MDC and partners sink fish-attracting brush piles in Blue Springs Lake

Kansas City, Mo. – Fish have fresh hangouts and anglers have new places to catch them at Blue Springs Lake in Jackson County. Crews recently sank 75 new brush piles in the lake. Partners in the project are the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department.

Sunken brush piles provide hiding and feeding places for both baitfish and sportfish. Their use attracts larger predator fish such as crappie and bass. Sport fish also often prefer to be near underwater structures.

“In terms of angling, the brush piles are going to concentrate sport fish and allow for anglers to better target them,” said Cade Lyon, MDC fisheries management biologist. “From a lake management perspective, the brush piles offer a place for life such as algae to attach and grow on, attracting invertebrates. Small fish hide out in the brush piles and feed on these small invertebrates. Once the small fish are in the brush piles, the larger predator fish will have more to eat and hopefully get a little fatter. Overall, this should lead to a healthier fish population.”

These are the first sunken brush piles that MDC and the Corps have added to Blue Springs Lake. Crews used heavy equipment and pontoon barges to move the brush into the lake. Similar brush piles used at other lakes have proved effective in attracting fish and giving anglers a place to catch them.

The GPS coordinates for the brush pile locations will soon be available on digital lake maps. One source for the coordinates is MDC’s where to fish page, Where to Fish | Missouri Department of Conservation (mo.gov).

For more information about fishing in Missouri, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/43y.