Put in charge of 210 Acre Lake- I know nothing about Crappie- Need your Magical Minds

I need some expertise as I have just been put in charge of our 210 Acre lake in South Carolina. I am lost a bit and need some advice on how to create as close to a perfect environment for Crappie to Breed and grow I have been given full reign as to what I can do to improve the lake but obviously need keep any costs to a minimum

Some background I am sure will be needed, so here goes.

The lake is 210 acres, spring-fed,mostly 4-10 feet deep and the deepest part is 35 feet deep. The water is very clear to where you can see 6-8 feet deep. We are in the process of deciding what the best cover is to add be it Christmas Trees, Pallet structures, Bamboo in Cinder Blocks or something else.

The lake contains Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Shellcracker, Hybrid Crappie, Chain Pickerel, Grass Carp,and Blue Catfish.


Only 10-15 people fish this private lake and half of them fish for Crappie and the other half fish for the Largemouth Bass.
Some bass between 4# and 8# are caught (but not often) and a 12# 12 ounce and a few 10#rs were caught last year. I have been told the Crappie fishing use to be good to great 4-6 years ago but it has dropped way off. The HOA would like to see the Crappie and Bass fishing improve- especially the Crappie fishing.

We see a large amount of 3-5 inch bass and bluegill around most of the docks- they seem plentiful. The challenge is that besides the docks, lily pads and weeds, there is very little cover. There are some sunken logs and tree trunks left as the trees were cut down when the lake was created, but again limited.

The HOA does not want to electro-shock to see exactly the balance of the lake and I cannot convince them, so it's a dead issue.

We are completing the stocking of the lake on Friday based on our budget and here is what is being stocked:
10,000 2-3" Hybrid Crappie
30,000 Bluegill 3-4"
15,000 Shellcracker- 3-4'
2,000 4-6" Bluegill
2,000 4-6" Shellcracker
1,500 Largemouth Bass-2-4"
30,000 Fathead Minnows



My Goal is to make this lake sustainable so the HOA does not have to stock every 4-6 years. I believe with a bit of advice, and a few changes, Mother Nature can take care of the lake and the Crappie population should hopefully explode in the next 2-4 years.
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- My questions are:
- What would be the best cover to create and how many C-Trees, bamboo Structures or pallets should be sunk in each brush pile for the Crappie to thrive- where should it be placed (how deep) - -How do we create the best area for these Crappie to spawn as this is the overall goal- let the fish we stock breed and therefore increase the population.
- Approximately how many brush piles should we create in this 210 Acre Lake ?
- Any other suggestions ?
I would especially like to hear the INTIMIDATOR's opinions as he has worked on a South Carolina in the past.
Thank You for any guidance and thoughts.

I dont know alot about your situation but I would say hold off on your stocking until you can see what you need.If you are seeing alot of bass and blue gill in the 3-5 inch range why would you be stocking more in that size.Its possible you could have way to many fish in there and that is the reason for the size that you have now.The best thing that you could do would be get a state fish bioligist to come speak to the HOA and explain how important it is to do a survey so that you can put the lake in proper balance

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Originally Posted by clfarms1

I dont know alot about your situation but I would say hold off on your stocking until you can see what you need.If you are seeing alot of bass and blue gill in the 3-5 inch range why would you be stocking more in that size. Its possible you could have way to many fish in there and that is the reason for the size that you have now.The best thing that you could do would be get a state fish bioligist to come speak to the HOA and explain how important it is to do a survey so that you can put the lake in proper balance

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X2. I wouldn't stock anything until you find out what the population is like. Normally when a lake suddenly stops producing good crappie, it is because it has become stunted due to overpopulation. Without fisherman pressure, or some type of massive fish kill, crappie populations are not likely to decline on their own. Stocking Crappie into an already over populated lake will only make things worse. If the main goal is to improve the fishery, then taking a sample is a must before stocking. Otherwise, you may be wasting your time, and it will cost you more money in the long run.

