Id like to make some pvc crappie trees to "plant" this fall. if possible I'd like to be able to fish them from a dock, its about

[NorthernArcher7890]

Id like to make some pvc crappie trees to "plant" this fall. if possible I'd like to be able to fish them from a dock, its about 70' long. there is a weed beed right at the end of the dock that holds strong populations of gills, sunnies, and a few perch and bass. but no crappie. were should I plant them?

[themadflyfisher]

A buddy of mine went around and asked all his neighbors for their Christmas trees (the lake had not yet froze over) he cemented the bottoms in half cinder blocks and sunk them. He did this 2 years ago and the last 2 years come spawn in the spring those trees were jamming with crappie.

[jhjimbo]

Go a little further out so as not to interfear with a boat.

[jhjimbo]

make that 'interfere'

[NorthernArcher7890]

What depth should I be looking at?
mostly for fall fishing

[jhjimbo]

I would say 10 - 12 feet, but if there is shade tree overhang it could be less.
BTW, a overhang is a real good place to fish. The fish hang around and wait for lunch to fall off the branches. We used to hang an almost empty tuna can or dog food can with several holes in it from a over hanging branch. When the maggots grow, they eventually fall into the water. Bingo!

[NorthernArcher7890]

Thanks jhjimbo

[santa]

Here in the deep south, Sac-A-Lait seem to like shaded areas. I have caught a lot of them out from under boats in boat houses. I have also caught a lot of them right out from under docks and wharfs. So if it was me and the water is deep enough, I would just put my cover right under the dock itself where it will be shaded, protected, and hard for someone else to get to from a boat. Then I would put a few weighted down cotton seed meal bags made from old pantyhose to attract minnows for the crappie. Providing good cover and a food source is all you should have to do to to make a nice crappie bed.

[FISHEROFLIFE]

Where do you get crappie trees

[santa]

FISHEROFLIFE, The idea of PVC pipe for cover is that hooks do not hang up bad on them like they do on real tree branches. You just take a piece of 2" diameter PVC pipe about two feet long and then drill holes all the way through for a smaller pipe such as 1/2" PVC. Cut pieces of 1/2" PVC and pass it through the holes making branches like a tree. Do not cap off any of the PVC pipe ends because that will trap air in the pipes. Then take the PVC tree and stick into a plastic one gallon milk jug filled with sand. You will have to cut out the top of the milk jug to fit the pipe. It helps to have a 4 1/2" long piece of the 1/2" PVC branch at the very bottom of the tree to bury in the jug with the sand. Sink the whole tree in a place where you want to start a crappie bed. It helps to bait minnows to the new bed with something such as cotton seed meal so the crappie will have minnows as a food source to help attract them to the new bed.

[Panfishking]

Depending on the depth,is a factor. But the weeds should hold crappie, try fishing the weeds right before and at dark. Crappie cribs are generally placed where there isn't much cover.