Thread: Crappie Cage

Guys they have made this structure in a "V" shape for a reason! Man i gotta give it to them guys! Them boyz mean buisness and paper is what they will get off that rig! Nice job and good luck!

Looks good to me!

That thing looks good. If it were mine i would set out some trees or condos or somthing around that sucker to hold some bait fish. U could sit on top of that sucker and sink the boat with all the fish you catch.

I dun know Darrel. I think the crappie could swim right through them poles. Good luck keeping them in your cage.
DP

Good one DP. I am hoping they will just voluntarily swim in and I take them out. We checked the cage today. The concrete is not setting up in the cold weather as quickly, so a few more days will be better. I was pleased with it's stability. I did the numbers on paper first then we conducted a test of bamboo stalk bottoms like used in the cage to determine if it would sink correctly. You just gotta love the honesty and lack of hypocrisy in mathamatics. Bamboo is 1/3 the density of water. So, adding 2/3 more weight will sink it irrespective of its diameter (of course a larger diameter stalk of bamboo weighs more needing more weight to sink it). The test was successful. When the concrete is completely set, the weather is tolerable and the barge is available, we'll sink her.

She might get sunk but she might be the only one in the lake. Later I started to calculate more precisely the cost, time and manpower of such a structure (so many volunteer but not many report). Too much for my taste. So, since I do nothing but eat, drink, think and dream about all aspects of crappie fishing, I came up with another design that is more economical and manageable. One double post in the center with a two blocks, one filled with concrete (60lbs.). The attach four layers of horizontal "X's" Easily managed by two men, able to stack on the habitat barge in greater numbers. They are no more than 5' tall but cover an area 20-40' in diameter. Superbly build for shallower water. Plain stalks can be used but using a 20' stalk of bamboo (10' bushy head with a 10' butt stalk) would add so much more density for fry and young bait fish. I will post pictures later. We built the post bases today. Six were formed in less than 30 minutes. ---- to be continued.

Dang Darryl,

I didn't know building boo is so hard. Blocks, boo and sink it. I need to come over and help you do some boo drops. And then go fish them with you.

We need to run down to De Gray and do the same.

Originally Posted by Slipcork

Dang Darryl,

I didn't know building boo is so hard. Blocks, boo and sink it. I need to come over and help you do some boo drops. And then go fish them with you.

We need to run down to De Gray and do the same.

Anytime Doug. We dropped 60 condos in December in Hamilton. We are now working on ways to use all the bamboo (not just the tops) in ways that can effectively cover shallower water (not more than 5' tall but 20' in diameter. That cage is awesome but too expensive to build, so that will be an orphan in the lake. I am now developing one that is in the shape of an "X" that is more economical and more easily handled and not just laying on the bottom like the flat mat design. I was also able to get over to DeGray once. We didn't even fish but rather did some gps scouting since the lake is currently so low. We got 58 good waypoints just on the lower thrid of the lake. I still need to go back and do the upper two-thirds.

Anything that works requires a little effort. You guys really work at it from the posts I read. Just wish everyone that fishes would get in on atleast one build on each lake they fish.