This is the start of my structure. I will sink it with 5galon bucket with a x brace underneath the bucket to help from tipping over. Also I plan on putting two Christmas trees on the outside of it. Attachment 226252
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This is the start of my structure. I will sink it with 5galon bucket with a x brace underneath the bucket to help from tipping over. Also I plan on putting two Christmas trees on the outside of it. Attachment 226252
Hell, you better put two or three buckets for that three story condo.:yikes
Gonna plug up to hold enough air for it to stay standing ?
Looks good. You Can tie a jug on the top to get it to stand up right. I hope yours does better than mine as I have put out close 150 and not done any good to speak of off them.
I have better luck off pallet beds like nimrod builds or just big wood brush piles.
Looks good to me. Build it and they will come.:ThumbsUp
Please do not take this wrong....this is going to be a helpful and constructive opinion!
OK, here's the problem that we found with PVC like that......
Look at pictures of Crappie in cover....The cover they like is dense, and they can move around in it, or it provides shade, ambush points, supports bio diversity, draws forage, etc.
To really allow the Cover you built to be used, you will need to add at least 5x as many small PVC "branches" to the main trunk, or put plenty of same height trees or limbs directly beside and around it...this piece of cover alone really offers nothing except the Base trunk!
To build good Crappie cover you have to understand what they prefer....Big Stumps, dock posts, downed trees, root systems, tree tops, etc., this is what you have to provide for them to be effective.
Then you have to decide how many fish a single piece of that cover will hold, then you build an area to hold a certain number of fish, and build multiple areas if needed....then if you want your areas to replenish themselves you have to build or put in cover for spawning, minnows/baitfish/ fry, craws, and micro-organisms. This gives you a self-sustaining ecosystem!
Would have to agree. Perhaps cutting the main trunk in half and wedging the smaller diameter PVC inside the block holes might be denser and more productive. Denser cover tends to attract smaller bait fish which in turn attracts bigger fish particularly crappie. DO agree having a couple of natural attractors near by can be VERY effective; the 2 types together are the BEST overall combination that we have found so far especially with the PVC on the deepest end...
That's why I post here. That's all great advice. I agree once I built it and stepped back it was very thin. Modifications are in the works. Thanks again.
Man these guys have helped me a lot, only problem I have is I'm a one man band. It's a lot work putting this stuff outQuote:
Originally Posted by Riverrats1
I agree that it needs more. I make something like you have made. Put 2 liter drink bottles on each end of the 1/2 inch pvc. Also put a hole in the bottom end of the bottle and put several on each "limb". Sand everything with 40 or 60 grit sandpaper. If your main pipe is 4" you can put a 32 oz. Gatorade bottle in the top of the pipe. I also use a 12" concrete block at the bottom to help it stay upright.
I agree that it needs more. I make something like you have made. Put 2 liter drink bottles on each end of the 1/2 inch pvc. Also put a hole in the bottom end of the bottle and put several on each "limb". Sand everything with 40 or 60 grit sandpaper. If your main pipe is 4" you can put a 32 oz. Gatorade bottle in the top of the pipe. I also use a 12" concrete block at the bottom to help it stay upright.
I also would not put a Christmas tree close by. They are too easy to get hung up in. Put 2 or 3 of your pvc structures together and you are good to go.
I put two pvc structures side by side in 15 ft of water and caught crappie every month last year. Caught some last Saturday.
Riverrats
OK...most of my bases were larger square tubs filled with concrete, this kept the PVC trees upright and stable. You can also run rebar through buckets or small diameter PVC to serve the same purpose.
The Beauty of PVC is it's invisibility in water...if you start adding air holding stuff like soda bottles, etc., to hold it upright, you are highlighting the cover just like a fish's swim bladder does on fishermen's electronics...if you don't care if other's find it, then you're OK to add all the buoyant stuff you like!
DHW is right sand it all with 60 grit so algae can adhere and build good strong colonies....and put as much PVC together as possible...it will be pretty much invisibly.
Or if invisibility isn't an issue, put some laydown wood, shrubs, C' Trees, etc., around the outside, and in with it!
The reason Plastics can be invisible under water is because they have close to the same densities, then like Stealth Science, they have rounded edges, or holes, that allow sonar or radar to pass through....if you get a good colony of algae it also absorbs beams...unless someone has a underwater camera and the water is clear, most people will never know what is.
The reason Rocks, wood, stumps, fish, trestles, etc., show up underwater is because the densities are way different.
If you put PVC, in creek beds, humps, drop-offs, around wood, or near other natural structure or cover it will disappear into the scenery! Just make sure you know where you put it!:)
Im thinking about building something myself and this has gave me some good info. Looks like the pvc is the way to go to keep it from being found by others.
Do keep in mind to invite ONLY "stealthy " fish to use the PVC cover... and ONLY fish it when you are absolutely certain there is NO ONE else out on the lake.