Building brush piles to create a secret fishing hole is not a new concept. However, how we build these secret holes is changing. Brush piles are called many different things. You have fish shelters, fish cover, fish habitat, wood cover, artificial fish structure, artificial fish reefs, brush piles or commonly known in the south as simply “Tops”.
David Ewald, owner of Fishiding.com, has developed a simple way to help anglers build their own secret brush piles. This is a unique product that is going to change bass fishing in your local waters. We have all heard about the local anglers planting brush piles, and those local anglers are tough to beat on tournament day because of it. Anglers that put forth the time and effort to plant structure or cover on their favorite points, ledges, and flats have bass pinpointed and can make repeated casts to a high percentage spot, versus fan casting hoping to find a hungry bass. This equals more quality bass in the boat in a smaller period of time, versus spending all day in one area trying to cover all possibilities.
One of the biggest factors holding most anglers back from planting their own brush piles or cover is time. It takes time to go out and find suitable items for sinking on your favorite spot. Then, while you’re on the water, it takes time away from your day of fishing to find that perfect spot to sink your brush or cover. Let’s face it, once on the water we want to catch bass not mess with building special holes. Lastly is the boat, anglers don’t necessarily enjoy piling a bunch of limbs or bulky items in their boats that could damage the gel coat or will leave a mess after the job is complete.
Fishiding’s products answer both problems; time and space. The safehouses, before expansion, are very narrow and easy to transport. You can easily load 4 or 5 in the bottom of a bass boat and drive comfortably to your destination. There is no assembly required; however, there is prep time. Since the safehouses are already set in concrete, all the angler has to do is fold each limb (siding panel) into position and shape. Setting up a single safehouse took me about 5 minutes. When you receive your Fishiding safehouse, it has straight vinyl slats that are incased in a formed concrete block at one end. This makes for a very narrow product, helping with transporting them to your favorite lake. Once at your secret location it takes 3-5 minutes of preparation to transform the shipping version into a habitat worthy of Lunker bass.
At first look, the idea is so simple you wonder why it hasn’t been thought of before. Then as you dig into the concept and the products it becomes evident that not only are you creating a hiding place for aquatic species, you are also starting a food chain. Algae and other micro organisms cling to the vinyl siding, then small bait fish and crawfish start poking around to feed on the algae and micro organisms, and then your larger species. It’s a lot more in-depth than that, but those are the cliff notes. Visit www.fishiding.com for a more in-depth explanation of the benefits in building a fish safehouse.
I thought long and hard about where I’d like to place these safehouses. With several ideas in mind, I loaded them up in the boat and headed to a local lake. With a couple secret holes, I can definitely win some tournament money with them.
I carried three safehouses around in the boat for several hours while I was fishing before I decided where to drop them. I’m a very versatile angler and move around the boat a lot; I was very impressed that they never got in the way in their shipping position. Before you unfold them, they take up very little room, with three of them sitting between the passenger seat and the passenger console of my boat. If you need or want to be secretive about your new brush tops, you can also easily lay them in the bottom of the boat. However, even standing they were not readily obvious.
Once I decided where I would place the Fishiding safehouses, preparing them was extremely easy. You simply fold or shape the panels. Grab the vinyl where you want to bend it and apply a little pressure, and it’s done. The longer slats can be folded two or even three times. Fold them one direction and then back the other direction, and before you’re done you’ll have a maze of limbs that bass and baitfish alike can hide and conceal themselves in.
Something I really liked about the Fishiding Safehouse is that one person can build and place them. No need to let someone in on your secret fishing spot. Once prepped, I could hold them with one hand while using my trolling motor and electronics to find the perfect spot to place them. Once I was over the ledge or creek I wanted to place the new habitat in I could drop it overboard and watch it on my graph as it fell to the bottom. Way Cool!
Once prepared I was surprised at how much square footage each safehouse expands to. A single safehouse could be expanded to easily 6 feet wide and three to four feet tall depending on how much effort you put into your creativity in designing the perfect fish attractor. My first two easily took up the space on the back deck of my boat, which is about four and a half feet by eight feet. These two once planted, built a sizable brush pile or fish attracting area. To accomplish this with brush or Christmas trees would require a small barge to transport to your planting location. With my first two fishiding safehouses, I didn’t spend much time thinking about how I wanted them to look. I simply started folding the limbs and making bends that looked good to me. Once completed, I thought they looked great.
Anyone that has planted brush before knows that getting something attached to the brush pile so that it will sink in a fashion that allows the brush lay on the bottom the way you envisioned, can be difficult at best. The safehouses have a small concrete base that allows them to sink perfect every time. No need to fumble with tying heavy objects in three different corners to get the perfect fall. You can literally throw the safehouse out into the water, and it will sink perfect every time. The concrete that holds the safehouse together is heavy enough that there is no gliding, the safehouse will fall straight to the bottom where ever you drop it. I’ve dropped them as deep as twelve feet, and they land exactly where I wanted each time.
The Fishiding Safehouse is a big hit with me, and I highly recommend that anyone wanting to step up their fish catching game take a look at the Fishiding products. They are extremely simple to use, clean, and take very little time to plant. And the best part, they are made of vinyl; they will last forever, no need to rebuild your secret spot year after year. Over the coming months, I’m looking forward to the secret “Holes” that I’ve built, and the bass I’m going to catch.
Get the Net it’s a Hawg
Mike Cork
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