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Thread: Cheap (free) crappie condo buckets

  1. #1
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    Lightbulb Cheap (free) crappie condo buckets


    I have used 5-gallon buckets w/oak limbs, pvc or oak slats from pallets. Also have used oak pallets wired/lag-screwed together. Also used concrete (or cinder) blocks to weigh down pallets or brush.
    I see a lot of really great ideas posted here using 5-gallon buckets or the $1 or $2 plastic dish pans. But....why spend the money on these. Instead.......

    In our area there is a grocery store (Sav-a-lot) where you bag your own groceries. They usually have many cardboard boxes of all sizes. Some of them are in the range of 10" to 14" wide by 12" to 20" long. This is in the size range of a 5-gallon bucket. If you fill the cardboard box to say 8" or 10" high with concrete/bamboo or pvc in a 12" by 12" box, the weight would about the same as using the dishpans or buckets! Mix the concrete fairly dry so the hydrostatic pressure is next to zilch and the cardboard should holdup fine if not too wet. In a couple of days, strip the cardboard from your concrete, burn or clean and recycle the cardboard and ...voila!
    the trick to catch that finnicky speck....
    gently set the hook just before the peck

  2. #2
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    fiddlefarter is offline Moderator Crappie Cover Forum * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Good tip.

    I saw some made in boxes sitting at the boat ramp last year. Looked like they worked pretty well.
    Ya ain't holdin' your mouth right.

  3. #3
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    takes twice the cement using boxes...I tried it. I like the dig a hole in the ground, fill that up with sement, then place in pvc then let harden and break out of the ground.
    Likes chimneyman LIKED above post

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    i found some free buckets at the local recycle place,they give them to me for a hand shake
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    Amount of water in the sackcrete doesn't have anything to do with the weight, just makes it set up stronger or not...less water-more strength. Cement and concrete is going to weigh about 130 to 140 lbs per cubic foot...a cubic foot of water displaced will weigh 64.2 pounds....so you get minimum 65 pounds net for every cubic foot of concrete you use. Subtract from that the bouyancy of the wood, sticks, PVC, etc and you get the total force holding down the structure.
    Forbidden fruits make for some real jams.

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    Construction sites throw away thier drywall mud buckets.Its an endless supply of buckets.Just drive through new developments and load up.:D

  7. #7
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    Moonshine,
    Not being contrary or picky, water weighs 62.4#/cubic foot. A square foot of water will thus displace 62.4#. Actual weight of concrete will usually vary between 148 and 152 pounds per cubic foot. For design use, both Hiway and railroad specs call for 150#/cubic foot for dead load weights of concrete. For massive construction with maximum size of aggregate between 4 and 6 inches, unit weight may be as high as 156 pcf. With some heavy aggregates, unit weights can be much higher. With special lightweight aggregates unit weights of about 100 pcf are often obtained for structural concretes. Heavyweight concretes are often used for counterweights for bridges, and light weight concretes are sometimes used for the decks of long-span bridges as well as other uses. As you say, the more water the weaker the mix. When usins a cardboard box I was merely stating that the use of less water protects the box from getting soggy and falling apart.
    150 less 62 is approx. 88 pounds 'vertical weight' and then the buoyancy of the material is another matter (and neglect the minimal dead load weight of the material). Another consideration is the wave action which in our area is very great. I either hang the attracting material from our dock or I try to make the supporting structure able to withstand the horizontal action of the waves. Where I place the crappie attractors are often on a steep slope, so that is also a problem.

    This morning it was a lot warmer than it has been lately, so decided to make a free-standing crappie attractor.

    The dimensions are 9" by 12" by 6" tall. The weight using 150#/cubic foot would be (if exact dimensions were used, and no bowing (bad assumption) of the box occurred) about 56 pounds. Then you have the voids in the concrete from the material to take away from the theoretical computed weight. I also added some more rocks along the bottom edges so as to use less concrete and add more weight. This added more weight. I used one 40# bag of sakrete and would guess the total attractor weighs slightly over 50 pounds.

    Using the cardboard box allowed me to place plastic conduit horizontally in the base to hopefully keep the attractor upright after I place it in the lake. This would be impossible if the concrete, etc. were placed in a dug-up-hole.
    I used electrical wiring as a lifting loop. Small holes were drilled in the conduit and PVC. Holes drilled in the conduit and PVC will give a greater bond to the concrete. Other holes in the exposed portions of the PVC and conduit will let water enter the material and to decrease the buoyancy.

    Now all I have to do is wait about 7 days, get it down to the lake, strip off the cardboard and put it in the lake!
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    the trick to catch that finnicky speck....
    gently set the hook just before the peck

  8. #8
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    Too much reading, but I like your condos.
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    Likes Lowellhturner LIKED above post

  9. #9
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    Thats a great idea on the legs for your condos husker. I also like the handle though with my luck I would hang up on it every time I fished the thing.

    Thanks for sharing.
    Likes perdidokey, chimneyman LIKED above post

  10. #10
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    Thats a good set up. Should work good. CF
    The Original Woodsgoat Hater
    2011 NWR Bash Yellow Perch Champion

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