Might want to add shad...In the Kansas state forum is a sub-forum called "Ask the Biologist". Would ask him, he IS a State certified biologist, after all...as far as keeping any attractors `on the cheap`, go around to the local "C" tree lots and offer to take their left over trees if they will deliver them . If not, contact the township officials where the pond is and offer to take them after Christmas IF they will deliver them. You should end up with a few trees. Look at each tree, most are slightly bowed. Cut all branches off curved side of each trunk 18" up, INCLUDING any nubs; you want it as flat as possible. Go to a cement block maker/ retailer and buy `2cnds`; blocks that have minor or cosmetic flaws. Usually they sell for 50- 75 cents each. Get them to the pond, and place in stacks 2 blocks tall. Put trunk of tree on upper block adjust the tree so it is as FLAT as possible. Start at the upper end and secure with light plastic coated steel cable thru the block, over then completely around each trunk once. Add a loosened clamp and put a pair of Vice Grips on each end of the cable. Tighten it HARD getting ALL slack out of the cable, then tighten clamp nuts. Tie the lower end with VHD weed eater line, again ensuring there is NO slack in the line . Test by lifting the cut end of tree trunk; if the block does not come up immediately when lifting, put it back down and loosen it and retie it until NO slack remains. Then water the trees well in rows from about 6 to 20 ft on the steepest structure and/ or on windward shore. Sets can also be placed on any bare bottom in groups of 5- 20 trees...also osage orange (hedge apple) is EXCELLENT for cover lasting 20+ yrs mulberry "only lasts about 10, locust about 15...good luck, sir !

My first thought mirrors others on here, why stock bass when you have so many already? Sounds like too many fish in the pond, so no growth. Is the lake C&R only? If not, what are the take limits? I don't see how 10-15 anglers can keep a lake with that size and biodiversity balanced.

I agree with everyone, why stock something that has plenty of fish already? It needs some fishing pressure to recover if all you have is small fish.

The first thing you need to do is check your water quality...pH, alkalinity, and hardness. It is not good that the water is so clear, that means there is very little nutrients in the water. it all starts with primary productivity for your small bream/minnow/shad species which will be your prey base for the crappie and bass. You really need to think about fertilizing to boost primary productivity, however you need to check your water chemistry first to see if you need to lime before fertilizing. I would definitely hold off on stocking anymore bass until springtime. the bass are going to be your major consumers and will pick off all those fingerling crappie you are introducing. also ask what kind of hybrids they are....If they are the "Georgia giants" they can really mess up your balance in a couple years. after several generations breed they revert back to there original parents. after about 3 years of Georgia giants you will be overrun my stunted fish. you really need to get a balance check to properly stock, but fertilizing will help tremendously.

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Originally Posted by bioguy

The first thing you need to do is check your water quality...pH, alkalinity, and hardness. It is not good that the water is so clear, that means there is very little nutrients in the water. it all starts with primary productivity for your small bream/minnow/shad species which will be your prey base for the crappie and bass. You really need to think about fertilizing to boost primary productivity, however you need to check your water chemistry first to see if you need to lime before fertilizing. I would definitely hold off on stocking anymore bass until springtime. the bass are going to be your major consumers and will pick off all those fingerling crappie you are introducing. also ask what kind of hybrids they are....If they are the "Georgia giants" they can really mess up your balance in a couple years. after several generations breed they revert back to there original parents. after about 3 years of Georgia giants you will be overrun my stunted fish. you really need to get a balance check to properly stock, but fertilizing will help tremendously.

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I never heard of fertilizing a lake, what do you use on it

Generally APPROVED phosphate based algae food; it is available in bulk but use it EXACTLY according to instructions. Might want to start a conversation with that biologist...he does this sort of thing for a living...doubt he will steer you wrong.

