Build Your Own Crappie Condo Structure
Building a Crappie Condo
You ever get tired of looking for good underwater structure to fish? Why not build your own Crappie condo structure?
You may be asking “what in the world is a Crappie condo?” Well, it is basically an assortment of pvc plumbing pipes that are put together in such a way as to provide an artificial structure that fish will flock to. Many fisherman will employ many different elaborate designs, but the following is just a basic “how to” so that you can get back to fishing.
Building a Crappie condo is pretty easy. Get a bunch of pvc pipes and place them in a bucket in a random manner. But before you do, be sure to sand the pipes so that the algae will be able to collect and grow on them underneath the water.
Get a 5 gallon bucket. Now pour the Quickcrete mixed with water in so that the bucket becomes a concrete block so to speak. Be sure to leave the handle up so you can lower the bucket underwater without it tipping over.
When you are done, find a spot in 10 – 15 ft of water to drop your Crappie condo in. If you made more than 1 Crappie condo, try to place them about 8-10 feet apart so you can build a nice big structure.
Here is a very good video summarizing how you could make your own Crappie condo:
Be sure to mark your spot via GPS or with some sort of landmark so that you can find it later.
If you are looking for other ideas on how to build your Crappie condo, here is another video that you can glean some more ideas from:
That should give you enough ideas on how to build a Crappie condo structure. You don’t have to break the bank to do this. Often you will have the stuff you need laying around the house or in the garage.
Sink a Crappie condo today, and catch more fish for years to come.
Successful Crappie Fishing Requires the Ability to Detect the Bite
I got a chance to go fishing Saturday night for a few hours. I love Crappie fishing at night this time of year because there is virtually no boat traffic, and you’re not sweating to death because of the heat. In a month or so, it will start to warm up a little more down here in Texas, and even the nights will be a bit warm then.
If you are an inexperienced Crappie fisherman, then sometimes you will miss the bite. Such was the case Saturday night.
The way they were biting was that they would bump the bait, (we were using live minnows fished under lights), and then a couple of minutes later, they would start pushing the line sideways. I should also mention that we were tight-line fishing.
Experienced Crappie fisherman know that this is a Crappie, and set the hook. But if you don’t know what is happening, the fish will take your bait in nothing flat. Once that line is going to the side, lift up and reel, and you’ll have your fish.
My last trip out they were biting totally different. They would bump the line, and then there would be a bunch of slack. When you see this slack, the Crappie has the bait in his mouth and is pushing it up. Firmly jerk your rod and reel up, and you’ll have him hooked.
Be careful though, because when they are biting like this, they don’t always give you the “courtesy” bump first. You’ll just look and all of a sudden have a bunch of slack. If you are too late, he’ll have his dinner, and you will have none.
Crappie will on occasion just hit the bait, but more often than not, they will use one of the biting methods discussed to obtain their meal.
If you are using a cork, the principle is the same. If you see your cork heading sideways, jerk back in the opposite direction and start reeling. Make sure that whenever you are Crappie fishing, that you do not set the hook too hard, because it will rip out of their mouths. Many fisherman have nicknamed Crappie “papermouths” for this reason.
It can take a little practice to get the feel for how Crappie bite, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to catch all you want.
Spring Crappie Fishing Tips
The spawn is on at many lakes across the southern US. The water temperatures have risen and if you can catch the conditions just right, you should be able to land a few slabs. The #1 bait for catching Spring Crappie is without a doubt a live minnow. It has been estimated that over 50% of all Crappie are caught on live minnows. I am not totally sure of the accuracy of that quote, but I happen to believe it. The problem is that sometimes the local bait shops will run out of minnows if the fish are really biting. Other effective live baits you can use are crickets and
If the Wind Is Blowing – Don’t Forget to Fish the Windward Bank
After about an hour of catching no fish, I realized that we should have moved when the wind shifted directions. I took a look toward the bend about 200 yards down river, and noticed a bunch of bait-fish jumping around.
The Thermocline and How it Affects Summer Crappie Fishing
If you are going to be a successful Crappie fisherman in the Summer, particularly in Southern climates, you need to understand the thermocline and how it works.
Crappie GrubMaster Crappie Kit
- Special Price – $21.99 a $27 value
- 62 Pieces with a Plano Box
- Ideal For Light and Ultra-Light Presentations
- Excellent of Fresh and Saltwater Crappie
- Designed to Fit Inside Grubs, Tubes & Spiders Horizontal Slow Fall Swimming Action
Product Description
This compact, complete kit is perfect for the avid Crappie and Panfish angler, featuring a unique new approach to fishing with jigs and plastics. Kit contains patented Crappie GrubMaster Jig heads and most popular plastic bodies in the hottest colors and sizes. Instructions and diagrams on rigging are included. Super kit for Crappies and Panfish. Information and contents are combined in a compact Plano box.
FEATURES: The 12 Crappie GrubMaster Jigs in 1/16 & 1/32 oz… More >>
Simple Crappie Jig
Have you ever thought about making your own Crappie Jigs? Although it takes a little more effort, you can easily customize the jig to your specifications and what you feel works best in your lake.
In the video below, the guy goes through making your own Crappie jig in great detail. Give it a look:
Rigging Your Line For Night Crappie Fishing
Catch more crappie with this rig for night crappie fishing. Visit www.crappiefishing101.com for more tips on how to catch those big slabs.
Crappie Fishing Tips: BNB Crappie jigs
Crappie Dale, takes Tackle manufactor Rich Matthews of the Ozarksecrets Bait Co., and his ol buddy Mr.Jigging Wiggens out on Lake Tawakoni Tx for some HOT! BNB Crappie jig Slab slinging action
