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Thread: Crappie ethics and population question

  1. #1
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    Default Crappie ethics and population question


    I went to a 60 acre SC DNR lake outside of town today to have a few casts. I didnt know wut the heck happened today but I caught crappie on almost every cast from the bank. I was using 1 inch Gulp Alive minnow on 1/64 oz jighead, tossing it toward a DNR structure buoy. They werent big crappie but they were in the size range of being as small as Doritos to the 8 in mark. I probably caught and released 20 or so cause they weren't slabs Would any of you keep small dinky crappie if you knew the lake was filled with em? I heard from other bank anglers today they seen another jig tosser last thursday perform the same miracle/insult I was doing and he was keeping them. I have seen spider trollers out on that particular lake and they probably keep crappie too. The lake is only open to fishing Thursdays and Saturday. I sense the bridge anglers on the highway that fish the creek that comes into the lake fish every day so they wouldnt be caught by the DNR or cops. Racoon sees the bridge crew out and about during the spring spawn up the creek. I bet they keep crappie too. Is it possible to fish out a lake?
    Oh I could wrestle a monster fish

  2. #2
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    If they're all that small you have two options find out what the biologists think about the limit restrictions on that water or folks are gonna have ta start keeping some to clean out the really small ones and let some of them get bigger

    Fatman

  3. #3
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    skeetbum is offline Crappie.com Legend - Moderator Jig Tying Forum * Crappie.com Supporter
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    I read in a post a while back that it isn't recommended to put Crappie in a lake less than 100 acres. Overpopulation and stunted fish are the result. Predator population is also a big factor.
    Creativity is just intelligence fooling around

  4. #4
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    It also depends on the size limit if you have one in SC, in AL it's a 9" minimum length on any public waters.
    Last edited by Blackhawk19; 08-08-2009 at 01:26 PM.

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    nothing worst than a lake with only small crappie. I think to keep them would proably the best option?? even if you feed them to the raccoons.

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    Here in Indiana there is no size limit(for crappie) so you can keep anything you catch, a conservation officer told me once to keep all the small ones i catch.
    To Whom Much Is Given, Much Is Required

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    Quote Originally Posted by limbhook View Post
    Here in Indiana there is no size limit(for crappie) so you can keep anything you catch, a conservation officer told me once to keep all the small ones i catch.
    I agree if there's no size limit. That's the way the private lakes I fish are managed, you keep every one no matter what size.
    Last edited by Blackhawk19; 08-08-2009 at 06:04 PM.

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  8. #8
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    If they are BLACK CRAPPIE and they are all small you got a SERIOUS problem. If they are WHITE CRAPPIE and they are all small that's about the norm, especially if you guys arn't keeping them. The BC won't over run a lake as bad as WC. If they are all small the food supply is not there for them in the early stages of their life (obviously there's enough to keep them alive but that 1st year is the critical time). If you have 3 year old adult fish that are 6" long, the problem was in the 1st part of their growing life they didn't have enough nutrients as the lake is probably overrun. They need to shock it and based upon that they can tell you approx how many lbs you have an acre and how much needs to COME OUT of the lake. If it's run by the state and only open certain days and has WHITE CRAPPIE they should require you to keep every WC you catch no matter the size, anytime the lake is open from now till the end of time. If their BC and stunted, same deal keep all you can for a year, then re-shock it, and adjust your keeping requirments based upon the data. There's a balance I think with BC but not so easy to accomplish with WC. As someone mentioned having big bass and flathead cats in it will help but then the flatties might EAT ALL THE FISH and they can dang near do it!!! Once that fish gets stunted adult size of 8", not much out there that can eat him but a big flattie.
    Last edited by sac-a-lait; 08-08-2009 at 10:21 PM.

  9. #9
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    Great info, thanks

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  10. #10
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    were you fishing Cheraw State Park or Andrew Jackson?
    Son of Racoon, Friend of whiskerwhipper, FHB to all.


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