Again you, don't the know the issues. You need some basic water quality info and population density and composition info, at a minimum. 20-50 ft seine net might be enough to get you the fish data (although electric shocking is more effective). It also could serve as way to remove some of the population (if it is determine that the population is stunted). My best guess on limited info, is that your hybrids are no longer and the pure crappie (and possible everything else) is stunted. If that is the case, adding more cover is only going to compound the problem.

Which is exactly why " suggested" speaking with our 1 true LICENSED "expert" for his recommendations...if you need heart surgery, would recommend an expert cartiologist, if your car needed a new engine, would recommend an expert mechanic. Question is this: HOW many times do you want to try to "get this right"? THAT is exactly "why" `experts` exist...

So the lake has no stream or creek running into it...correct? ARE YOU IN THE UPSTATE?
Being a spring fed only lake, you would have the lack of nutrients issue...which is the basic building block for most systems.
Plankton, small fry, minnows/baitfish, and shad of all kind, need this basic food to prosper.
Luckily, there are things you can do to remedy this...since that is an awfully big lake, you would be best served to talk with pond builders or someone from the SCDNR...they can help with what you need...if you have some vegetation, you might not need to much, but they will have to check water quality, etc.
As others correctly suggested, you have to know what is going on with the water before you can fix it.

The other issues are too many predators and lack of food...you have no cover for fry, minnows, baitfish and they cannot get a foot hold and are consumed quickly...all you have left are fish that can't eat each other...except for the blues which should be huge.
The first cover you will need is dense laydowns in the shallows for minnows, etc...massive amounts of Christmas trees, tightly packed boo, or other dense CHEAP cover will be needed...Once you get this done you can start building the forage base...that's why you need to strengthen the water, so the forage has food and hiding places.
If you have a good population of Blues, they should be helping eliminate larger panfish that the Bass can no longer eat....once you get the dense cover in...you will need to figure out your "cull" size of Crappie and Bream and take out that size for a year...you may have to also take out a certain amount of stunted Bass.
All you are doing is creating a food heavy environment until BALANCE is restored.
Then you can start adding all your other cover for smaller Crappie to hide and grow in.
You, my friend have a BIG PROJECT...if you do it right, YOU WILL HAVE A WONDERFUL FISHERY.

I made a post to here about what I thought that he could do to see what would help him with the lake. I dont have a clear as crystal ball as everyone else on here that has diagonised his problem from a couple of short paragraphs. No where does it say that the fish are stunted only that he saw a lot of 3-5 inch bass and bluegill which you always see in the shallows . Crappie fishing is not as good, he states they are hybrid crappie which means they cant reproduce if the are, so that would mean decreased numbers not overpopulation and stunted. It sounds like there are some HUGE bass in there so they arent too stunted. As far as the fertility of the lake, try going to Minnesota or Canada sometime, those lakes have no run off and if they do the ground is so poor, (nothing but sand and rocks) that there is no nutrients running in those lakes either and they are clear for 20 feet deep and have more big fish in there than you could catch in a lifetime. By his post the fish are already stocked,and not much left to help him out with so no need to confuse him. I would like to see a pic of the lake to see what it looks likes around it as he said they cut the trees down so there should be a lot of tree tops. And like all good fisherman, the 2 or 3 that are catching a ton of fish they are telling him they arent catching nothing. Just my :twocents worth.

I see you're in Aiken County...been to Aiken a couple times...does the Edisto or Savannah feed the springs in the Wagener area?? Does the lake stay full during dry spells?
I lived in Greenville and had stream fed and spring fed lakes, each pose different problems...yours will be the easiest to correct because the biggest problems arise from too much nutrients and then you get blooms and other bad stuff...I think you can even stock shrimp, if you have the right vegetation. ..and if the lake is built right, and you have a natural crawdad population you can increase their populations as well with the block/brick piles.
Right now you just have a bunch of fish swimming around all day trying to eat anything they can and not be eaten. The lack of cover doesn't allow many of them to grow....I would keep all the baitfish cover natural and then try to get as much stuff free or cheap and make permanent stuff for the larger fish so you only have to do it once...like Lowell said you can find wood that lasts a long time or untreated lumber or pvc and plastic...to be honest, if you are doing this by yourself...it's gonna take awhile!:):):)

