Question using Xmas trees for structure...

[Guest]

OK now that the holidays are over and we have an abundance of Xmas trees I was planning on planting a few left over trees in Discovery Bay. My question to the board is what's the best way to plant this structure?

Use zip ties with a cinder block?
Quick dry cement and a coffee can to the base of the tree?
Any other ideas?

Also what would be the idea depth to place these trees?

Thanks for the feedback.

[Ray L.]

Zip ties to cinder block has always worked for me. I would put them standing up and also I would not want them out of water at the lowest tideI would still want them to be under by a couple of feet.

[RogerB]

Vince,
I recommend you connect with Don Osborne of Castro Valley, basshunter4u@aol.com. Don has spearheaded the tree-planting program at Lake Chabot in previous years which appears to have been very successful. They planted several hundred Christmas trees so whatever method Don used has apparently worked. Don did the project in conjunction with Jon Walton of Walton's Pond (510-352-3932), so Jon may have some info on the method they used also.

[Lugnut]

Any chance I can get a map of where you submerge those bad boys..............Har!!!!!

[Rich hamilton]

Great idea! Someday I would like to visit my old pond in valley springs to see if the trees helped at all. could you imagine if every bass guy planted just 1 brush/tree pile in one of our lakes? With red being the hot ticket nowadays leave a couple of ornaments on for attraction!

[ken]

Vince, I worked with the f&g on a couple project using both x mas trees and oaks. We used wire for single trees and cable for numbers of trees. The trees will eventally lay flat so you may want more than one anchor to hold the tree in the position wanted. Christmas trees only last a season or two before they rot out. I don't know about the delta but a permitt may be needed to plant trees or other objects, check with f&g. Tons of wood floating the river these days. good luck, ken

[Andy Giannini]

I planted them in the Delta, did not do real good with them. Too much competing cover. I think they like the grass better. Its still fun to do though. I just used real heavy poly tying twine that wouldn't rust. Some old K-Mart plastic weights that are filled with cement, or old scrap metal.


I don't think the needles stay on too long, so I cut some sturdier trees that have branches that spread out further. Still, I chunked in some pine as well.

You would have to pick an out of the way place, because the current is cooking.

I think the neat thing about high flows, is it rearranges things on the river. Some trees are going to leave, but new ones will be dropped off here and there. Fallen trees should also be big, with all the saturation, and winds clocked up to 68 mph.

(New rock on the Delta!)

Check for new sunken boats as well. Old junkers had to hit bottom all over the Delta, and we have all seen these wrecks tied up somewhere exposed to the recent winds.

Have fun with it!

A.G.

[stevey]

if you go to quarry lakes in fremont, you can see how they made those xmas tree structures.

one long chain with the tree's tie wrapped to the chain. one end of the chain buried in the ground the other end of the chain on a cinder block. they work good too... u should see the baby crawdads clinging to the trees.

but it's damn fustrating to fish xmas trees with crankbaits in disco.
my best spots in disco are in 15-20 ft of water. on the depth finder they look like a pile of rocks verses a mound of mud. maybe those pile of rocks were xmas tree's.

that's what is so nice about fishing discovery bay... a lot of docks, rocks, and no snags.

[Andy Giannini]

Get a Timber Tiger.

A.G.