Bamboo Crappie Condos

[Jerry Blake]

http://www.actionfishingtrips.com/habitat.htm

[krappiekrazy]

Good looking condos. On the ones made with concrete blocks, do you insert bamboo into both blocks? About how many? Think I will make some of these when I get back home. Out of town now working will not be back untill Christmas. Think I can get Brad Whitehead to help me build some of these. Thinking now of places to put them. Thanks Jerry for all your info.

[Jerry Blake]

Good looking condos. On the ones made with concrete blocks, do you insert bamboo into both blocks? About how many? Think I will make some of these when I get back home. Out of town now working will not be back untill Christmas. Think I can get Brad Whitehead to help me build some of these. Thinking now of places to put them. Thanks Jerry for all your info.

Hey Jeff:

Yes, we put bamboo in both holes in both blocks from both directions. We use about 25 stalks depending on how big the butts are and how bushy they are. We got permission to cut a big patch of bamboo on Hamilton that must have been cut down about a year ago. It's a lot shorter than what we've been using - 5 to 8-feet tall I guess - and the stalks are real small in diameter so we are using a lot more stalks per condo. Since they are short we don't put them through the block quite as far and that allows the ends to float up. They still seem to come up about 6-feet off the bottom.

[Ferdi]

Hey Jerry, before loading them in the boat take some twine and tie around them like they do Christmas Trees for shipping. Lets you haul more out at one time and if you remember to cut the string before throwing them overboard they will open up. hehehe I wait to cut the string after I get the bucket in the water so they don't crowd me in the boat. Works for me. Fred aka "Ferdi"

[Jerry Blake]

That's a good idea Fred. In my big ole boat I can take three at a time and that's all we make at one time anyway. Tying them up would help for seeing to drive the boat though - that can be a problem sometimes.

[Darryl Morris]

The article additon looks great to me Jerry.

Hey there gents, these are really easy to make and work even better. It's well worth the effort, especially since bamboo holds up so well in the water. This past week we made and dropped 30 mats in 4 days. Just a few days hard work and we've greatly increased the number of potential spots to fish even in new areas right off the main channel where the crappie should hold during the winter. Not only that, but if your lake is mostly void of cover like this one is, adding brushpiles is great for the overall health of the habitat whether you fish it every day or not. Lake Hamilton and Lake Greeson has a good population of white bass and stripers, which are damaging to the panfish. But, when you have ample cover for the baitfish and panfish, their survival rate increases.

[ifish]

I take 2 blocks and stand them up. Then I wrap a piece of 4 x 5 welded wire around the blocks and push stakes through the wire and block. This lets me have the structure more upright. I make a cross through the bottom to keep it standing.

[jhef]

ok with the block idea, do you tie the boo off to the blocks, i been drilling holes in mine and running wire through them , then tie it off to the blocks,, just not sure if drilling the holes is a good idea,

[Jason Piper]

I just wish we had bamboo in NW Arkansas! That looks much better and easier to assemble than traditional cedar!

[Jerry Blake]

Hey Jason:

They are a LOT easier to work with than cedar and seem to last just as long so far. Just slip on down to Hot Springs and we'll send ya home with a load. We put five more of the block type ones in Hamilton today to refresh some old beds and start some new ones.

We're working on prespawn, staging and postspawn beds now. The tops will be about 10 to 13 feet down in 15 to 18 feet of water when the lake comes back up to summer pool.