Hey guys, was thinking about sinking some buckets with cane in them. Couple of questions for those who have done it. First, how long do I cut the cane, 6', 8',12'? Do I just want the top of the pile a certain depth below the surface? Just not sure. Also, would you suggest useing the thick base of the cane or the more leafy tops? I can experiment but would love to know what has worked well for others. I like speeding up the learning curve!

By cane, if you're talking about the local bamboo, there are a bunch of guys on here that have much experience with that stuff. The thick "trunks" make excellent stake beds, the full stalks (10-15 ft long) cover a lot of water column in 25' deep spots (if you can keep them upright) and just the leafy tops (top 5-8 ft.) in buckets set in 3-5 bucket groups make great attractors too. It's really good material.

We have been experimenting with structures for the past couple years and have come up with a few thoughts. Using dense or thick buckets of Boo has not worked as well for us. We've noticed that most crappie we see on our SI & DI are holding to just a few tigs sticking up in the water, and a dense Brush Pile will not allow you to fish IN the pile. Can't get you jig IN the pile without staying hung up, and even hard to get a fish out, if you catch one IN the Brush Pile.

So we have gone to putting 5 stalks of Boo in each bucket. You don't need that much cement to sink 5 sticks of Boo. We are getting about 3 buckets per bag of cement. We use the whole piece of Boo in one form or the other. Using the big end is like a stake bed, and we will put about 7-8 pieces in a buckey due to usually having NO limbs on the lower part of the Boo Stalk.

Like Pepop said, we put out 3 buckets per location set in a triangle. Each of our buckets are about 10; in diameter, making our total diameter about a 30' diameter per location. Plus we are only able to haul 3 buckets in either my or my brother boat at a time. So we take 3 buckets everytime we make a trip to the lake. Doesn't take but a minute to throw them out, MARK on the GPS, then on to fishing. Living in the country, I am able to keep seveal Brush Pile made up, and ready for sinking.


10'-20' Of Water
We use 6'-8' pieces of Boo for this depth of water. This is our most common Brush Pile, and use the most of these due to feeling that crappie stay in 10'-15' of water more months of the year than any other depth. Most of the Down Scan PICS we have seen, notice to have the crappie off to one side or hanging about the structure. But during some Weather Patterns, we see Crappie actually IN the structure. So you don't want to make you structure to dense with Boo.

25+ Feet Of Water
We decide the length of the Boo by the depth of water we are putting it in. We don't use much of the 12' pieces of Boo except in 25'+ of water. We make this for Hot Summer and Cold Winter patterns. We use the Leaf end of the Boo for these longer Structures.





Here are some Stake Bed Buckets, but we are putting about 7-8 pieces in each bucket now days.





keith

We are presently working on some PVC Piles. I have just got a few built, with only a couple in the water. They are VERY hard to locate, even with SI or DI. Not sure if it is the hollow tube or what, but very difficult to relocate. If not for having them GPS Marked, it would be impossible unless you knew EXACTLY what you were looking for.

Haven't had them out long enough to get a read on HOW or IF they hold fish as good as Boo, Cedar, or Limbs of tree's. So we will be testing within this year.

We put them out, and could see them with no problems. But after some weeks, they have become harder and harder to see. Might of fact, next to impossible. Either they have become Steath due to growing the slim all over them, or someone has picked them up, which I find very unlikely.

we have built PVC Tree's, Orange Plastic Pipe Tree's, and Horizonal PVC Structures, and after about a month or two, they all disappear. It has to be due to growing the slim on them, and becoming steath. It is all I can think of. Which is OK with me, as long as I know. I have them MARKED. Working on a Grapling Hook to go pull a couple up and see for sure.

Anyone Have Experience With PVC and It's Long Term Effects Under Water ? ? ?












keith

Keith;Tighlines;

I too have lost my PVC trees. I thought bass fishermen must have drugg them off the ledge or something. I am confident they did not fall over on their own. Your thoughts make sense to me, I can find some of them from time to time by knowing where they are and hanging up in them. Drive directly over them and see them on my depthfinder mounted HB. I don't have SI or Di to check with. Even my boo piles that are 2-3 yrs old don't show up all the time, but I know they are still in place by fishing them and feeling the boo. I tie small plastic bottles to mine to keep them upright forever.

Bamboo has always produced more fish for me than pvc. I usually build mine 6' 8' or 10' depending on water depth. The 10' I usually put in 15' of water

I think the pvc has a similar density to water and that is why it is so hard to see. I usually just look for fish and if I don't see any I move on.

As far as getting hung up in bamboo tops, weedless jigheads are the way to go. I can't tell you the last time I got hung up and broke off. Paul Mullins in Kentucky pours me 100 1/16oz jigheads at a time. I think they are around $20.00.

Good Luck with the construction project.

I have NO problems with seeing the Boo Piles (Sonar/SI/DI). See them with No problems. But the older PVC Piles, Nothing.



keith

I made some bamboo and PVC condos...got my SI/DI months later....could see something but was for sure they had dissolved in the water! Thought I had lost my mind! Good to know! Btw....pulled my first fish out of a pile(Christmas trees) a few days ago....it's a good feeling when work pays off!

Btw....a great way to keep your buckets from toppling is drill holes across the bucket at the bottom, and take 2 pieces of rebar and stick them through in an "X" maybe 4' pieces...creates kind-of-a stand if you will...great for tall stands where there is current or a slight slope.....

Btw cream....I REALLY like the horizontal PVC type....I have a spot I've been wanting to "spice up" but is on an incline with large rocks and I don't believe a bucket would sit right.....I'm gonna have to steal that....

Thanks for all the information. You guys saved me alot of trial and error. You guys are awesome!

What lake will you be dropping these on.