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I have a q about bamboo. When harvesting the boo, is there an optimum time for getting it in the water? I guess another way to ask it is how long after you cut it can you wait to put the condos out? should the boo still be real green, or can it turn brown & still work as good? Any thoughts would be a big help.
Hey Randy:
I would be concerned that boo that is completely brown and has been cut for several months may not be as durable and long-lasting as freshly cut boo but I've not tried it to find out. We have so much boo available around here that there's no need to use any that may be less desirable.
I do know that boo that has been in the water for a while and then gets exposed to the air when the lake level goes down seems to break down and get brittle.
We have bamboo condos that have been in the water over four years now and the only ones that I've broken any limbs off of and brought pieces up on a hook from are ones that the tops were above water at some point.
Jerry,
Thanks for the input. I'm actually going to try to get some of that real "boo", not the switch cane that I showed earlier in the year. I just wanted to know if I cut some boo next weekend, how long do I have to get it in the water before it starts turning brown, & breaking down. It's getting real close to dog days around here, & I'm gonna try to try to build some condos soon & mats with blocks.
We've used cane that has been cut for about a week without any trouble. You can keep it green longer if you'll put the cut ends in some water. If you let it dry out too much all the leaves will fall off, which is OK (except it makes a bigger mess in your boat) but I like having the leaves on for a while until the moss has time to start accumulating on the boo.
thanks again jerry. you & darryl are a huge help to most of us novice fishermen that are out here. hope your calendar stays full!! I'm still wanting to come out there for a trip.
Yeah, what Jerry said. LOL. Use the bushy stuff and cut the butt end off just below a knuckle or joint so it will have something to hold it into the concrete real good.
Boo masters, (That would be Jerry and Darryl)
Have you ever tried a stake bed out of the bottom ends of the boo??
I'm fishing a lot of skinny water. Boo stakes are easy to push in the bottom.
I have put out about 30 boo stakes in a cluster. No results yet.
Thoughts?
Titleman
Hey Titleman:Quote:
Originally Posted by titleman
We put several stake beds in Hamilton made out of the butt ends of boo but we really haven't had much success catching crappie on them. But, I've not had much success from the wood stake beds I've made either (on Greeson). I know they work real well in some lakes but with our fairly clear water it seems like the crappie prefer cover that they can get down in and under.
We're still working on a design for Bamboo Condos in skinny water. The block type ones are OK but they tend to matt down after a year or so. We're going to build some bucket type using 3-gallon buckets and cut the bamboo down to about 6-feet long so we can put them in 8 to 10-feet of water. With the shorter buckets we can spread the bamboo out a bit more so they should still be about 12 to 15-feet wide.
I have very little experience with boo compared to Jerry and Darryl i followed their lead and built some tall trees and mats and have some success on them the trees produced for the first few months but lately i seem to catch mostly dinks on them the mats have been far more consistant with nice fish every trip coming off them,i experimented about a year ago by building a stake bed out of the bigger boo poles and i will say that it produces just as well as my stake beds that are built out of oak stakes,the reason very well could be that i fish on the upper end of my lake and the water is always stained up there.
I tried bamboo stakes and they did'nt produce well. My Oak or Cedar stake beds have worked great on Nimrod where the water is colored.:D The bamboo buckets work for awhile and then seem to go dead here? :confused:
Thanks guys.
I'll let you know if mine start producing. So far, not much, but it's the middle of summer.
Titleman
I think I am going to make smaller versions of the tall bamboo condos. Maybe 6 feet tall and 10 to 12 feet across. Most places that I would put them are 12 feet or less.
Other than that I think I am going to follow NIMROD'S lead and start making short pallet stake beds for the shallower water.