You are correct that he needs to check on a few things...but this is common in that area.
The difference in the clear waters of the Glacial North is that they have healthy baitfish populations which reduce predators preying on each other...like our home lake here, the shad population is huge and all the predators key in MAINLY on them.
In most Southern small lakes or ponds, they always thought bream would be that food source for bass..when they want to add Crappie etc...they don't have enough food for all the mouths. Bream get too large too fast and can only be consumed by a BIG fish...but you have a huge cycle in these lakes. A couple of my friends have mountain ponds that were clear and was able to bring the nutrients load up enough to get threadfin shad to survive and this along with minnows have turned them into Very nice fisheries.
In lakes like he is talking about, it will cycle badly...when the few large bass die, they NORMALLY will be left with 1 "slot" that is the max for growth...once all of that years spawn of bream etc is eaten, then they starve until the next spawn..the bream are probably putting a hurtin on the fry from the bass and hybrids etc too. Fish in the south don't live as long as up here anyway because of the high metabolism. Right now the BIG BASS and BLUES are probably the only things eating throughout the year. If you have that much vegetation you may be good on nutrients....they will help clean water also.
AND AT 250 ACRES...I would go with Black Crappie..if you want to keep alot of the bream...if not go with whites, they'll reproduce more and eat more of the bream also...you do this right and you may never have to stock fish again.

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Originally Posted by clfarms1

I made a post to here about what I thought that he could do to see what would help him with the lake. I dont have a clear as crystal ball as everyone else on here that has diagonised his problem from a couple of short paragraphs. No where does it say that the fish are stunted only that he saw a lot of 3-5 inch bass and bluegill which you always see in the shallows . Crappie fishing is not as good, he states they are hybrid crappie which means they cant reproduce if the are, so that would mean decreased numbers not overpopulation and stunted. It sounds like there are some HUGE bass in there so they arent too stunted. As far as the fertility of the lake, try going to Minnesota or Canada sometime, those lakes have no run off and if they do the ground is so poor, (nothing but sand and rocks) that there is no nutrients running in those lakes either and they are clear for 20 feet deep and have more big fish in there than you could catch in a lifetime. By his post the fish are already stocked,and not much left to help him out with so no need to confuse him. I would like to see a pic of the lake to see what it looks likes around it as he said they cut the trees down so there should be a lot of tree tops. And like all good fisherman, the 2 or 3 that are catching a ton of fish they are telling him they arent catching nothing. Just my :twocents worth.

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I wanted to update everyone because of all the great feedback I received and answer some of the questions You all have asked.

The small stream off of the Edisto River does flow into our lake. We the HOA control the level of the lake so there has never been a concern of the lake level. Every 4 years the lake is dropped five feet in December so people can work on their Docks and kill some of the weeds.

There are 2 coves on the lake covered with Small and large Lilypads, and they cover roughly 3-5 percent of the total surface area. The shore line also has weeds randomly. Underwater there are a good amount of weeds in the coves where the small fry can try annd hide from the Pickeral (Jackfish) and Bass.

If you google Edisto Lake, Wagener SC you can see the lake.



Although I could not stop the stocking of our lake, I was able to stock Black Crappie rather than the Hybrids that were put in the lake 6 years ago.

The following is a list of fish that were stocked last week.

