On April 16, 2011, 12 members of the Rutland BASS Club got together to turn Christmas trees into fish habitat. Discarded Christmas trees collected this year were mounted and anchored upright into cinder blocks with cement. A total of 30 trees were mounted in preparation of placing them into Lake St. Catherine.

On a cold and wet Sunday in May, club members took the trees out onto Lake St. Catherine and sunk them in groups in various locations scattered around the lake. Trees were placed in 15 to 17 feet of water to provide fish habitat. The weight of the cement filled cinder blocks keeps the trees upright on the lake bottom, providing excellent vertical habitat value. As the trees decompose, algae will grow on the branches, attracting minnows and panfish for food and cover. Gamefish like bass will also use these locations for foraging and cover.

A couple SCUBA-certified club members plan on diving on the trees this summer with underwater cameras to document the use of these structures by fish. Stay tuned!

To see some photos and video of the construction and placement of the trees, go to the Rutland BASS Club's facebook page.