bowling ball for crappie

[fish-wva]

just my idea


01. i take old used bowling balls and draw a line around the ball in the middle.
02. drill 8 holes in the balll on the line all the way around spaced evenly
03. measure off the line 2" and drill 8 more holes in the middle of the holes
that were on the line
04. measure up 2 more inches and drill 8 more holes same as above
05. drill 1 hole in the center of what is left of the ball
06. do the same on the other side of the line all the way to the bottom of
the ball. total holes in ball is 42
07. for shallow water i cut 1/2" pvc about 6" long. put together i stands
about 18" tall
08. for deeper water cut the pvc at 1' long. put together it stands about
2 1/2 ft tall
09. for really deep water cut the pvc at 2' long. put together it stands
about 4 1/2 ft tall.

notes

1.it seems after putting the big one together it is not real stable but once put in water the weight of the ball is about 1/2 of what it is out of the water and it sits very well after putting out.

2. make sure you sand the pvc with a heavy grit sand paper to hold the
alge better

3. wait until you get to your spot to glue it together so you can transport
more of them in your boat

4. i screw in a hook for picture hanging into the ball. then use a nylon string
with a hook tied on the end of it to lower it into the water. after it
reaches the bottom just let off the tension and it will come off

good fishing

[CrappiePappy]

Here's a thought :

If you want taller/longer limbs on your Bowling ball/PVC condo ..... put short ones on bottom half, and the longer ones on the top half. Ball's weight should hold it in place, shorter limbs on bottom will support weight of ball without bending, and longer upper limbs will flare out more ... giving the fish a more substantial area to hold in.

One could even just place PVC limbs in the upper half, allowing the ball to actually rest on bottom. The limbs could be flared out from straight out the top, down to almost horizontal. Mud, muck, or even pea gravel bottoms would provide "suction" on the Bowling Ball ... increasing its holding power, almost like adding weight to it.

Not trying to steal your thunder, bro ... just thinking out loud

Where's a good place to get Bowling Balls, destined for the trash heap ?? We've got several Bowling Lanes, here in town. Do you know if they would just pitch the old balls, recycle them, or if they'd care to part with them for a nominal fee :p ... of, say a couple of bucks per ball ?? I might have to look into this, and call them to see what they say.

... luck2ya ... cp

[Wiskers]

Here's a thought :
Where's a good place to get Bowling Balls, destined for the trash heap ?? We've got several Bowling Lanes, here in town. Do you know if they would just pitch the old balls, recycle them, or if they'd care to part with them for a nominal fee :p ... of, say a couple of bucks per ball ?? I might have to look into this, and call them to see what they say.

... luck2ya ... cp

I have a couple of buddies that have been making these for a while & they have a buddy that loves to crappie fish and owns a bowling alley. They get the balls free for a couple of fish'n trips. :D

[wishbone]

bowling ball structure is really neat
was wondering what glue you used?
pvc glue?

[fish-wva]

yes pvc glue holds the best

[zappaf19]

Those are cool!
Bill

[byg]

What do you use to drill your holes? Spade bit or a large drill bit??? Do they drill pretty easy?
I thought about doing this one time, but couldnt find any balls.
great idea..

[fish-wva]

i just use regular metal drill bits. the only place i can find them around home is lowes or home depot. wood bits will not work the only burn the ball.

[Shine Runner]

Looks like it's time to go bowling again........great idea thanks

[Bullsprig]

Whenever i go bowling I sneak a couple of them out in my shorts. besides the womerns like me!!!