25,000 2-3" inch Bluegill
2,000 4-6" Bluegill
15,000 2-3" Shellcracker
2,000 4-6" Shellcracker
250,000 Fathead Minnows
10,000 Black Crappie
1500 2-4" Largemouth Bass


I have sunk:

- 2 sets of Pallet Pyramids in 14-18 feet of water for the BG,Shellcracker, and Bass
- 3 Crappie Stake Beds- single pallet with boards screwed to the insides and sides for the Crappie and BG and Shellcracker in 8 feet of water
- 3 Bamboo Condos 12 feet high in 18 feet of water

I have 6 single pallets covered with 1/4" mesh screening I will sink in 2-4 feet of water fo the Minnows to hide and hopefully spawn

I am receiving pallets on a weekly basis so there will be plenty more to sink. Are Pallet Pyramids better than Crappie Stake Beds?
We will be collecting Christmas Trees right after Christmas to sink in the shallower waters for the fry to hide.

As Intimidator said, I think if we can get more cover in the lake for the Fry to survive, it may be one of the better things we do.

Thnx

You're going great with the cover....Pallets are great for minnows and fry and for minnow spawning....Stake beds are more shallow water cover! Work your baitfish cover first!
The Fatheads may help until the spawns when more food will be available...look into another forage base, this is from the DNR of SC. It's pretty impressive when fishery managers say this about a baitfish! (see Last paragraph)



Description: (Anatomy of a Fish)

The threadfin shad has bluish gray on its upper side that fades into a silver side and belly. There is a prominent purple to black spot on the upper side of the body just beyond the operculum or gill flap. The caudal fin tends to be yellow. A distinguishingly long dorsal fin ray occurs at the back of the dorsal fin.

Range: Statewide in large rivers and reservoirs

Average Length: 2-3 inches

Average Size: 1 ounce

Life Expectancy: Approximately 4 years

Preferred Habitat

The threadfin shad inhabits larger rivers and reservoirs primarily, but it is also found in brackish water.

Food Habits

Microscopic plants and animals by filter feeding with their gill rakers which function like a strainer catching food.
Spawning

Threadfin shad spawn from April to July in shallow shoreline areas, between dawn to sunrise over submerged plants or other objects. The eggs sink and stick to various substrates until they hatch.
Miscellaneous

The threadfin shad is considered by most fishery managers to be the single most important prey fish in South Carolina’s reservoirs. Although the threadfin shad occurs in all but the coldest of the state’s waters, they are most productive in large impoundments. In these impoundments, the shad rarely lives past one year, and during that time it grows no more than three or four inches in length. This makes it an ideal sized food item for all advanced predators.

Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. 2009. South Carolina Guide to Freshwater Fishes.

"The threadfin shad is considered by most fishery managers to be the single most important prey fish in South Carolina’s reservoirs"

I guess I better research on where I can buy some threadfin shad. Maybe by the time the Spring is here, I will have a good start on creating more cover and then I could find some shad

Thnx

Did anyone mention that crappie do not consume many hard ray forage such as bluegills? They will thrive on soft ray such as minnows or shad.

Correct!
What happens is, when a forage base is limited, or without soft ray prey, the crappie will only be able to eat after spawns...the rest of the year they have to subsist on insects or zooplankton etc and they stunt.
Most Bass lakes will cycle like this also, unless the fishermen target "slot" sizes of prey...once you get a good BULL Blugill population going, the Bass have no food except after a spawn!
This is why everything has to be kept in a balance....or you need a sustaining prey population of all sizes!
Most pond builders will tell people that they really need to only add minnows and other baitfish for 2 years and allow them to get established before they start adding predators....they also tell them about adding cover, etc, for baitfish and the other small fish! But most people get into a hurry and don't do either, and end up with a mess.

Foodeefish and his friends are gonna end up with a very VERY nice "Honey Hole"....I THINK WE ALL NEED INVITED DOWN!!!:):):)

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Originally Posted by cricket george

Did anyone mention that crappie do not consume many hard ray forage such as bluegills? They will thrive on soft ray such as minnows or shad.

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all of the above and you going to need a lot more to fish it or that handful of folks better fish 24-7 . jmo I have a difficult time trying to manage a 6 acre lake because lack of fish taken every year .

