Thread: Building crappie structures?

I am wanting to build some really, really good structure that I can sink and make some outstanding fishing areas. I have been making some, that I think will work okay, but I was wondering if any of the wise old crappie experts would share some knowledge of what makes the absolute best structure for attracting and holding crappie?

I can't remember where the thread is, probably in the main forum, but there are detailed explanations and pictures of various crappie structure.

Lot of it is simple concrete in a bucket with pvc tubing\pipe sticking out to provide the structure.

Go to Google and do a search on Crappie Condo and you will get a lot of info on different types of artificial cover to consider building.

A lot of great info.

Crappie Cover and Lake Structure - Crappie.com

4" PVC main branch, 1/2" PVC for branches - 5' sections, sink them horizontally, or vertically with 8"X8"X16" concrete blocks. Use nylon zip ties to assemble. We can now assemble and sink them in 4 minutes each, on the deck of a boat.

Gman

GMAN- Dang you are fast! You must have been doing this a long time to be this efficient. Do you do windows??????????

We do a lot of prep work at the house to make it go that fast, plus keep the length down to help in handling on the boat. For us, it works.

Gman

Our best brush pile is willow branches 10 - 15ft long set in concrete in 5 gallon buckets. The bushier the better. They say willows won't last long, but they sure are productive while they're there. Willows are a little more forgiving when you hang up too. There's also 2 schools of thought about the height of the brush pile. Some say its good to have big tall brush piles and others prefer they're brush piles to be 3 to 4ft tall. I'd say 3 - 4ft tall means you would lay your brush pile down horizontally. We've made some good piles laying them down horizontally, but on Oologah the water gets up 10 to 15ft pretty often, and sometimes takes forever to get back down. It seems like our taller brush piles hold more fish when the waters up, they'll suspend above the brush pile or in the top branches. We've also tried PVC in big spider looking designs, some 8-10ft tall, and from our experience the PVC doesn't attract as many fish as wood brush piles. PVC works, just not as good. Test it for yourself, put a PVC pile 10 yards away from a wood brush pile. Even after a year or two to build up algae on the PVC, the wood pile will still outproduce the PVC. At least that's what we've seen.

Big Hook - You have all the best info on crappie structures on the CDC website. This is the same place I go. Best of luck.

i have seen a three or four inch pvc cemented in a 5 gallon bucket....then branches made out of smaller pvc that are split and the ends and 5 gallon buckets cut in half that have been inserted and glued at the ends...makes a pretty cool tree...you could saw the bucket in fourths to make more leaves....of course this method only makes sense if you are in a business that you use lots of buckets or know someone that is.....and try drilling holes at the bottom of your main pvc pipe to insert corn to attract catchfish...this works if you are roping it to your dock and can have the end up out of the water.