# Stump Removal?



## Kickapoo Duke (May 15, 2010)

Ok, I don't know where this may go, if anywhere, but: 
My neighbor has a pile driving barge, does bulkheads, boathouses etc. He's also got an underwater chain saw and is a certified diver. 

I was talking to him this morning about the possiblilty of him cutting our troublesome stumps. He has asked TRA about it before and has to have a permit but they said it shouldn't be a problem for hazardous stumps. I have no idea what he would charge. Whatever is cut off would probably have to be removed from the lake; I told him I could probably come up with several dozen volunteers to help with the topside part of the job. Any other divers out there that might be willing to help underwater? Visibility may be a problem.

Maybe TRA can come up with some "stimulus money" to help out?? Hmmm, who's got connections with TRA---Sunbeam?
Just thought I'd throw this out for thought; so far it's just BSing between neighbors but it sounds like something worth pursuing.


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## Danny O (Apr 14, 2010)

How far underwater can he cut? I would think he would need to cut at least 4-5 feet below normal 131 pool level. 

Several weeks ago, I was on the main lake riding on top of the river near Holiday Shores and Wolf Creek. When I do that, I'm always looking at the GPS map to make sure I'm between the lines, and I only look up occasionally for other boats. I happened to look up and found a tree in the middle of river! I got right next to it, and my depth finder said 42 feet. Actually, I think the tree is on the bank, but there is a 6-7 inch diameter limb that extends toward the middle of the river. It was thick enough to cause some damage. This location will be in the next stump GPS list, whenever I get around to it. I think I've only marked 5 or 6 since the last edition. Give me another couple of weeks.


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## Kickapoo Duke (May 15, 2010)

I was thinking at least 4' also and he insinuated he could probably go to the lake bottom; I'm sure each case would be different and of course the further down he went, the heavier it's gonna be to haul out


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## luckyD (Jun 13, 2010)

*stump value*

I am not sure but it seems there might be enough value in the wood to pay for the effort. Having watched some of the swamp logger shows they always talk about how valuable the logs are that have been underwater for a long time.


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## Lone Eagle (Aug 20, 2009)

Gentlemen,
This lake was dammed in 1969 if I recall correctly. These "stumps" have NOT been a problem for those of us that have fished on it for years and years. There once were clumps of forests in this lake. I for one miss that beauty.
Now all of a sudden, you people that came here from the "city" want to start cutting stumps out of the lake. PLEASE....leave things alone! Please leave the city in the city! We do not want the city here.
Even if you are a rookie boater, you must know that boater safety is your responsibility. It is your responsibility to ensure you run safe, watch for other boaters, watch for swimmers, watch for trees or stumps as you call them. A stump is NOT 25 to 40 feet tall. Those are trees; NOT stumps.
It's people like you that have demanded there be No vegetation in this lake. If we had vegetation, the LMB fishery would be as good as Sam Rayburn or Toledo Bend. We fish humps and ridges on those lakes with vegetation growing and catch nice LMB. There are literally lots of humps and ridges on this lake but the LMB are not there because there is no cover. Do you Not think that the fish do not use those trees as cover? You can best bet your last dollar that a lot of them do.

Leave mother Nature alone? Run safely. I have no problem running this lake and do NOT have half the electronics a lot of you have. I can run it day or night with no problem. Well; maybe too much electronics is the problem. Y'all worry too much about watching your electronics instead of where you are running. We had NO GPS or any other navigation equipment then and did not need it to simply go from one place to the next.

Seems y'all would prefer to run the ocean where there are No obstructions than run in a fresh water lake. This is a man made fresh water lake. It is supposed to have trees in it.

Thank you for reading my opinion.


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## Gofish2day (May 9, 2006)

He could just push them over with the pile driver barge and then pull them up. The large stump in 35ft of water out by itself between browders and Pine Island was very shakey when TBone and I tied a white jug to it. 

We could also just have a 2cool jug tying party and lone Eagle would be happy. The white jugs would make my city self happy

Actually I grew up in the marsh in St Bernard Louisiana but that's another story.


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## Spider Wire (Nov 16, 2009)

Long Eagle dose have a realy good point! Leave the City in the City!! Leave mother nature alone and be safe out there maybe spend more time scouting out were you can run and were the opticals are at!!


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## Danny O (Apr 14, 2010)

I think Lone Eagle's comments were over the top, or could have been said more eloquently at a minimum. It has been a problem, even for those that have fished it for years, including LE who hit 2 stumps in 1991 and has learned how to repair fiberglass for his friends over the years. I'm not an advocate for cutting down a bunch of trees, so the best way to manage it is by marking them electronically. If that is not helpful or causes people to watch electronics (as opposed to where you are runnning), then I'll stop posting the data. I could do without the painful process of writing down the coordinates, creating maps, and posting the data.


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## Kickapoo Duke (May 15, 2010)

Ok, the issue is dead; I had remembered someone talking about cutting them down if the water was ever low again (which we hope it won't be) so I just thought this might be another way to do it. Lone Eagle's got good points and I also thought about the fact that a lot of people, including myself use some of the tree tops to find our fishing spots. I talked to an older neighbor who had told me he has trouble finding his favorite old time fishing spot--5 fingers because the tree isn't there anymore.
As far as the trees, stumps, or whatever, lets just jug em and let em be.


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## Danny O (Apr 14, 2010)

Some boaters just don't pay attention, especially the city folks that party on the weekend and summer months. Then there are some boaters that have navigated the lake since '78 like me. However, I managed to put my boat on a tree @ 30 feet...LE is right about that, they are trees, not stumps. Perhaps a happy medium could be reached. Try to remove the stumps that are in areas of high traffic, i.e. stump north side of PI where boaters anchor on weekends; stump in front of Indian Hills where the boat launch is very busy. The rest can be marked.


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## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

Wow, seems to be a sensitive subject! Nothing takes the place of going slow in unfamilar areas, and jugging the stumps you can't see very well. Just my .02.


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