Interesting data on tagged crappie.

[MercuryMan]

Crappie Forever has a reward tagging system as I’m sure most have seen and looking at their website where they have the data on crappie being tagged. Something really interesting stands out to me. Since Nov 2022 they have tagged 580 , 2 lb crappie or better. Since those crappie have been caught up to today’s date. Only 31 have been caught twice or at least recorded as caught a second time.

Now I would guess some may have not been checked in which is possible but you don’t have to release the fish back, so I would think folks would call. Just weigh it and take a length measurement call the number on the tag.
Where’s the location of these fish? I assume all over. They don’t say but I have seen many of the Mississippi guides tag their fish so I would think a a good portion would be tagged in the Big 3 lakes of Mississippi, Sardis, Enid, and Grenada, could be wrong. Could be some Texas as well as Oklahoma lakes as well if guessing. It’s just interesting these fish have not be caught again.


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[SuperDave336]

That is interesting

[Blue Tin]

With the newest GPS stuff, I'd like to see them tag a handful in each lake and record the travel patterns for a couple years.

They did some stuff like this with Atlantic Striped Bass and found a lot of them living in offshore canyons as opposed to being shoreline oriented as originally thought.

[Snubby]

From what I gather to receive the reward which is "up to" a $100 monetary reward the fish must be released back in the same body of water in good condition.

I would guess some tags go in the gut pile, many go through the spillway on flood control lake's and some are just at at the end of their life cycle.

I believe to get a better study, 2 year old fish should be tagged. 10" to 12" throwbacks here. I think the motivation behind the 2# plus is for better chance at catching a trophy fish for personal or tournament reasons. Just my thoughts.

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[BAMA S]

With the newest GPS stuff, I'd like to see them tag a handful in each lake and record the travel patterns for a couple years.

They did some stuff like this with Atlantic Striped Bass and found a lot of them living in offshore canyons as opposed to being shoreline oriented as originally thought.

they have radio tagged crappie on Sardis. Feeley helped them tag them. I believe he said some schools moves five miles a day.

[NIMROD]

Here biologists say those fish over 15'' are getting quite old on lakes I fish . Dardanelle Crappie were tagged by AGFC a few years ago. Numbers were down and were mostly good fish as far as ones we caught . The study showed over 1/2 the tags turned in a year.

I tried fin clipping mostly big fish one year on a small lake. Caught several of them again that year but none the next year.

[MercuryMan]

With the newest GPS stuff, I'd like to see them tag a handful in each lake and record the travel patterns for a couple years.

They did some stuff like this with Atlantic Striped Bass and found a lot of them living in offshore canyons as opposed to being shoreline oriented as originally thought.

Texas did a study on Fork and Toledo for bass that was GPS and every two weeks locations were marked for two years. Bass pretty much stayed with 125 acres if I recall. Mature bass were fairly loners as well.


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[DockShootinJack]

Very interesting

[Ketchn]

at 2 plus lbs. in most spots , the crappie is near its end , a year or so later is likely its time to go to the great beyond .
black crappie maybe not as much , but for sure whites are done shortly after the reach the 2 lb platform .
some studies I looked into said a white might roam 5 miles in a single night .
one fish I managed to ketch years ago was in that not much bigger range at about 8 months later when I managed to ketch her a second time , she hadn't grown any larger and looked a bit lighter thru the body the second time AND she barely swam off on the release .
she had a very definitive tail cleft that was unique and noticeable AND the second time she bit my jig .....
she was within 6 feet of where I found her the first time ....go figure

[BobC]

Very interesting info and observations. Thanks.
Bob