It’s that time of the year!!! The “After Christmas – Christmas Tree Dropping.” I just made that up!
Immediately after Christmas, neighborhoods become littered with trees waiting to be picked up for recycling. My wife was sad to see the end of one of her favorite times of the year, but I was excited. Those trees represent a great fish holding structure – a safe haven for small fish.
Caution! You can’t just steal your neighbors’ tree and drop it in the lake. You need to check with your local DNR. You have to see if it’s ok to put trees in lakes or ponds. Once you get the OK, look at a topographical map of your lake and mark spots that you feel will attract and hold fish. Be certain that the spot you mark is not a community hole. You don’t want to drop your trees where people can easily fish your future bass honey hole.
Creating a new habitat using Christmas trees can be tricky. If done incorrectly, your trees will lay flat on the bottom, disappear, or float away. Drill a pretty good-size hole at the base of the tree. Run copper wire through the hole attaching a center block. I chose copper because it does not rust or rot like steel wire or natural rope. I tied empty two-literr soda bottles to the branches of the trees. This keeps the tree afloat. Be sure to glue the caps onto the bottles. I like putting down at least three trees in one spot. I like to call this my Mini Underwater City. 
