVC is the way to go , it lasts forever and crankbaits wont hang on it.

[TravisRush]

The pond is almost like an oval...houses on each end...road and walking path on one side...two overhanging trees on the other side but that other side is pretty bare...

I want to do it within this week or next week...this pond can't be more than 6 feet deep at its deepest point...how tall should I build the tree?

[CMorg]

I dont know 6' is pretty shallow , if the water is fairly clear I would use black pvc , and I would only build them about 2 to 3' maybe just a bunch of straight stick ups instead of a tree. Do not place them anywhere someone may dive into the water and hit them. Also , I really dont think you will gain anything from placing these shelters , it would not help get more bass. They have nothing to do with spawning , it simply provides a place for the bass to " hang out " and pick off smaller fish that come for the algie that will grow on the structure you place. I wouldnt even do it , thats just me. Fish the known structure like the trees you mentioned.

[TravisRush]

There is absolutely no structure in it...no baitfish...just smaller fish...I don't even know how long it will take these bass to grow...I really should try and dump some baitfish in there..............maybe they could grow and help those dang bass get over a pound

[TravisRush]

Would minnows work?

[quenston]

Alot of state agencies will have work days or at least they do in Oklahoma, once or twice a year here on Grand Lake they supply the stuff to make structure and you build it and then the following day you take it and put it in your spot that you want, it is a very good program and it is kinda fun just something that you may wanna check into.

[CMorg]

I would say your problem is over population. All of those little bass are fighting for the same food , and they are just skinny. Either increase their food ( hard , if not impossible ) or take out the fish. If you catch 10 undersized bass , and its not against the law , keep em , and eat them. Once you start taking some of those fish out , now the remaining fish have more to eat , thus making them bigger. I am not an expert here , so I am sure someone else can put in their two cents as well..

[carolina-rig-01]

Originally Posted by TravisRush

Would minnows work?

the local feed stores around here have fish stocking days about twice a year where you can go and buy baitfish by the pound. they have the information on how many pounds to add per acre and there are several different types of baitfish to choose from all have different values to the ecosystem and you can choose which type will benefit you the most. might check around and see if they have anything like that in your area.

[3dkicker]

TRush - I'm guessing that the pond isn't frozen over or you aren't getting the 30" of snow like Spokane got recently. If the pond freezes over then I'd drag a few xmas trees out and place them around the pond. I'd also pull a few limbs, logs, and rocks out and do the same. Just make sure the ice is solid and you have a safety line or someone to help you out just in case.
Increase the prey base (ie cover like the trees) or decrease the competition (suggested removing small fish) and the fish population will improve.

[TravisRush]

Oh no definitely not 30"...maybe 18-20"? I have a few teammates that live in Spokane though.

Don't bigger bass eat smaller bass? I would think they would weed themselves out...

I was thinking of planting some goldfish in there since they are fairly cheap and nobody around here sells live baitfish (minnows, bluegill, sunfish...)

[zooker]

there is several i have seen made from plywood they are 14"-16" high 3-4 feet wide long 6-8 feet long.. first time i seen it i was like what the hell is dat?? there is five or six of them in badin. mostly positioned on points. i have personally seen them..


zooker

[Mac2]

Thanks to all for your input. It's muchly appreciated. Am getting in touch with the proper authorities for permission and their take on the subject as well. The fellow I talked to years ago seemed to be indicating a shelter somewhat like zooker's, just smaller in overall size, but the 14-16" dimension rings a bell. Thanks again and Good Fishing, Mac

[3dkicker]

Find a bunch of used pallets and use them as well. Made from oak and will last a long time.

Bass will eat everything and anything they can swallow but when they can only eat really small minnows or have a limited food source they don't grow. They need big minnows or small perch or crayfish to add size. If the forage is eaten before it can support larger bass then you won't have large bass.

We had a problem in a local pond with schools of 4-5" bluegill eating all the forage and the bass were stunted. We put in a bunch of large bass (15"+) which ate the small bluegill and all species (crappie, bass, and bluegill) of fish increased in size.

I'm not saying this will work in your case but I think by adding some cover it will give the forage a better chance and might help the bass.

[zooker]

Originally Posted by 3dkicker

Find a bunch of used pallets and use them as well. Made from oak and will last a long time.

and where oh where would I find a pallet... hmmm oh thats right... i work with them..


zooker

[TravisRush]

Would putting a large amount of goldfish in there help their growth? There is a koi in there as well already...

[3dkicker]

Don't know if they can stand the cold winter temps. You'd be better off with some type of minnow or chub species native to your state. Contact Game and Fish and find out what's around.

Zooker - You wouldn't happen to know what's the best way to stack those pallets so he'd get the best use out of them would ya?