Question to Jerry Blake

[slabbandit]

Hey Jerry, why do you think the canebeds are not as good as they were earlier in the year. I called you earlier this year from over here on Nimrod before I started building them. I've put out like 13 this year. Is this a common thing this time of year?


CATCH A BIG-UN

[Jerry Blake]

Hey Bandit:

The crappie here are slow on brushpiles and on the bamboo condos but it's just that time of year.

About four months after we dropped our bamboo condos they quite producing as well and I think that may be because the leaves finally started to decay, which may make the water acidic or something. I've noticed the same thing happens with hardwood brushpiles but it starts a lot sooner. The bamboo stayed green for a long time - like it was still alive - we were pulling green leaves up for a couple months - so it may take longer for them to "age" properly.

When all the leaves finish rotting off the little twigs and branches will still be there and then they should be good for a long time. We're still catching some of our best crappie on Greeson off a bamboo bed that was put down over two and a half years ago.

I expect to do real well this Fall on the bamboo condos we put down last Winter. I've come up with a new design for shallower water that makes them a lot faster to build and sink. We put out several last Spring in spawning areas and did real well on them. I think they'll have fish on them this Fall if the lake level is right and by next Spring they should be loaded.

Keep checking your condos and you'll know when they're ready. You may not be graphing many fish on them this time of year, especially up in the day, because they're probably way down in them enjoying the shade.

[slabbandit]

Thanks Jerry, I started building and putting out my condos in Feb. of this year. I started catching nice fish within 24 hrs.of putting some of them out. The first fish off one of my condos was just under 2 lbs.

I know exactly what you're talking about on the leaves decaying as I put in a large hardwood top a few years ago that was still covered with leaves. The location was perfect and the depth was perfect but it did not start producing fish until the leaves had totally decayed the following year. Now it's one of my best spots.

I'm confident that my condos will start producing again as the water temps start to fall.



CATCH A BIG-UN

[FalconSmitty]

I have several bamboo condos. I have seen smaller fish coming from them now but they still have crappie around them. I have noticed condos get harder to locate when the leaves fall off. I believe they will be great again this winter. I don't fish mine much lately. I've been catching some nice slabs in open 20'-50' water fishing below schools of shad. If the dang green carp would leave my minnows and shad alone I would catch even more. It takes time to land a 4# bucketmouth on 4# test line. I just stab them through the gills and throw them back.. damn green carp... Just kidding....I just release them unless I have a bass man nearby. I open the live well and tell him how good it is going to be...lol... They hate me... :rolleyes:

[FalconSmitty]

Moose> the shad are where the bigguns go for sure. Like my post said

"""" I've been catching some nice slabs in open 20'-50' water fishing below schools of shad."""""

I've caught little ones on the condos and found the larger fish out in open water. Two weeks ago I was catching nice fish over cover but now only small ones on both bamboo and wood.