That is why `suggested` the shad as a base prey fish; EVERYTHING will eat them from the time they are fry until they get as big as they can get. As far as the rubble/ block and 10 hole brick piles, YES they ARE labor intensive to place, BUT they will last FIFTY YEARS if sited on anything but mud bottoms. With attractors on their lower ends they will become crawfish magnets and what feeds on crawfish ? EVERYTHING...likely these will become THE #1 spots on the entire lake. Find a gentle slope from 8-16 fow and drop 2 marker buoys about 20` apart at the same depth. Have loaded buckets of concrete rubble chunks ready and drop about 80 buckets of this stuff in a rough rectangle between the two buoys, off both sides and the front while holding still then creep forward 2-3` and repeat. The idea is to create a rubble chunk `base`. It will require excellent boat control and remembering where you started gauging from the buoys. Then add between 80 to 120 8" CLEAN (unpainted) blocks on top of the rubble, topped by 600- 800 10 hole red bricks. If done correctly it should end up about 1- 2` high up off the bottom and visible on sonar. Ask Sir Intimidator about fishing this "experiment" !!! (evil laughter sound effect here...)

Eagle 1,

I am trying to organize fishing derbies for everyone's Children and Grandchildren @ least twice a year, as well as telling everyone to Catch and Keep, Not Catch and Release.

Lowellhturner,

I think I will place two marker buoys out as you suggest, but sink them three feet under the water so I can see them, but no one else can. This way I can work on building this rock pile over time and it won't be in any boaters way. I have an area that is exactly 8-16 Feet deep, that eventually goes to 24 feet and then back up.

I guess I should sink 2 nice brush piles or bamboo condos beyond this rubble pile in 20 and then 24 feet of water to create he highways everyone has mentioned.

Does anyone know where I can by these shad in South Carolina?

It took us 8 boatloads to SAFELY build ours, using a large pontoon boat. I GUARENTEE you you will not regret spending the time doing it. And if I may further `suggest, place HARD WOOD "BB"s (blocks stuffed with 6-8` long limbs going the opposite direction on the other side) about 8-14 fow either side in rows changing to the "C" trees going deeper and end each row of naturals with 2 PVC attractors deepest of all. The reason for the "BB"s shallow is #1: they should last 10-20 yrs depending on the hardwood used and #2: so you can easily cast over them; if properly built they should be only 2` tall. Between all the crayfish, minnows, and juvenile panfish that will be present this set up should be a MAGNET for the bigger predators...as far as shad, find a nearby reservoir that has them and cast net them during COLD weather to maximize their chances of surviving the trip; get them into the lake PRONTO after netting...they will feed everything else in the lake...

The Black Crappie won't reproduce as heavily as Whites and won't overpopulate the lake...at 250 acres you have plenty of space...make sure to invite plenty of Bream fisherkids...you'll need to take out the big ones that cannot be eaten by the other fish.

You can find shad and other baitfish at Fish Farms or Pond Supply Farms in Tenn, GA, SC, or NC...just find a local one and call! Don't take a chance of introducing any other lake diseases into yours by netting your own! They won't be that expensive to get started!

Don't worry about highways...just put cover where it will do the best, when time or money allows just keep adding...the lake is big enough to handle the fishing you want, but small enough that fish will find and migrate to cover on their own! Like Lowell just posted Cedar lasts longer than Christmas Trees...but it's whatever is cheap and plentiful right now...the idea is to just get in as much as possible...then you can add more or switch later!

Just read an article that Shad are making a huge comeback in SC and the fishing is exploding...except in the Edisto river and a couple others! :):):)

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Originally Posted by foodeefish

Eagle 1,

I am trying to organize fishing derbies for everyone's Children and Grandchildren @ least twice a year, as well as telling everyone to Catch and Keep, Not Catch and Release.

