“Crappie Condos” are artificial underwater fish habitats created from exotic stands of bamboo.
Recently, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, parks and recreation staff from Waco and Cleburne and students at Baylor University helped put “crappie condos” at Lake Pat Cleburne.
Crappie is among the fish that enjoy this type of habitat, which also includes largemouth bass, white bass and a variety of catfish.
Project coordinators were allowed to harvest stands of bamboo from city limits to use as a fish habitat in area reservoirs.
TPWD Inland Fisheries Division staff in Waco and students at Baylor cut bamboo to the desired length, placed into three gallon plastic buckets and set in concrete.
Once dried, the bamboo shoots fan out to create a system of stems and branches.
Twenty-eight “crappie condos” were constructed along Cleburne Lake Dam in about 20 feet of water.
“Over time, these structures will become coated with algae, providing a food source for micro-fauna like insects and snails,” said Michael Baird, TPWD fisheries biologist based in Waco.
Recent sampling showed lower white bass and catfish populations in Lake Cleburne due to recent drought, low water and the spawning success of the fish.
Largemouth bass and crappie populations are faring better. Read more in the Dec. 17 Bowie News.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department hopes new ‘crappie condos’ will help build populations again. (Courtesy photo from the TPWD)