Has anyone seen the new pvc fish structure called "Fishiding"? They have three sizes of man made structure. All the products are made from reclaimed pvc. They come ready to install with no tools or added weight. They seem to have more coverage for the money and are helping the environment by saving landfill space. Would appreciate any input before I spend the money for a few.     Thanks, Peepaw

Peepaw, I haven't seen the pvc structure you are talking about but certainly would be interested, especially if there is a possibility you can build them yourself.  I never cease to be amazed at the things you can do with pvc.  I'm all for keeping as much as possible out of landfills and recycling such things as pvc.  I wander up on some short pieces 12" in diameter and put in my lake for the bullheads to have a nesting area.  I have put out trees and the commercial trees for crappie.  Let us know if you hear anything else.  Uncle Tom

For my freshman community service project I ran the Berkley monofilament reclamation project for my area (which is a great program, I would reccommend anyone who has the time to take it up, I had to give it a rest because I'm back to school and very busy. I'm in the middle of dinner, Scripture homework and getting ready for Boy Scouts as I'm writing this), and from what I understand, the line that is collected is sent back to Berkley who recycles it and molds it into artificial fish habitats called I think fish Habs. See if you can get your hands on one of those.

Tom
  Thanks for your input. I agree that it's fun to come up with safe,environmentaly products to use for habitat. http://www.fishiding Check it out and let me know what you think.
                                                                            Peepaw

I have always wondered why more lakes , that are state or county owned , do not have more artificial habitat programs. I live on a small lake in Richmond Kentucky. I would support a suggested standard for habitats . I'm new to the club and to fishing forums in general. I'm Just a "Patriot " of keeping our fishing heritage growing .

Gary,
  What a great question. As far as standards go, I think that because so many products work well, both natural and artificial, each has it's key role along with pros and cons. I am learning that to many variables are involved for any biologist t say this works better than that. I feel that the state and county government does not have enough incentive to be more cost effective. Natural products rot and have to be replaced. (Not to mention the acids and other chemicals they release into the water while this occurs) On large lakes and impoundments, natural cover decomp., doesn't affect the water like it does in a smaller pond or lake. Why would it be in the taxpayers best interest to buy brand new timber/fasteners/barges/cranes/staff on a regular basis? Job security?
   I have always said a mixture of products seems to best mimic a natural environment. Everything in moderation. Some wood, some rock/rubble/gravel and some artificial products that will stay long term. If folks would add just a few artificial products each time they add structure, Think of what they would have in ten years! There is no one perfect product for all applications.  Kentucky Rocks!!! Tight Lines.....
                                                                                                       Peepaw

www.fishiding.com

Thanks for the response . I have always heard of  fisherman sinking Christmas trees, tires concrete drains ,PVC tube structures Obviously some of these are off the chart when it comes to being environmentally sensitive. I scuba dove and fished all through the coastal south and quickly saw the benefit of an artificial habitat. Fairly new to lake fishing . Learning the in's and out of the club site. Currently a member of various motorcycle groups , conservative Patriot 912 groups and of course church groups in Richmond and Lexington KY. 

I don't think I've heard of those before, but might have seen something along that line. I prefer all natural materials. The last year I worked for the Corps we finally got approval to create about 700 "living habitats" on the upper end of Lake Ouachita. It was simple. Locate a desirable species of tree suitably situated at the shoreline, then hinge-cut it so the tree falls into the water, but stays connected to the stump. Contractors got the job since Corps biologists can't be chainsaw certified anymore. We'll know how that works out later after some studies get turned in.

My favorite is redcedar tree tops set in concrete tubs. The needles rot off (a good thing), but the tree branches stay intact a very long time. Cedar Christmas trees last a long time too, but they have so little resinous heartwood they can't compare to a redcedar tree. Spruce and some other Christmas tree species don't last, though we did have a program lasting several years to take overgrown Christmas trees of whatever species off the hands of local tree farms, putting them in the lake. Another fine tree to sink is an Osage Orange (Horseapple) top. They never rot, will accumulate all sorts of vegetation and host huge plankton colonies.

I have seen recycled ripped plastic siding strips bundled and sunk for habitat, which seemed like a great idea. The availability of such materials isn't reliable, usually abundant following a bad tornado. I hope the new guys care or have time to go check those and some other ideas out. Little deals like that are becoming extremely hard to keep track of, though, even after making GPS waypoints for them. I haven't heard a word about those.