Lowellhturner,

I think I will place two marker buoys out as you suggest, but sink them three feet under the water so I can see them, but no one else can. This way I can work on building this rock pile over time and it won't be in any boaters way. I have an area that is exactly 8-16 Feet deep, that eventually goes to 24 feet and then back up.

I guess I should sink 2 nice brush piles or bamboo condos beyond this rubble pile in 20 and then 24 feet of water to create he highways everyone has mentioned.

Does anyone know where I can by these shad in South Carolina?

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Originally Posted by foodeefish

Does anyone know where I can by these shad in South Carolina?

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my latest list of commercial aquaculturists these farms sell threadfin

Quality Lakes, inc, 843 812 6844, located in bluffton
southland fisheries 803 776 4923, located Hopkins
swimming rock fish hatchery, inc 843 889 2622, located megget

not sure if any of these places are even close to you but they could point you in the right direction for your area.

PS don't accept golden shiners as a "bait fish" and don't ever stock them if trying to manage a balanced lake.

He IS right about getting the shad from a dealer...just wish he`d of spilled his guts about hooking `something` on top of that rubble pile. Gets a power run and WHAT happens to his 20 pd braided line ? "SNAP !" If anyone else had told such a `fish story` I might have doubted them, but Sir Intimidator has a `talent` for understatement...he would tell you RMS TITANIC had some paint flakes scratched off by an ice flow, which I`m fairly certain DID happen...actually, do the cover highways 1st about 50` apart and add the rubble/ block/ brick pile at your leisure between them ! (Gives you an `excuse` to fish them...)

Lowell's right...THE KRACKIN has taken over our new little "Freshwater Lobster Reef"!
I was Bass fishin on it, thinking I might pull a nice Smallmouth....I had got hung up in the rubble and tightened down the drag to pull the swimbait free. Re-bent the hook and casted back out...forgot to set the drag....something just smashed the swimbait and as I went to set the hook, it bout pulled the pole out of my hand, when I caught the pole and tried to reel, it turned and the 20lb braid popped like 2lb mono.....Something big is dining on fresh lobster on our reef!:):):)

Well I hit the jackpot tonight as I found a 1/4 Acre of Bamboo and I can take what I want. Soooo, Tonight was spent cutting Bamboo and hauling it to the
house. The Bamboo condos are much lighter once their made than pallet pyramids and are easier to handle when it comes time to sinking them.

The bamboo condos also have a farther spread than a Pallet pyramid, so is it better to concentrate on sinking the Bamboo pyramids and rubble after I will have sunk 10 pallet pyramids stuffed with tree branches, 6 single pallets covered with 1/4" Mesh fencing (in shallow water for the fat head minnows), and 15 Crappie stake beds?

This is turning into a part-time job but I think it will be worth it from what you all are saying. This weekend will be spent getting rubble from an old foundation of a double-wide trailer to start building my "lobster reef" and making more Bamboo condos.

Thnx

Now, you need to have someone with good electronics go over your cover and take pictures, so you know what it's doing and how it looks!
Congrats on the work you've done so far!
That's a BIG undertaking for anyone...and especially by yourself!
We only have a cover drop once a year...normally around 20 guys...and we'll drop between 200 to 500 attractors and pieces of cover...you keep going and you'll hit 200 this month by yourself!:):):)LOL

Hey Foodeefish, I hope you have success with your project. Keep us posted on your progress.

Well

Many of you have asked me to keep you informed as to my progress with our 210 Acre Lake, so here's what's happen in the last 40 Days.

I also have more questions for all you great people on this forum. My newest concern is being sure that I create an enviroment where the the Fat Head Minnows can spawn and keep spawning as this is what the Crappie will be feeding on.


- I created 6 Pallet Pyramids with 2 foot long legs on them so they would not sink once they hit the bottom. These were stuffed with Bamboo and sunk in water anywhere from 10 feet of water to 25 feet of water, all around the lake. These things are very heavy and I think I will not be building anymore of these because they are just too heavy to handle.

