Thread: Releasing big fish

it seems to me they all spawn , from about 5 or 6 inches up .....I wouldn't think size would make one better at it , but then again I have not a clue and release most of what I ketch anyway .....I would tend to agree with the fact they don't live long and the next guy wont put them back for sure ....LOL KABOOM

Originally Posted by huntinslabs

FWC biologist told me that the 10" - 12" fish are the most productive spawners in Florida waters.

I thought that was why the slot is over 12 on the big 4 in MS.

I release crappie over 13 bluegill anything around 10 goes back and bass around 18 .It's just what I feel I can do to help alittle .

Originally Posted by Hammmerhead

It seems the same fish keeps getting caught with weights from 4lbs to 8lbs.....and he is all over the country as well. Still looks healthy though




To Wisconsin fisherman, this is no ordinary fish story

Mike Zimmer was enjoying a phenomenal morning of crappie fishing. Then, it nearly turned historic. The 33-year-old angler from Menomonie was fishing a lake in Menomonie on March 15 when he hooked a 4 pound, 5 ounce white crappie. Most crappie caught are in the half- to 1-pound range.

Mike Zimmer and the 4-pound, 5-ounce crappie. - Provided/BND "It was unbelievable," Zimmer said. "It's probably like catching an 8- or 9-pound bass or a 70-pound flathead (catfish). Crappie fisherman know just how big something like this is." The behemoth that measured 19 inches long and had a girth of 16 inches was part of a crappie bonanza for Zimmer. He started fishing that chilly morning -- the temperature was about 40 degrees -- at 7:20 a.m. By 10:30 a.m., he was already at the dock with his limit of 25 crappie. Among the keepers were a 3-pounder and one that weighed 3 pounds, 8 ounces. The previous day, Zimmer also caught his limit of 25 in under four hours. That's why he declined to reveal the name of the lake that harbors his crappie honeyhole. "Next thing you know, they'll be people all over the place fishing for crappie," Zimmer said with a laugh. Clad in his thermal duck hunting clothes, Zimmer was one of the few fishermen on the lake that morning. The nippy temperatures didn't faze Zimmer, who said he has been fishing since he was in diapers. "For me, I've always caught my bigger ones early when it was cold," he said. "For most people, they would not even go on a day like that. It wasn't ideal by any means, but it was for me." Zimmer was using a 12-foot crappie pole outfitted with 4-pound test and a slip cork. His bait of choice was a Grizzly jig tipped with a small minnow. Knowing the crappie were preparing to spawn, he was fishing in shallow water (between 2 and 10 feet) around some downed trees. It didn't take long for Zimmer to realize he had landed on a school of crappie. Big ones, too. "I had beaten my own personal record (3 pounds) on the 12th or 13th keeper of the day," Zimmer said. "The 4.5-pounder was the 23rd keeper. I knew I only had three more fish to go, and here I catch this one." When he hooked it, Zimmer didn't think it was a crappie. "I'm thinking that's a catfish because it stayed down low," he said. "It didn't want to come up. A muskie will do the same thing. They'll put a good fight up and not come up to the surface.

Story sounds very fishy to me. Here in Wisconsin, crappies don't spawn in March. There is usually at least 12 inches of ice on the lakes yet!

I catch and release into Crisco Bay.

Pretty sure that crappie pictured was caught on Kincaid Lake in Illinois years back.

One thing to remember is a lot of eggs get eaten...a lot of fry get eaten...a lot of juvenile fish get eaten. So trying to figure out exactly what percentage of eggs that hatch actually produces a keeper fish later on...involves a lot of speculation. One thing about older fish is I believe they pick the prime spawning areas and maybe have better timing on when exactly to spawn. I don't think its a learned behaviour...just a behaviour that is instinctual to older fish. Predation is a lot worse in some bodies of water than others.

I think if they had the resources our fisheries depts could make much more of a difference in the knowledge base for our waters and improve the fishing more. I vote 50 percent of Fish and Wildlife budgets be dedicated to improving the quality of fisheries nation wide. But that's just me. I have seen what an excellent fishery does for people's enthusiasm to fish and the money they spend doing it. Not gonna happen but I have a dream......

I keep what I want, but release a lot, some days, I release all.