Page 10 - Crappie NOW - December 2018
P. 10
by Brent Frazee
All of this from the centerpiece of many
I have a different view of Christmas Christmas celebrations.
trees than most people. Sure, I love to
see my family gathered around the tree, Easy, Available but Not the Best
glowing with strings of lights, ornaments Before we go much farther, I have to
and tinsel, during the holidays. But I also toss out a caveat: Christmas trees are far
envision crappies gathered around my from being the ideal wood for making a
tree on the bottom of lake once New Year’s brush pile. The holiday trees deteriorate
Day has passed. much more quickly than hardwoods. They
The holidays are all about tradition. And are only at their prime for a couple years.
as a fisherman, turning several Christmas Then they break down and offer little cover
trees into brush piles is a tradition of mine. for the fish.
I’ll start by buying concrete blocks The Missouri Department of
and heavy gauge wire from the hardware Conservation has confirmed as much
store. Then I’ll drag several Christmas through scuba studies on Table Rock
trees to the boat dock on my home lake Lake. Even in places where teams of
in Missouri. I’ll run the wire through the workers sank clusters of Christmas trees,
concrete block and the limbs of each tree they found only the decaying skeleton of
and wrap it several times. Then I’ll slide the trees and the concrete blocks used to
the block off the dock and into a boat stall sink them five to six years after they were
and watch the tree slowly sink. put in.
Instant cover. Instant fishing spot. That’s why many fisheries departments
I’m amazed at how quickly those now go to hardwoods such as shingle
Christmas trees that only a few days oaks or hedge for the construction of
earlier had proudly carried Christmas brush piles. They last much longer than
tradition can attract crappies. I have come Christmas trees, provide more room for
back the next day with my Aqua Vu to see fish to concentrate in their limbs and are
what the trees look like on the bottom in easier to fish.
our clear-water subdivision lake, and I’ve But Christmas trees, for all their
been surprised to see a school of good- shortcomings, still have their place. First,
sized crappies already suspended around they are accessible and easy to lift as
the limbs of the new cover. opposed to hardwoods that have to be
The fish seldom are buried deep in the cut down and hauled to a trailer or boat.
horizontal cover, because the needles Second, they can be effective if you
are still too thick to allow for them to gain “freshen” a spot each year where trees
much access. But as the trees start to have been sunk before.
deteriorate, the skeleton, sans needles,
becomes a fish magnet.
It sets up a food chain. Algae grows
on the branches, microorganisms are Brent Frazee catch crappies year-round
attracted to the algae, baitfish move in to from Christmas trees he and friends sink.
feed on the plankton, and gamefish such
as crappies are drawn to the baitfish.
10 Crappie NOW December 2018
