Thread: Hay Bales for crappie structure?

I've heard of some people around here that sink round bales and then catch fish off them, but I've never seen the fish or the hay. You might check out your state regulations first, cause I was told that it's illegal in places.

my problem would be loading, hauling and unloading a 900lb. bale of hay. How in the world would you do that? Even a 600lb. bale would require a lot of brainpower and brawn. You would just about need a barge with a 2 ton winch on it just to move the hay. I have seen hay used in crawfish ponds to grow the algae that the crawfish eat. stands to reason that the algae would feed the plankton, that feed the minnows, that feed the crappie. Might work.

Originally Posted by willsjwills

my problem would be loading, hauling and unloading a 900lb. bale of hay. How in the world would you do that? Even a 600lb. bale would require a lot of brainpower and brawn. You would just about need a barge with a 2 ton winch on it just to move the hay. I have seen hay used in crawfish ponds to grow the algae that the crawfish eat. stands to reason that the algae would feed the plankton, that feed the minnows, that feed the crappie. Might work.

I think your a little off track. I've heard of small square bales of Alfalfa hay being used to attract bait fish and Crappie.

jim Manz was referring to "round bales"

what i do is take a wood palate and build uprights like a stake bed around the sides, then place a alfalfa square hay bale in the center and weight it down with blocks or big rocks,,when the hay is gone you now have a stake bed in place---fuzzy

Originally Posted by NIMROD

I think your a little off track. I've heard of small square bales of Alfalfa hay being used to attract bait fish and Crappie.

The guy could have meant the smaller square bales. Think about it, in most places you really don't see a lot of the square bales anymore. When someone told him hay bales he may have just assumed the large round bales. In the midwest where I grew up they still bale hay in squares, but down here in South Georgia all you see is the large round bales.
I was just curious as to this technique. I would have never thought that hay bales would attract bait fish. What is it in the hay, or what hay produces, that would attract the bait fish?

I heard that round bails are not legal in Iowa.
They outlawed them because the cows can't get a square meal from one.

Originally Posted by Jim Manz

The guy could have meant the smaller square bales. Think about it, in most places you really don't see a lot of the square bales anymore. When someone told him hay bales he may have just assumed the large round bales. In the midwest where I grew up they still bale hay in squares, but down here in South Georgia all you see is the large round bales.
I was just curious as to this technique. I would have never thought that hay bales would attract bait fish. What is it in the hay, or what hay produces, that would attract the bait fish?

They promote the growth of algea in the water and on the hay it's self. This is what the insects and minnows feed on. Suppose to draw in feed which draws in predators like Crappie.