A really simple structure has been successful. It amounts to using cypress planks that are set a little above the mud during a lake drawdown. The hard surface is preferred by many fish species. We drilled holes in the planks and anchored them with pieces of 3/4" rebar pounded through at angles to hold the boards off bottom. The idea is to reclaim former spawning areas where hard bottoms have been silted in because of levee and jetty construction on navigable rivers. Those are labor intensive!

Anyway, fishermen in lakes and rivers in many areas by far outshine all combined efforts of federal agencies. Sometimes they are supposed to get permission first, but I don't know any agent willing to jump on someone for doing it anyway.

Jim

Jim,
  The ripped siding you mentioned is the fishiding products I've spoke about. Take a look at www.fishiding.com and you will see the three different products offerered. You are mistaken about the availability of matererial, Siding comes used, blemished, discontinued, out of date etc. Material comes from tearoffs, new work scraps and the occasional "Hurricane" or tornado. Thousands of these have been sold and installed with no end in site. Artificial products are the chosen materials these days for the longevity and cost involved. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it. E-mail them and they will send you a free sample to check out www.pelagicbldr@yahoo.com for more info. Also, because of the wide limbs, it shows on sonar and graphs perfectly. Check it out and let us know what you think. Thanks
                                              Peepaw

Thanks for adding yet another fish attractor idea to the big list. I have made plenty of attractors out of PVC pipe that are still in service after many years. There isn't much new construction around here, so there isn't a steady supply of artificial materials to make our own. Like I mentioned there will rarely be a stack of old siding by the street except after a big storm. The city has a recycling program, picks up whatever is put out, and chips up whatever gets to the landfill. PVC siding would be collected on plastic day.

I like what that website shows, but don't know anyone who would spring for those prices multiplied by dozens. The old ways I mentioned are plenty effective, long lasting compared to effort involved, not at all damaging to the environment (even in small ponds), and cheap enough for the average fisherman who might put out 20-50 attractors if any at all. If you are into this then set out enough locations to make sure at least one is not already occupied by another fisherman. Several fishing clubs in the area each put out hundreds a year, bringing in dozens of party barges full at a time. They start operations at dark so as to reduce witnesses as to locations.

I wouldn't want to put attractors out that are easily spotted on sonar, as we have a problem of folks stealing brush piles, towing them to other locations. Even the government attractors get relocated to places unknown. At least we figured the things were still in the same lake.

Jim

I believe that Bill Dance sells one called the "Hedgehog" and they also sell centers to which you can attach your own PVC. All of the previously mentioned do work, including the tires. Another one is made from three pallets strapped together to form a pyramid and wighted down with cement blocks or rocks. Many options available for man made
structure, I remember reading, many years ago of one writers favorite spots on one stream was a car body, said he caught many a fish there until someone policed it up in a cleanup program...the fish all left.

Thanks everyone's information on the structures and fish finders . Richmond Patriot

I remember watching Jimmy Houston's show selling something like that too.

We put out pallets like that but sometimes mistakenly put out pine. The boards break loose and float, held in place by thin staples. The best are the very heavy black gum pallets made with real galvanized nails.

Oh, yeah, used tires have been a great material, environmentally stable, long lasting. Before chainsaws got taken away from biologists we cut them in half to make half circles. Upon a drawdown we cut a trench with a backhoe, then set the tire halves in concrete in the trenches, most of the tire sticking up, one tip down with a piece of rebar poked through. The inside curve shelters fish and provides lots of shade, while the outside curve provides spawn surface. That's labor intensive and was reserved for dying oxbow lakes with no shade.

Most of the marinas I know of make wave barriers by filling tires with foam, then cable them together in a long string. Very effective. Being barely under water they tend to result in a bonanza of plant life and of course fish. The only objection we had was the chunks of styrofoam breaking out when a boat crashed them.

One of my precious hotspots is a sunken school bus. It was cleared of grease and oil before putting it in the lake.

I don't know how it worked out, but before I retired we had a rule of thumb, aim for 1/4 acre of total artificial habitat per 100 acres. That rule was put in place while many lakes were young, having much more natural habitat. We didn't want little fish to be over-protected, consuming too much nutrient. Now that most of America's lakes are well past their prime and aging, I vote for at least doubling that ratio. The demand for fishing spots will take care of that, anglers making sure there's plenty of places for fish to hide.

Jim