My 14' jon and some bamboo I cut yesterday.

[Crappie Xtreme]

What do y'all think about this boat I bought last week for the smaller lakes around here and for pond jumpin for me and my kids? I fish a lot of strip pits in this area and this boat is perfect. I sold the little small plastic boat I had last year, I didn't like the way it was made. It was hard for three of us to fish out of.

My youngest son and I went yesterday and cut a bunch of Bamboo to start making sets. I'm ready to get started on the sets and get them in some of the areas I fish. I have one set from last year along with some Boo that I had cut last year. I just need to get started. Now that all of the ice is melted and I was planning on getting started, rain is in the forcast. So I guess I will be making the sets in the garage to have them ready to put in the lake. I like using this Bamboo because it is free and easy to get. I think I am going to take a shovel the next time I go and dig some up. I have a creek and a low area in my back yard and it would be perfect to start growing my own Bamboo.
Also, I was wondering. Does anyone know why the Bamboo in the Southern states gets bigger in diameter than the Boo I cut? I think it is all the same kind of Bamboo and it sure is tuff stuff and hard to cut but not as big around.

Crappie X.

[Crappie Xtreme]

Here is the Bamboo. I messed up when I was putting in the pictures and could not get it to start over. Stupid Puters, or maybe it was the user.



Crappie X.

[Slipcork]

That flatbottom looks like "that will do". Cought more fish out of one of them than that big rig I had.

As for the boo. It just needs to be in the water somewhere. Put it in and they will find it. Nice to know you have spots to fish.

[crappie cowboy]

Hey, I might be wrong but that could just be regular old river bottom cane, but hey that will work to won't it ?.

spider rig man

[Jerry Blake]

Hey CX:

I agree with SRM, that does look like River Cane or Switch Cane. I've not tried to use it for condos but it will probably work. I think the Giant Cane would be better though because it has lots of limbs on it, which will probably hold more bait fish. Any cover is better than no cover though.

If you're going to plant some I would try to find some Giant Cane. This is the time of year to transplant it too. You need to get the small ones that just started last year so you can get all the roots. I planted a row behind my house for a screen several years ago and it's doing real well. I've used some of it already for condos and should have a steady supply once it really gets going.

Here's what hour crappie condos look like made out of the tops of Giant Cane:

[Crappie Xtreme]

I'm not sure what the river cane looks like. I have looked at this stuff along with pictures of real Bamboo and it looks the same but on a little smaller diameter scale. I know it is very hard to cut and is hollow in the middle and I have used it for sets. It grows very tall but the biggest size is about the diameter of a nickel. This stuff grows along a country road and is like a jungle. You can't walk through it, and if you were to fall on one that is cut off you would be in bad shape.
I always put in several pieces of oak, like in the set I have from last year. It gives me something to hang on to when I drop them in the lake. And some shorter pieces in the condo along with the long stuff.
Hey Jerry when your Bamboo dries out, is it still tuff to break? And how long will it last under water as a condo?
I got my ideas from reading your post last year and I like them. Thanks.

Crappie X.

[gabowman]

Cut your reeds with a chainsaw. It takes all the work out of it. You'll have a truckload before you know it!

[mduncan62]

Looks good to me. If you're coming up my way, throw some cane in the truck. In trade, I'll take you to Truman and get you on some nice Missouri slabs. Sounds like a fair trade to me. :D

I'm going to build my first PVC structure this weekend, and put it out next weekend.

Jerry, what do you use for the shallow water condos? Those appear to be in the 15 foot range. In the summer I fish structure in the 6-8 foot range. Wondering what I can use that's natural to save $$$.

[Jerry Blake]

Hey Jerry when your Bamboo dries out, is it still tuff to break? And how long will it last under water as a condo?

Crappie X.

Hey CX:

Our bamboo is just as tough after it dries out. We get it in the water within a day or two of cutting it. I don't know if letting it get real dry and brown will cause it to deteriorate faster or not. We have some condos that have been in the water over 3-years and they still look good on the graph and underwater camera and we still catch fish on them.

[Jerry Blake]

Jerry, what do you use for the shallow water condos? Those appear to be in the 15 foot range. In the summer I fish structure in the 6-8 foot range. Wondering what I can use that's natural to save $$$.

We make another style of bamboo condos using concrete blocks for water under 20-feet deep. You could make the bucket type a lot short too if needed. Here's a link for how we build both types - http://www.crappie.com/gr8vb3/showthread.php?t=12162