Thread: What is a "Keeper"

In a situation like that you're doin the lake good by getting the dinks out,you could clean em old school style(leave em whole)fish 6" and bigger would be big enough for that.

Sounds like pony express lake-full of dinks and won't get better till its thinned out big time.When I catch them there,I keep up to a limit(30)-then decide when I get home if I want to mess with them.

For me-once I get 5 legal ones,they are all keepers-if I'm keeping-just as easy to clean 8/12/15 once I get started.

Just saying

I read your question a little different, if you're talking about a certain lake like Stockton the crappie must be 10 inches long to legally keep it and thus a fish 10 inches or longer is a keeper. Different lakes have different regulations so you may want to go to MDC.com and review the regulations of any lake you plan to fish.

Thanks, I was asking because allot of the lakes have no length limit here on crappie, and was wondering what most guys here would keep.

well said bender, A KEEPER TO ME IS ANYTHING THATS BIG ENOUGH TO MAKE A TURD !!

On Small Lakes That Do Not Have A Size Limit I Keep Them If The Meat Part Will Fit On A Piece Of Bread When Cleaned.

a keeper may have many different meanings to some,,bugman and others are correct in that if its a small lake it will surely get stunted if the smaller fish aren't thinned out,,of course on lakes with length limits then it is most often best to stay with in the law,,,i personally think that a 10 or 10 1/2 in is the best eating but that's just my preference,,good luck

Originally Posted by old fuzzy

a keeper may have many different meanings to some,,bugman and others are correct in that if its a small lake it will surely get stunted if the smaller fish aren't thinned out,,of course on lakes with length limits then it is most often best to stay with in the law,,,i personally think that a 10 or 10 1/2 in is the best eating but that's just my preference,,good luck

Fuzz who do you have catch fish that big for you?:D:D