Pics of crappie beds...

Here are a couple pics from last years bunch and I'm making more this weekend........I had BY FAR the best succss w/ simple big brush piles weighted down w/ concrete blocks as well as very thick treetops in buckets last year. The key for me was the thicker the better, but I'm hoping the stakes and stumps will pay off this year after soaking.

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...sh/stakes2.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...oakstumps3.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...g/DSCN0788.jpg

Results from hard work:

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...g/DSCN0907.jpg

success!!!

Amen Brother. A man after my own heart. If you build it they will come.

job well done .

If you tell me where they are at I'll check on them when I'm up there,lol nice job

those look great - both the fish and the condos...


I am still planning on making my "artificial tree" condo...hoping to do it between now and President's day weekend - sink it then and get ready for action!

nice work, and hard work, it is not easy putting it all together then taking it out and dropping it.

Great post.:cool: Always glad to see I'm not alone in building fish habitat.;) Great that it's paying off for you like it should.:)

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Originally Posted by crappie52

nice work, and hard work, it is not easy putting it all together then taking it out and dropping it.

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No kidding, but I still really enjoy building structure and knowing I'm helping out the fishery! It's funny though how many guys schedules seem to open up when the crappie are biting....especially when I've got a cabin to sleep at and a boat to fish from, but this time of year it seems like everyone I call would just love to help me put out some structure, but they just have "too many things" going on to get away this time of year. However, when the weather starts warming up around the end of March my phone doesn't seem to stop ringing!

Everyone in town put their Christmas trees out for pick up in January so I've been riding around town picking up some nice ones from the big colonial homes on the waterfront! I know a sweet lil hole in the river bend that's gonna get some new structure!! I'd be QUICK to help if I were closer.. we all reap the benefits!

Casey,
We also fish Ky Lake and we've put out around 20 of those bucket beds with about 15 buckets in each bed. What we've found out is that if they are in a bay where there is current from the raising and falling water or if they are in 12 feet or less of water where there is a lot of boat traffic, they turn over. Then they become great catfish holes. The ones we've put out in deeper water have stayed pretty good and still produce.

Very nice. If you build it, they will come.

nice structure.. I wonder how long the structure made of tree's last??

They will last a pretty long time if you use hardwoods (oak and hickory are my picks). I've caught fish off of the same hardwood brushpiles for anywhere from 5 to 7 years without adding to them.

Caseydrew,

Do you take the buckes off. I just hate to see adding plastic to the waterways. If you coat inside of the bucket with some sort of release agent then you wouldn't have to put the plastic buckets in the water and reuse them :)

Rick

Stick a cheap garbage bag in each bucket, remove when done, peel off bag and thats it! Bucket saved!

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Originally Posted by PaperLip

Caseydrew,

Do you take the buckes off. I just hate to see adding plastic to the waterways. If you coat inside of the bucket with some sort of release agent then you wouldn't have to put the plastic buckets in the water and reuse them :)

Rick

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Buckets are in the lake and the only things that will see them / benefit from them are the fish. If you speak to the fisheries biologists for the lake they will suggest sinking in a bucket as the fish like to use them to spawn in. Why would you not want them in the water if it is improving the fishery and will be an "artificial stump" for many years????

Mighty Fine

I wish I had enough buckets to do that...

Hey Great pics do mind if I use them? Just PM about it...

you ga love good job . I know the feeling ( everybody wants to go to heaven but no body wants to die)

the first pic you posted from last year's bunch, are those just pine 2x4's? I like those you have this year with the hardwoods sticking straight up. They are similar to the ones I'm building, except mine run horizontally. It is posted under the "cedar posts" thread. I'm going to make more out of my cedar posts. Where's a good source for 5 gallon buckets?

Looks good! If you don't shuck those out of the buckets, you must have a ton of'em.