Structure Laying and Falling Over??

To all those who have built structure and have a wife that doesn't understand! : )

I've been viewing the site for 5 years now. I've made 50 plus boo, pvc, or mixed structures. Everything from 6 to 15 foot tall. I've used 5 gallon buckets, buckets with stands, square boxes, dishpans, planters, you name it. How do you keep structure standing up straight?

I can get it to stand up straight generally when I first drop it, by easing it with a rope. Unless I'm putting it on a drop off! Water Levels fluctuate every year so I have to go deeper. 15-25 foot of water. Often times the bottom of the lake I fish isn't flat. The slightest uneven place is also hard to identify on the fish finder.

I'll come back a year or less later. The structure is laid over. All my spots aren't in current. They hold fish but I think they would hold 3 x the fish if I could get them to stand and stay vertical.

Anyone with this problem? Maybe have some designs or pictures on how to fix. I could tie them to existing trees out of the water but I'm afraid I would be building spots that everyone could fish!

Its a lot of work in vain to build and see them lay flat! I'm about to give up on concrete structures!

Have you tried putting a couple cross pieces thru the bottom of the bucket to keep them from tipping over?

Tie a couple of sealed up gallon milk jugs filled with air to the top 1/3rd of the tree & make sure the bottom has plenty of weight to hold it in place. Big bites, full baskets, and God's blessings to ya!

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Not sure that this would work on setting a structure on a steep slope, but here is how I TRY to keep Bass Fisherman from pulling my structures over. We start off with a 4 post set up, then build with Zip Ties as we go. This was our first attempt at building a Boo Pile, and have changed things a little as we have gone along. The main change is we are puttung less Bamboo on the structure. Now, this is all we are putting in the water, EXCEPT we are leaving the branches on the 4 post cemented in bucket, AND the 4 support pieces.

We also don't let our structure down on a rope. We just throw them over the edge. They go down just like a umbrella.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m...10/Condos5.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m...10/Condos6.jpg


Due to the width of the base with the support pieces sticking out. We take a 2"x6"x8' board with us. We build the structure on the end of the board, then I grab the oppisite end of the board, side it over the edge of the boat, and let structure side off the end. Again, the biggest change we have found since we started sinking Boo is we are using less Boo. Crappie don't require thick cover to stage around, we have found groups of crappie staging around 2-3 twigs sticking up in the water, using our down scan. But these PICS show the technique that we use. Our Boo Piles are just not this thick anymore. Now with less structure you can work a jig into any part of the structure and get it out.


http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m...01127-1316.jpg





keith

I don't let mine down with a rope , I just toss them over and they stand up fine. You might need a little more weight to help them stand up.

These are some we made with cross bars across the bottom. We haven't had any problems with these buckets tipping.




Attachment 79733

I've caught more Crappie from blowdowns, than I have from standing timber. It gives the fish a lot more shade & ambush points. With that being said ... have you considered making your attractor PURPOSELY fall on its side, and have the "limbs" of the attractor be pointing out on ONE SIDE only, so that when it does fall over they will be sticking up/out away from the bottom ??

There is/was some people making such a thing. Weight on either end & limbs in an XXXX pattern along the center pole.

I doubt a couple of milk jugs would keep an attractor from falling over, if the base is as narrow as a 5gal bucket. And especially so, if the base is on a slope of any degree.

... cp :cool:

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Originally Posted by crappiepappy

I doubt a couple of milk jugs would keep an attractor from falling over, if the base is as narrow as a 5gal bucket. And especially so, if the base is on a slope of any degree.

... cp :cool:

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A full sized tree - you are right, not so much. But a hedge or small Cedar around 10' tall with 30lbs or more of weight at it's bottom - works great! On steep slopes, I have tryed with some success, to suspend my cover between the weight on the bottom & the floats with the tops reaching 5' or so above the drop off initially. They do eventually slide their way down; but that doesn't stop fish from holding by it. I'll try to get someone with the capability to take screen shots of these for me and get them posted on here. Big bites, full baskets, and God's blessings to ya!

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Originally Posted by logs

I don't let mine down with a rope , I just toss them over and they stand up fine. You might need a little more weight to help them stand up.

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Maybe more boo as it holds air and tends to float up.

The cane cracks after a few months and the air is gone. I have pulled up some that had been in 6 months and it had cracked ever where. The last 2 years I have been tyeing 2 one gallon jugs in the top 3rd and that has enough leverage to hold up the hold pile up right. I Dont have many to fall over now, Most of the time they would fall over with in 6 to 12 months. I got some still standing after 2 years now.

The next time you build one, make it 12 foot tall, after the cement sets up, go knock it over, then grab one of the cane poles and see how easy it is to lift it up. It dont take as much as you would think with that much leverage. That's why the jugs work.

I recently made some out of traffic cones, first you drive a conduit pipe in the bottom then slide the cone (30 inch) down the pipe, and they stand up nicely, the orange color is my only concern, this is the first year for them

Thats exactly how I keep mine from tipping. Works well. With the two cross pieces thru bottom fo bucket. Like outriggers.:highfiveLike Becks in post#6.

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Originally Posted by becks

These are some we made with cross bars across the bottom. We haven't had any problems with these buckets tipping.




http://www.crappie.com/crappie/attac...stake-beds.jpg

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I like this idea. Will have to keep it in mind. Thanks

to keep your structure standing. depending on the size ,tye a empty milk jug,clorex bottle,pop bottle in the top.

I prefer horizontal limbs for holding fish. Have to admit I've seen some good looking bamboo structures on this post. With PVC, I do cross pieces on the bottom and make a main post w/1" PVC crisscrossing all the way to the top. Try not to get it too thick. Won't have any trouble moving a jig thru it because it's PVC. I think it bears repeating, PVC has to be sanded and have a rough finish for algae to adhere to it.

2 and 3 liter drink bottles work a little better because plastic is thicker and will last longer, you can also stuff any container full of styrofoam and it will float pretty well even if the container develops a crack

Don't be afraid the units that lay down don't work, they surely do. Just like x-mas trees and natural cover it will still attract and hold fish.
The rule we discovered was it needs to stand up on it's own in the driveway inj a brisk wind. If so, the balance is correct. PVC is heavy and sinks on it's own so watch the top side.
Height is directly affected by base diameter far more than actual weight of cement/container.