WR crappie @ BASSPRO

[bwillaub]

went to columbia yesterday to get a 2-man boat. stopped by the tank to see the new record crappie. was talking to a young marine biologist that worked for them and she was explaining to me how the fish was kept quarantined for a certain period of time and was just recently placed in the tank with the others. i looked at the fish and told her they should remove the toothy critters from the tank. the new WR crappie had a big bite out of its dorsal fin. i pointed it out and she got on her radio right away. i left before finding out what the outcome was.

you would think they would pay closer attention to something of that value.

what do you guys think?

[izzysfishin]

I thought they had it in Springfield, i'm gonna have to go up and take a look see. I did'nt even know Columbia had a BPS, i gotta get out more. You would think with a fish like that it would have it's own tank with maybe some more crappie for company...izzy

[centerdriver]

where the BPS is in Columbia??? I live out toward Fayett and go to Home Depot and super wally, but have not seen it in my trips to town. Please keep in mind that I am real new to that area and only really know these places and where the university hospital is (where the wife works). Thanks

[crichison]

driver,

Take HWY 63 north, off of I-70. You'll see it on the west side of the road, just north of town.

[CrappieHead]

It is not as large as the Springfield BPS store. Not as many people shopping there either.

[cschottfish]

thanks for the info will have to drive up.

[Bruce Carp]

They decided they wanted to keep it close to it's home! Nice store but not nearly as big or busy!

[centerdriver]

Thanks for the info. Will drop by next trip in cuz need to get some more jigs and see that WR.

[bwillaub]

hmmmm....no comments about the damage the fish has suffered?? am i the only one who thinks this could or should have been avoided? it is a beautiful fish. the pictures don't do it justice. all of you should try to drop by and see it.

[fryguy]

i really hate to do this, i swear, i really do. but here goes...
i think the worst damage that fish has suffered is the fact that it is caged and on display in the first place. kill it and stuff it if you want to, (that would be my choice) or release it. taking the biggest crappie the world has ever seen and putting it in a small tank (compared to the pond it lived in) is just torture to something that should be respected. say all you want about "it's a fish, it doesn't have feelings", but the oldest part of your brain, the part almost every creature has is what drives us to leave our homes and fish and hike in new areas and that fish has it also. sure, it is neat to see, but i could see it if it was stuffed also. i had the same problem with the WR catfish that came out of the mississippi a few years ago. so label me a treehugging hippy(i'm a city forester) if you want, but i swear i don't like patchouili and i kill many things. i just try not to torture too many things if it can be avoided.
now, if they were to keep it caged to breed it, like the lunker bass program in texas, then that would be understandable. they aren't doing that though, they are using it to sell more bamswizzles and widgets, to quote "The Grinch".