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Thread: Another crappie condo idea?

  1. #1
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    Question Another crappie condo idea?


    I've just been sitting around here trying to dream things up. I bet someone has already tried this, what do you all think?

    This would be a really low effort structure and only for use in water without any current.

    Here's my idea. It's real simple. Take a concrete block and tie a 15 foot or so nylon (trotline type) cord to it. Going up the cord from the block as close together as you could possibly tie them, tie off 2 liter bottles or even milk jugs all the way up the cord. When finished, you'd simply have a tree trunk made out of bottles.

    The structure would always remain verticle on the bottom regardless of the angle. I believe it would work. It would be very difficult for others to detect on a depth finder as well.

    With a little more thought, I bet a person could figure out how to attach a few "limbs" to the jugs.

    Am I crazy? :D Or do you folks think this might work?
    'Carpe Diem' does not mean "fish of the day."

  2. #2
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    You may be crazy but who know. Now I have to start drinkgin milk and getting my soda in 2 liter size...LOL. Think I might try it if you don't charge to much of a royality fee. After Illini/MO challenge I'll give you lake names and waypoints if you behave nice.

    look forwrd to meetin you at St Louis BPS.
    Ranger375
    [email protected]
    North end of Lake Shelbyville

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    I figure crappie will congregate to some extent on any properly placed structure that attracts bait fish and provides shade and shadows to ambush prey from and shelter to hide in from larger predators.

    I think your block, rope, soda bottle condo will hold fish if you make several of them and space them so the crappie can move between them if that is the only structure around but if there is a brushpile or laydown in the area they may prefer it.

    You could also use a bucket with some gravel or rocks for weight. You may want to drill some holes in the side near the top rather than to tie the rope to the handle though as the handle may rust in a short period of time. You’ll want to make sure you have a lot more weight at the bottom than the buoyancy the bottles provide so the whole thing doesn’t float off.

    You may want to drill holes through the neck of coke bottles for the rope and some other holes to let the air escape so the bottles will stick out horizontally. Then use a heavy jug (like cooking oil comes in) with a handle to tie to at the top for floatation.

    Depending on how deep you place it the floatation bottles or jug will collapse to some degree from the pressure. A bottle placed in 33-feet of water will only provide only about half the buoyancy that it does at the surface.

    Build some and let us know. I’m loving my bamboo condos but I know bamboo isn’t available everywhere. Or biggest crappie again yesterday came off a bamboo condo that has been in the water nearly two years without adding anything to it – that’s hard to beat!
    FISH ON!
    Jerry Blake

    www.BLAKETOURS.com

  4. #4
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    How long will trotline cord last
    Just thinking more about your idea will the cord last and will it with stand the wave action moving around (by boat passing over).
    Ranger375
    [email protected]
    North end of Lake Shelbyville

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    What I am looking for in a crappie condo is a material that will not snag my hooks.

  6. #6
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    That is what I was thinking, using a material that wouldn't snag hooks. How about spider wire. That stuff is tough and I don't think a hook would penetrate it. You woould get hung up mostly where the wire is tied to the bottles.

  7. #7
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    It seems the concept may be valid from your responses. I've thought about this some more.

    A person could use copper wire instead of cord. Get a roll of regular wire, something cheap and strip it down and seperate the indiviual wires. It would be light, easy to work with, would last forever and would be snag free.

    Jerry, I've thought about the bottles, I don't see the bouyancy as being a huge problem. If it were, you could just fill some of the bottles with water and use a large one like you mentioned on the top.

    I also like the idea of placeing three or four in a concentrated area. That should really increase the effectiveness.

    I'm gonna try this when the weather fairs up. Already know where I'm gonna put it. Will let you know how they work out.

    375, these will be deep enough that I doubt wave action would mess with them but I could be wrong. The top of the structure is still gonna be prolly ten feet deep, at least. Who knows........this idea may not be worth a hoot.
    'Carpe Diem' does not mean "fish of the day."

  8. #8
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    Hey CA:

    You got me thinking more about this system too. If a person had a good supply of 5-gallon buckets you could use them instead of bottles or jugs.

    Just take off the handle, drill two holes on opposite sides anywhere from about halfway down to the bottom (but equal distance from the bottom and run the rope through the holes so they are stacked sideways with the open end pointing out. This would give the crappie (and everything else) very good cover as they could swim right into the open end of the bucket.

    You could use a bucket of quickcrete and a 10-foot (or longer) stick of rebar instead of the rope too.

    Nylon ski rope will last indefinitely under water. If you have the bottles , jugs or buckets stacked with the rope through the necks there would be little opportunity to snag the rope with a jig if you are vertically jigging - casting and retrieving would be another thing.

    You can get bare copper wire at Lowe's or any hardware or electrical supply house but I think Nylon rope would be easier to work with and would work fine - other than the potential hang-up problems. Copper wire may deteriorate over a year or two in some waters.

    I know it's not your main objective with this type of condo but brushpiles, bamboo beds or anything with tight, dense cover is going to be more beneficial for survival of young crappie, which is one of my objectives in sinking condos.
    FISH ON!
    Jerry Blake

    www.BLAKETOURS.com

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Blake
    Hey CA:

    You got me thinking more about this system too. If a person had a good supply of 5-gallon buckets you could use them instead of bottles or jugs.

    Just take off the handle, drill two holes on opposite sides anywhere from about halfway down to the bottom (but equal distance from the bottom and run the rope through the holes so they are stacked sideways with the open end pointing out. This would give the crappie (and everything else) very good cover as they could swim right into the open end of the bucket.

    You could use a bucket of quickcrete and a 10-foot (or longer) stick of rebar instead of the rope too.

    Nylon ski rope will last indefinitely under water. If you have the bottles , jugs or buckets stacked with the rope through the necks there would be little opportunity to snag the rope with a jig if you are vertically jigging - casting and retrieving would be another thing.

    You can get bare copper wire at Lowe's or any hardware or electrical supply house but I think Nylon rope would be easier to work with and would work fine - other than the potential hang-up problems. Copper wire may deteriorate over a year or two in some waters.

    I know it's not your main objective with this type of condo but brushpiles, bamboo beds or anything with tight, dense cover is going to be more beneficial for survival of young crappie, which is one of my objectives in sinking condos.
    CA & Jerry, I like the idea of using the buckets. Would old milk crates work for this?
    Duane

    My soon to be ex-wife calls me a CrappieHead

  10. #10
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    Exclamation just a thought ...

    but - on the idea of 2liter or milk jug "trees" ..... any air left in the bottles would/could/should show up on a depth finder That has some positive & negative aspects to it.... (+) making it easy for you to find your "attractors" ... (-) potentially, making it easy for others !

    I think the concept is sound, and I think Jerry's idea of making a loosely scattered "kelp forest" is valid, too. If someone tries it - let us know how many and what type "bottles" were used ... and how many concrete blocks or pounds of concrete were needed to properly sink & hold the structure to the bottom. ............ luck2ya .......cp

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