Bamboo Crappie Condos

[Jerry Blake]

I guy that lives on Lake Hamilton offered me all the bamboo I want for making crappie condos. Made 4 last Friday with the help of a friend in about 30-minutes using a chain saw and fast setting Quickrete and sunk them a couple hours later.

http://www.actionfishingtrips.com/Ba...ie%20Condo.JPG

Some guys put some in Lake Greeson over a year and a half ago and we started catching crappie on them right away and they've been on them ever since except when the water was too low or too high.

One is just out of the mouth of a small cove next to the old creek channel and it has produced a bunch of big crappie.

I'll use regular Quickcrete next time as the fast setting stuff is over twice the price. The guy says he doesn't mind if I leave them over night to set or even a day or two if I have to before I can get back to sink them.

With the lake down there is plenty of room to work between the water and his seawall and the bamboo is right there.

Now I just need a source for 5-gallon buckets and for Lowe's to run a sale on Quickcrete.

Tomorrow I'll drop a jig down in them and see if anyone has taken up residence yet.

[treepotato]

Wow Jerry, Looks impressive!!

[ShilohRed]

Looks good. How many pieces of Bamboo did you add to each bucket?
Look for some people that do drywall they always have plenty of buckets.
Or if theres a nursery near you. I bet the old pots for 3 and 5 gallon plants would work.
Pete

[Jerry Blake]

We crammed as much in each bucket as we could starting with some of the bigger pieces at a low angle and then the smaller, bushy stuff. The bamboo is about 20-feet tall so we cut them in half. There's probably about a dozen pieces in each bucket. I put the buckets down in pairs - about 10-feet apart. Hope to be able to fish down between them.

Yeah, I need to find a drywaller or painter that likes crappie fillets.

[bentpole]

I've been able to get buckets at Wal- Mart,Deli department ,cake icing comes in them,just have to check with them often.They use to charge a dollar for them,But now they give them away(at least at our local store),>>>>Bentpole

[unknown 5]

I don't see why the same set up wouldn't work using Mid-West oak branches instead of bamboo. I used to work constuction and have lots of old plastic buckets that would work. Thanks for the tip.

[fatboy]

Hey Jerry, swing by that school down the road from your house and see if the cafeteria throws any away that some of their food comes in. I know around here, they buy pickles, instant potatoes, flour and cereal in five gallon buckets. And kids wonder why school food isn't any good.

[fatboy]

That must be the dock of that guy you told me about who bitches about people using his brush piles and wanted to charge rent.

[Tim The Lippa Rippa Mon]

I have read about guys using Bamboo stalks to make their deep water stake beds out of. They use a pounder that is basicly a 1 1/4ID pipe about 3' long, with a smaller OD pipe welded into one end of it that is about 7' long. They use 10' long Bamboo shoots, and head for water that is 18' or less during Winter pool. One tip mentioned was to add a safety rope so you don't accidently lose your pounder. I'd love to do this locally, but alas, we grow no Bamboo that I am aware of in Iowa. I understand that the stalks will last under water for a very long time!

Neat attractant Jerry!

<,"}/>{ Rippa

[blufloyd]

isn't that stuff invasive as heck. thinking green pieces broke off would sprout anywhere they landed and be a problem.