Question on feeders.

Have access to a slip and hung 3 feeders (PVC with holes). Using cattle cubes, seems to be working, but they dissolve in about 2 days...any suggestions on something that lasts longer? Thanks.

Maybe add corn feed?

Hen scratch and or Cottonseed meal

What are you trying to attract? If it's Crappie all you need is to provide cover. The feed will pull in carp, catfish and other trash fish. I don't allow any feed in my slips and the fishing is real good.

Thank you all. Ernest, I was hoping to attract minnows that would attract the crappie, but you're right about the other fish...about 1 out of four have been small catfish and 1 large carp last time out. Maybe I'll move the feeders out to the end of the dock and lower to the bottom for some catfish. I do have a 'porcupine' about 7 ft. In diameter hanging in the slip.

Appreciate the advice. P_102

Just FYI, to have good fishing a slip need a lot of cover. One porcupine might hold two or three fish. Five or six porcupines will hold a school of fish at times. Each of our slips has at least ten to 15 pieces of cover. Some PVC and some cedar.

It is hard to have too much cover. If you can't fish an area without hanging up at ever depth and try, then you may have too much. But, until you reach this mythical situation, keep adding on!

Good luck!

Thanks again to all!

I hung two 5 gallon plastic buckets(with small holes drilled in them) off my dock filled with cattle/cotton seed cubes. It attracts the small fish which attracts the big fish. The buckets get covered with algae and you can see where the small fish are kissing the holes to get the cotton seed.

I'm no expert and have never personally tried but have always heard alfalfa hay works well.

Alfalfa hay bails work great.I use cedar and willows.I have a buddy who uses wooden pallets in his slip and it works great.I also put brush in empty slips around mine as well.The more slips brushed out the more crappie a dock will hold.

Learning a lot. Soooo, bottom or suspended? The water under the slip is currently 26' at the slip mouth, 30' at the 'bow'. People in slips either side of us (one 4 slips away, the other side 5 slips away, so not right next to us) have been fishing 10' in same depth as our slip and catching. I currently have the porcupine suspended, centered at 10'. Will be adding other structure....

P_102 - If you need help brushing your slip out, I can help. I have some willow to cut. Cedar is good too.

heres my opinion on the baiting situation. most docks have ALOT of algea growth under them and the baitfish population is high and perpetual,. once a brushpile has been in the water a while the slime starts growing and the baitfish hang around.
For nightfishing though, in coves or on points, where shad are coming in and going out to feed, hanging a bucket of sour chickenscratch will attract and hold baitfish in an area alot longer, and putting lights out helps attract and keep them there too.

Just a thought..
Many like to add structure whether out on the main lake or under the slips and expect to catch fish asap.
Actually, in some case, you can catch fish within a couple of hours after sinking. Fish in general like to clinch onto something known as "cover" to feel safe and strategically ambush preys. While there will be fish on new structure, such new structure is lack of one main ingredient (algae) which will attract small prey fish.

That is also why a more established older cover usually hold more fish. So if you have algae on your cover, you will have bait fish which in turn you will have crappies near by.

After all, the crappies are hanging on to cover for several reasons:
1) Safety nest
2) Ambush point.
3) Feeding chance (where dinner will come rather than having to chase dinner down out in the open).

Tips & tricks which will help algae grows quicker on your cover:

1) New fresh brush/tree/limps will take sometime for the leaves to rot off and algae to grow, hence, dried brush/tree/limps will definitely speed up the algae process.
2) Smooth surface of 5 gal bucket and pvc will hinder algae to quickly grow. Use rough sand paper on a drill and scuff the heck out of it before sinking. Don't worry about how ugly it may look after vs before since the whole objective is to grow algae which will cover all the pretty smooth plastic eventually.
3) When doable, sink you tree/brush/limps/bucket/pvc pipes in open shallow water. Move them to your desired location after a week or two depending on the sun exposure and water temperature. This concept is nothing more than observing your fish tank (for those who have fish tank). The more light you have, the quicker the algae will grow. If you sink your cover within the dark area of your slips, it will take much longer for algae to grow. Thus, open shallow water where exposing to sun light will definitely won't hurt.

My 2 cents!

Thanks chickenman. Since it's not my slip (a good friends) I don't have a gate card so I access it by boat most of the time, it's easiest for me to take the porcupine parts and assemble them on the dock. I'll be adding a couple more this weekend. P_102

I can cut you willow if you'd like it.

Here is how I have hung it before.

Use a wire vs rope. Electrical fence wire worked well for me. Scrap bricks for the weight. Attach the branches and hang 3 or more branches horizontally. 6 foot main branch sections or longer. Good tiimes.