fishing bamboo structure

[bama647]

ive decided where to put some bamboo structure for this coming winter/summer and fall. im going to put it around 25ft deep. it dawned on me how am i going to fish it ? im thinking ill cast a minnow under a slip cork over it but was looking for ideas on how others fish their bamboo. just want to limit the hanging up and not spook the fish either and maybe some other things i havent thought of.

[slabbandit]

The minnow slip cork rig would be a good choice but don't rule out vertical jigging the bamboo also. Bamboo is very easy to jiggle your jig free when hung up.

[jfraley]

I spidder rig mine. I put my jigs ~3' above them to start with and lower them a little at a time until I am ticking the top of the bamboo. I have had different results when hung up. For me, it isn't easy to get free. Maybe I am jiggling my jig wrong. Lot of times, you will catch 8-10 fish and they will quit on ya. When this happens, fish another hole for a while and return once they have settled back down.

My 2 cents.

[3's]

Just started with the boo but caught fish both slip bobber and tight lining with minnows. One thing I noticed with jigs is that a lot of fish I caught were just after I wiggled free from a snag.

[Spiderman]

I switched to weedless jigheads and tubes injected with crappie nblets this spring and I very seldom get hung up on my bamboo tops anymore. I also fish them under a cork to maintain the correct depth.

[CrappiePappy]

I haven't fished boo condo's, but I don't think they could be any more snaggy than a pine or cedar tree that hasn't been submerged for very long. I fish wood cover about 95% of the time, which is why I use weedless jigheads 95% of the time

But, in reference to the deep boo condo, that you're looking for methods & presentations, Bama647 .... you might want to try this : http://www.crappie.com/articles/crappiepappy.htm

And, you might want to read this, too. This is my method for bumping a jig over a branch, when there's a chance that it may become hung up, if I keep reeling. You will also see where "3's" and I have similar results, when freeing the jig from potentially snagging up on a branch :p

It's what I call "Taking a bow" --

"Even weedless jigheads can/do get hung-up, occasionally. Here's a method I learned, that can keep you from hanging up and/or freeing your weedless jighead from a snag (before it hangs into it):

One thing that I haven't mentioned lately, that goes along with casting over submerged wood, even with a weedless jighead, is what I call "taking a bow" to avoid getting hung on a branch. Even weedless jigheads can & will get hung, sometimes. This can be avoided, to an extent. When retrieving the jig, usually the line will swing back to you ... and you will notice it at the point where it enters the water (it will continue to get closer to you, as you reel in). When it stays in one spot, as you reel in, that indicates that the line is draped over something submerged in the path of your retrieve. As you continue to reel, eventually the jig will come in contact with that obstacle. As it does, and when the rod tip starts to bend down, a lot of people tend to try and "jerk" the jig over it. That works, sometimes, but quite often - they get hung. I try and avoid getting hung in the cover I'm fishing, so as not to have to break off - disturbing the cover, losing the bait, or alerting the fish to any unnatural conditions. I do this by "taking a bow" - with the rod tip.
In essence - I wait until the jig comes in contact, and the rod tip starts to bend ... then I drop the rod tip about 6" towards the jig, and in one fluid motion raise the rod tip up towards me about 12". This is not done fast, like a jerking motion ... but, more of a slow drop and lift motion. What this does (or seems to do) is allow the bait to fall away from the obstacle - then when you lift it back (twice as far as you let it fall away) the head of the jig "bumps" the obstacle, and "hops" up overtop of it. Well, most of the time, anyway. The reason I don't drop it down 6" and then lift it up more than 12" - is that I want the jig to clear the obstacle, but remain in the general area. I will work a tree top over, with this method, bumping and bowing and hopping the jig over multiple branches. Another reason I don't pull the jig back more than 12", or reel it back in (once I've cleared the branch) ... is because I've had numerous occasions where I've had a fish hit the jig, once it cleared the obstacle and started coming back towards me. In fact, it's happened often enough that I almost "expect" to get a hit, when "taking a bow" over a branch."
Now, this is, of course, in reference to "casting/retrieving" a single jig ... which is what I do, most often. Both methods are probably just as reliable on a boo condo, as they are on a downed tree or brush pile. They, along with the other methods mentioned, will give you a fair range of choices of presentations.

..... luck2ya ... cp

[bama647]

great info guys, i guess one of my main concerns is getting positioned over or next to my bamboo without disturbing the fish. i gues to start with youd have to stay back off the spot and cast over it in case the fish are up close to the surface? how deep would the fish have to be befor youd feel comfortable positioning your boat directly over the cover?

[CrappiePappy]

great info guys, i guess one of my main concerns is getting positioned over or next to my bamboo without disturbing the fish. i gues to start with youd have to stay back off the spot and cast over it in case the fish are up close to the surface? how deep would the fish have to be befor youd feel comfortable positioning your boat directly over the cover?

You might want to consider "working your way" to the condo ... starting off from a distance, casting to it, then (when the bite slows) positioning yourself above it (for Vertical Casting purposes). This is how I normally approach a blowdown, or some standing timber targets. I'm usually more successful, when the Crappie are suspended "above" the cover or "beside" it. I've even found times when they suspended "between" two closely related pieces of cover (as in between two standing trees). When they're spooked, or hunkering down in the thicker sections of cover ... or after the aggressive fish have bit, or been caught ... then the Vertical Casting method can be used to pick a few more fish from the spot. It also shines, as a method of presentation, when the cover is in deep water, but isn't visible at the surface or the upper portion doesn't come close to the surface ... and casting to it, at those depths, is not a viable approach.
I have caught Crappie, right under a moving boat ...(or) in the TM prop wash ... (or) from cover that the boat has crashed into ... (or) from cover the boat has been tied up to ... and only a few feet deep, in all of those cases. Water clarity & cover density can make a difference. I try and be as stealthy as I can, use distance or prevailing shade to deter spooking the fish, and not use any means of staying on/near the cover ... that might result in disturbing that cover (dropping anchors, tying up to a part of the cover, excessive TM usage), unless it's necessary to maintain boat position. It's not always possible, and it's not always necessary ... but, I try and err on the side of caution, anyway

........ cp

[Spiderman]

Usually with bamboo the fish will be close to the bottom. I ussally put tops out in 15 feet of water. I turn the trolling motor down to a low speed and move around the top to fish the different sides. I don't anchor around the tops because it seems to disturb the fish(probably silt from the bottom) and I just have better luck trolling slowly. In a light wind they will usually be on the side the wind in coming from, with 10 mph or greater wind they will be behind the top waiting for bait fish to be feeding through.

[Spiderman]

One other though, on a bright sunny day the passing shadow of the boat over the crappie is a no no.