Stockton big crappie

[Pole Bender]

I was reading Dongotto's post and thinking of all the times people have told me they catch fish at Stockton over 15 inches but never have any pictures so I take it that catching a trophy fish is not worth taking a picture for them. Just hard for me to believe. I have fished Stockton for 35 plus years and can prove there are very few fish over 15 inches. I have 100's of pictures of fish less then 15 inches. I am looking for proof of fish over 15 inches, anyone have a picture of a Stockton crappie over 15 inches?

Here is a picture of the only one close I have and this is how I measure them.

[kazualobzerver]

Good post, understand Tom, been there. Think different methods of measuring fish leads to some confusion. Hold a 13 incher by the lower lip and eyeball it against a ruler and you'll get one that measures longer, especially if you're a bit on the optimistic side like many of us tend to be. :D I do believe there are a considerable number of 15's in Truman but maybe not as numerous as talked about. A 15" crappie is one heck of a fish, the 2.2 I weighed earlier this year was extraordinarily heavy bodied, bet that fish wasn't over 15" if at all. By same token caught a 15 1/4 awhile back that only weighed 1.70. Mouth closed, laid flat and tight against a bump board with tail lobes squeezed is what I was always told.

[beagle man]

well sir cant prove it no picture, but I did catch one up sons creek once

[Pole Bender]

well sir cant prove it no picture, but I did catch one up sons creek once

Your witnesses confirmed it and one got so upset he threw is knife in the lake (frosty did you get a new knife yet?) and now that area is called jack knife by Buzzy. But dang Beagle why in the world did you not take a picture of such a fantastic fish? Shame on you! I would have liked to of seen it.

[beagle man]

well bender dont know why, just one of them things,,, but I do remember it tasted real good

[olesilverside]

Fished Truman for over 30 years and had a 2#7oz was 16" never saw anything any bigger since a lot of Truman's 2#'s will measure close to 15" but will have shoulders on them like a line backer......oh yeh and I ain't seen a hell of a lot of them.........

[HOOKEDONFISHIN']

I was fishing High Point about 6pm in May and TV fished one 15" crappie off a tree. Later that evening we droped a light in the same area and limited out (30) by 11:00. Got back to the ramp only to meet 3 agents counting fish. I was one under. Could have been one over. Never could count. Sometimes in the heat of the moment we all get crazy. The live well was so full the fish didn't splash when you threw them in.

[arkyfisherman]

I remember catching some big northern pike at friends bridge.Younger people call it cc now.Crappie length used to be 9 inch and limit was a few more.Have seen some big crappie come out of stockton,but back then people didn't take a lot of pictures.They normally brought them by the pool hall or the local tavern to show them off,then went on down the road.As for the 15 inch crappie i like to see them on a ruler.(WONDER IF THEY R STILL ANY OF THE NORTHERN FISH THEY PUT IN THE REAL EARLY 70'S STILL THERE UP AT THE DAM?)

[Dongotto]

[QUOTE=kazualobzerver;1668113]Good post, understand Tom, been there. Think different methods of measuring fish leads to some confusion. Hold a 13 incher by the lower lip and eyeball it against a ruler and you'll get one that measures longer, especially if you're a bit on the optimistic side like many of us tend to be. :D I do believe there are a considerable number of 15's in Truman but maybe not as numerous as talked about. A 15" crappie is one heck of a fish, the 2.2 I weighed earlier this year was extraordinarily heavy bodied, bet that fish wasn't over 15" if at all. By same token caught a 15 1/4 awhile back that only weighed 1.70. Mouth closed, laid flat and tight against a bump board with tail lobes squeezed is what I was always told.[/QUOT

I think your comment about how to measure is key. If you measure fish the way described in the MDC code book it will be a lot different than holding them down with mouth open or running a tape over their back. I will check and see if my friend still has the picture of the 15.25 black he caught this spring up birch. Like I said in my post its the only one he has caught in 25 years of heavy crappie fishing on stockton. I was just laugh when I here guys tell me that they had 3 or 4 15 inch crappie on a stockton trip. I wish JR (alwaysfishing) would weight in as he guides over 300 trips a year and many are crappie. I would be curious to know how many true 15inch stockton crappie he has seen?

I caught a 14inch crappie a few weeks ago off a bed that prob didnt weight over a pound. He was as poor as job's turkey. When we started cleaning fish I couldnt understand how a fish that big was so poor. I just happened to take a look down his mouth and he had a slime tha covered his throat and it was swolen. Don't know if it was an injury from a hook or a disease, but I don't think he could actually swallow for a long time. I felt sorry for the poor guy.

[Pole Bender]

[QUOTE=Dongotto;1668332]

Good post, understand Tom, been there. Think different methods of measuring fish leads to some confusion. Hold a 13 incher by the lower lip and eyeball it against a ruler and you'll get one that measures longer, especially if you're a bit on the optimistic side like many of us tend to be. :D I do believe there are a considerable number of 15's in Truman but maybe not as numerous as talked about. A 15" crappie is one heck of a fish, the 2.2 I weighed earlier this year was extraordinarily heavy bodied, bet that fish wasn't over 15" if at all. By same token caught a 15 1/4 awhile back that only weighed 1.70. Mouth closed, laid flat and tight against a bump board with tail lobes squeezed is what I was always told.[/QUOT

I think your comment about how to measure is key. If you measure fish the way described in the MDC code book it will be a lot different than holding them down with mouth open or running a tape over their back. I will check and see if my friend still has the picture of the 15.25 black he caught this spring up birch. Like I said in my post its the only one he has caught in 25 years of heavy crappie fishing on stockton. I was just laugh when I here guys tell me that they had 3 or 4 15 inch crappie on a stockton trip. I wish JR (alwaysfishing) would weight in as he guides over 300 trips a year and many are crappie. I would be curious to know how many true 15inch stockton crappie he has seen?

I remember talking to JR about this and best I remember he said not many. He might see this and let us know for sure. I do know he runs more crappie per year through his live wells then anyone else I know and he would be a very good judge of numbers of crappie over 15 in Stockton.