Winter is prime time for building fish habitat. Cedar trees are one of the best options, and
you can find them popping up in forests and pastures all over the place. Most landowners
want them gone, so to collect a few, all you’re probably going to need to do is ask for
permission to help remove them from the landscape. They’re easy to come by, so gather a
few, sink them in waters you own or have permission to do so in, and you’ll build habitat
to hold fish all year long.
Anglers have been sinking brush piles for generations to create fish-holding cover and
keeping these honey holes secret spots. Cedar trees are perfect for the job because they’re
abundant, easy to handle, and their wild branching structure creates ideal cover.
Sunken brush provides shelter not only for fish, but also for all sorts of underwater forage
those fish depend on. Minnows rely on vegetation and woody cover to escape predators,
and predator fish know it. Crappie, bass, and other game fish often stage along limbs and
branches, waiting for an easy meal to swim by. When you add structure, fish respond
quickly. When placed in ponds and small lakes, these become the go-to fishing spots.
I grew up on a lake in a large subdivision. My grandpa and uncle were two of the most
consistent fishermen on those waters. Their success didn’t come from fancy gear or
cutting-edge technology. It came from winter weekends spent building brush piles. Most
of them were made from old Christmas trees, but cedars work just as well.
It’s a little late for finding a lot of discarded Christmas trees at the end of driveways, but
if you know where a few have been dumped off, that could be a gold mine for brush to
sink. We used to cruise the neighborhood with a flatbed trailer behind my uncle’s van,
picking up trees from the ends of driveways until the trailer was stacked so high we
couldn’t take any more. Back at the garage, we’d get to work preparing them for sinking.
We prepped trees two ways. Most often, we’d lash a few together into a bigger pile, wrap
a chain around the bundle, and thread it through a couple of cinder blocks. For single-tree
structure, we’d drop the trunk into a small bucket, usually an old ice cream tub from
Schwan’s, and fill it with concrete. Both methods are easy and cost-effective.
Our favorite spots were deep water in front of docks and along sharp drop-offs. We used
a jon boat to place the trees, and since this was long before GPS mapping apps, we kept a
paper map marked with every brush pile. Today, you can just mark them on your sonar or
onX. Big piles went in open water. Individual trees lined docks and edges where fish
naturally traveled.
As the trees break down, they attract invertebrates, which draw in small fish. Small fish
bring bigger fish, strengthening the entire food chain. When spawning season arrives,
young fish use those trees as nursery cover, increasing survival rates and improving the
fishery for years to come.
Manmade ponds and reservoirs often lack the natural structure found in rivers and lakes.
If you want good fishing, someone has to create that structure. Wintertime brush building
is good for the fish and is one of the most effective tools available for improving your
fishing opportunities while benefiting the entire lifecycle of the body of water.
Sinking brush isn’t a secret. Plenty of anglers do it around their own docks. Fewer take
the time to think bigger to improve habitat across an entire pond or lake. Those who do
gain an advantage that lasts through every season.
Some of my best outdoor memories haven’t come from the moment of the catch or the
shot, but from the preparation that made it possible. I’ll always remember the excitement
of loading up Christmas trees with my family, and the satisfaction that followed months
later as we gathered for another fish fry. In the outdoors, effort has a way of paying you
back.
See you down the trail…
Pic: Sinking brush in the winter to create natural structure can result in catching a lot of
fish throughout the rest of the year.
