new idea what do you think

[fish-wva]

hello all
i have been looking at a bunch of your crappie structure and i have an idea. you take an old bowling ball and drill 5/8 inch holes at an even distance apart around the ball about 42 of them total. cut 1/2 inch pvc waterline in lengths desired and glue them in the holes. it come out looking like the porcupine that bill dance sells 3 for $55. i have made some and they look like they will work pretty well. but i have 1 question. i plan on setting them out in an area where their is nothing on the lake bottom starting shallow and ending up in deep water so they will hold fish all year. how many should i set out at random depths. mabe 1 at about 6' and 10' and 15' and 20'. or should i put out more than that? this is my first time placing structure on my home lake. any opinions will help.

[Wiskers]

I have some buddies on Barkley Lake that have been putting some of those out this year. They work well & look like they'll hold some fish.They have a buddy that owns a bowling alley that loves to crappie fish who supplies the balls. :D

[haugboss]

a guy here made a few a couple years ago
he didnt put enough holes in so the limbs are a little far apart
not sure what size drill he used but he didnt have to glue
just hammered them in

al

[EarlG]

The bowling ball is a good idea. They still arent real cheap if you have to buy the pvc. you could easily put 10 or 12 dollars worth of 1/2" pvc sticking out of a bowling ball.

My opinion is you need at least 3 of them in a pile to be able to find them easily enough and to hold a few fish.

But, my pvc piles really are not working as well as the brush.

[wvspec]

wva, put them on the drops. Doesn't take that many but they have to be in the right place. Also keep in mind the thermocline.

[rangerman93]

awesome idea!!! i have a cousin that owns a bowling alley. im calling him tomorrow. how deep did u drill the holes wva?

[fish-wva]

i drill the holes at least 1" deep. the glue i use is regular pvc glue it holds really good in the ball.

[rangerman93]

wva....is the bowling ball alone enough weight or do you hav 2 add more weight 2 get them 2 sink & stay there?
& do you cap all the ends?...im assuming u dont as it wuld leave it airlocked & try 2 float. sorry 4 the questions....just wanting 2 do it right. thx in advance.

[SpeckWick]

Wow! Great idea! My tournament partner is a bowler, I bet he has some old bowling balls laying around, and I work with a lot of 1/2" AND 3/4" pvc. I think I may need to try it myself. The only potential problem I see is dropping them on a slope. They would probably want to roll on ya, so that may be something to consider when dropping them in. Also, make sure you sand the PVC. Otherwise the algae will not stick to it and it won't hold fish all that well.

[fish-wva]

to rangerman93 i help with the weight by adding a few bricks on one of the pipes to put more weight on the bottom. slide the bricks on one of the pipes and drill a hole in the very bottom, run a wire through the hole and around the bricks to hold them in place. hope this helps if you need more info send me a pm.