DIY Fish Structure

[Huck Finn]

Well, it's getting to be that time of year... especially down here in the south. Time to start thinking about how to improve your catch ratio's, I improve mine by building and sinking fish structure.

 

The more places you know of that hold fish, the more fish you'll catch!

 

I use bamboo (giant cane), plywood, and concrete.



 

These structures are 3' tall and have 12 sticks of cane per box. The boxes are 12"x12"x5" ID.

 



The boxes hold 40 lbs. of concrete, I mix 2 60# bags and pour 3 boxes. I consolidate the concrete around the cane by beating the sides of the box with a hammer as I pour them, they're very solid.

 

I deployed these structures last week in a shallow bay at the back of a creek that holds good #'s of crappie this time of year. The bay has almost no structure except for a few docks and stumps and the crappie are scattered. The bay averages 4 1/2' deep, but has an old creek bed that runs through at 6' deep. I dropped the structure in the 6' deep water. This is winter pool level, when they raise the lake at the end of April it'll be 11' of water.

 

I deployed the structures in 3 groups of 4 in a square pattern and in a straight line...

 

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... about 200' apart. The structures are in a 5-6' square. I marked the center of each group on my GPS.

 

Just out of curiosity, I fished these structures this morning and was flabbergasted and overjoyed to find they were already holding fish!!!

 



I pulled these slabs of of them and twice as many "barely legals" (9-10").

I know this isn't the norm for fish relating to new structure, but like I said... this bay has little structure and a good number of fish.

Check with your DNR or Rangers office to see if this is legal where you fish before starting a project like this, some states don't allow it and others require a permit.

[Rebelfisher]

our local conservation club builds "junior porcupine cribs" every july and sinks them into a local impoundmant...when they built this lake in the early 70's, they clearcut and removed everything..its just a mud bottom...we have been doing this for around 9-10 years now...approx 6-9 per year with an estimated life span of 10 yrs, but we have confirmed our earliest ones are still intact.

heres the link to the pictures....scroll about half way down.

http://www.nanticokeconservationclub.com/id8.html

[Huck Finn]

our local conservation club builds "junior porcupine cribs" every july and sinks them into a local impoundmant...when they built this lake in the early 70's, they clearcut and removed everything..its just a mud bottom...we have been doing this for around 9-10 years now...approx 6-9 per year with an estimated life span of 10 yrs, but we have confirmed our earliest ones are still intact.

heres the link to the pictures....scroll about half way down.

http://www.nanticokeconservationclub.com/id8.html

Those are some nice structures, but I prefer the smooth and roundness of bamboo or pvc... it's literally snag-free. I troll jigs through my structures for Crappie and don't have to worry about snagging, you can watch the rod tip jump every time it hits a piece of boo when it passes through a structure. The fish usually bite after the jig has hit a couple pieces of boo and is just leaving the structure.

[Rebelfisher]

I see your point...never thought of that..

[archer71xx]

The Fish commission put a bunch of plastic fish trees in one of the lakes here and if you can find them you can almost always catch nice crappies.

[seansean1444]

also if you just sink some old christams trees then your set and they are free

[Rebelfisher]

my cousin does that on a private lake he lives on...I believe its a fine if you did it on a public lake in pa.

[sparkie]

my cousin does that on a private lake he lives on...I believe its a fine if you did it on a public lake in pa.

Yep you'll get a nice fine.

But it can be done, NOT SAYING I OR YOU SHOULD DO IT.  On trash day where I live they will except small bundels of tree branches no longer than 3' and no bigger than a couple of feet around.  They must be tied.   A couple of these with some weight to anchor them can slipped over the side without anyone seeing you and after a few trips you can have a few honey holes.  Also I would like to thank the person who made those small brush piles exactly where I fish.

[Huck Finn]

The majority of my structures go over the side on cold windy days when no one else is on the lake, and some have been known to go over the side at night!

It is completely legal here, but I'd rather not have an audience when I deploy my hard work.

[Nam 69]

our local conservation club builds "junior porcupine cribs" every july and sinks them into a local impoundmant...when they built this lake in the early 70's, they clearcut and removed everything..its just a mud bottom...we have been doing this for around 9-10 years now...approx 6-9 per year with an estimated life span of 10 yrs, but we have confirmed our earliest ones are still intact.

heres the link to the pictures....scroll about half way down.

http://www.nanticokeconservationclub.com/id8.html

Thats a great job you guys are doing with those cribs. Wish you guys were a little closer to me, Pete

[Nam 69]

Well, it's getting to be that time of year... especially down here in the south. Time to start thinking about how to improve your catch ratio's, I improve mine by building and sinking fish structure.

 

The more places you know of that hold fish, the more fish you'll catch!

 

I use bamboo (giant cane), plywood, and concrete.



 

These structures are 3' tall and have 12 sticks of cane per box. The boxes are 12"x12"x5" ID.

 



The boxes hold 40 lbs. of concrete, I mix 2 60# bags and pour 3 boxes. I consolidate the concrete around the cane by beating the sides of the box with a hammer as I pour them, they're very solid.

 

I deployed these structures last week in a shallow bay at the back of a creek that holds good #'s of crappie this time of year. The bay has almost no structure except for a few docks and stumps and the crappie are scattered. The bay averages 4 1/2' deep, but has an old creek bed that runs through at 6' deep. I dropped the structure in the 6' deep water. This is winter pool level, when they raise the lake at the end of April it'll be 11' of water.

 

I deployed the structures in 3 groups of 4 in a square pattern and in a straight line...

 

* *

* *

 

 

 

 

 

* *

* *

 

 

 

 

 

* *

* *

 

... about 200' apart. The structures are in a 5-6' square. I marked the center of each group on my GPS.

 

Just out of curiosity, I fished these structures this morning and was flabbergasted and overjoyed to find they were already holding fish!!!

 



I pulled these slabs of of them and twice as many "barely legals" (9-10").

I know this isn't the norm for fish relating to new structure, but like I said... this bay has little structure and a good number of fish.

Check with your DNR or Rangers office to see if this is legal where you fish before starting a project like this, some states don't allow it and others require a permit.

 Man thats great work you are doing to inprove the fishing. I wonder if we woul;d be able to do something like this in Tuscaroa State Park, I am going to ask around, Pete

[Rebelfisher]

Man thats great work you are doing to inprove the fishing. I wonder if we woul;d be able to do something like this in Tuscaroa State Park, I am going to ask around, Pete

Our club does it in conjunction with the PA fish & boat commission through a contract with Dept of conservation & natural res. (DCNR) for Frances Slocum State Park....I would ask either agency, see what they can offer.