- A neighbor was trimming their Pine Trees so I took all the Limbs that were cut. I bundled 6 limbs together that were 4-6 inches around and 15-20 feet long and tied Cinder Blocks to the Bundles. We ended up making one HUGE brush file in 20 feet of water, using 7 bundles of these Pine Tree Limbs. We checked this Brush pile on the Fish Finder and it is HUGE. Two days later we checked it and the fish finder showed some type of fish on and around it already.

- I nailed 1"x6" boards to pallets ( 3.5 feet long) to make a Crappie Bed sructures that I saw on this forum. I may make more of these as these are not as bulky as the Pyramids. Question - How deep should I sink these knowing the lake gets dropped 2 feet every year?

I nailed 1/4 " fencing/wire to the tops of 4 pallets and sunk them in 1-2 feet of water thinking the 300,000 Fat Head Minnows we stocked would lay their eggs under them. Questions- Should I make more of these and is 1-2 feet deep enough for them to use?

- We built 2 PVC trees - 4 feet wide and 6 feet tall. These were sunk 30 feet from the huge brush pile in 18 feet of water

- I have now sunk 5 Bamboo Condos on a drop-off starting in in 15 feet of water down to 26 Feet of water. I have done this on 2 drop-offs thus a total of 10 Bamboo condos


-I have laid down three bundles of bamboo stuck through the Cinder Blocks in 3 feet of water. The bamboo lays horizontal and I figured this would be great for in the Shallows.

- I am in the process of building 25 more Bamboo Condos as have a great souce of bamboo and it's easy to build and sink these. Question- Should these Bamboo Condos be placed individually or in clumps of 2-4 so the pile is very large? Also what should be my plan to lay these Bamboo condos out (Where, how close together, How Deep, Ect,)

We just finished picking up 60 large left-over Christmas Trees for free. We are going to tie an empty plastic bottle to the tops of these so they stand upright rather than laying them down Question- Is it Best to sink these CTs in groups of 3-5 trees or individual? What should be the plan to lay these out- again how close together, how deep, individual or bundled together.....



Does anyone see anything I am doing wrong so far? Please be honest.

After these Christmas trees are sunk I think I need to take a bit of a rest because I am tired.

Thanks again everyone.

Sure sounds like you need the rest after all you have done. You are doing a great job!

We normally place the "C" trees in rows shallow to deep often with 4-6 brush blocks shallow in 4-6 fow and the PVC attractors on the deeper end at 18 fow which is as deep as ODNR will currently allow us to go-(evil laughter sound effect) basically find the thermocline and end the line there...BTW, how`s your "experiment" coming along ? 2 lines of multiple types of natural and artificial attractors shallow to deep with a rubble pile in the center is going to be a HOLY COW spot once you complete it...take your time and might be tempted to tell NO ONE about that 1...kinda like our little `secret`...are you still hoping to put shad into the lake? If possible do it during the winter but keep in mind the water temperature they are in and the temperature of the lake MUST be within 6 degrees or they WILL all go belly up immediately, and become chum...

Thanks for updating. Sounds like you are creating a fine fishery. I am a rookie with no practical advice on this topic. I do have a cabin on a 320 acre lake that needs some help with structure. Keep up the good work, it will pay off in the near future.

The stakebeds can be grouped in with the other cover so they can move shallow to deep and back....group the Christmas trees together in 5 or more, then when the small branches are gone you have the main trunks to provide some cover or an ambush point....
Lowell is correct, place the remaining taller cover where it can be used in the heat of summer, but not below the thermocline where it would be useless until winter...this way you can take a break and maybe build more winter cover later.
The fathead pallets are good but place them deep enough that when the water drops they are still submerged.
I would only put a couple bamboo condo's together to get maximum benefit and add more to "great" areas later.