Crappie numbers

[Green Wing]

I have always wondered about how many crappie are caught and kept every year in a larger lake like Truman. Also about what percent of the crappie population that represents. I'm sure it varies from year to year with so many variables but just curious to get an idea.

[G.Gordon]

Gazillions!!

[MOfishmgr]

The best answer I can give can only be applied to small lakes. When I first started with MDC we did a project at Jamesport Community Lake. For some reason it always provided good crappie fishing while almost every other small lake had stunted crappie. Through a tagging study we found that that 80-85% of the crappie over 8 inches were harvested every year! This kept them from stunting in the smaller lake. In a large reservoir like Truman, I'd be very surprised if 40% were harvested every year. But this is one of those questions that's makes my job challenging. Managing a resource you can't walk out and look at or count is difficult sometimes. Crappie only live about 5 years if they are growing good. An 8 year old crappie is ancient. They are a short-lived species and can handle a pretty good harvest rate. Length limits protect smaller fish so they can grow to desired size and help offset lost year classes when the spawn isnt very successful. Reduced daily limits (15 vs 30) help spread the harvest to more anglers. Getting an actual number of crappie in a lake of any size is an extremely difficult task. Getting an estimate in a lake the size of Truman is virtually impossible. The only way to estimate it would be to set nets to cut off small coves and kill every fish in the cove. Even then the estimate is questionable. Many other states used this method in the past but virtually none do so anymore. I've not heard of MDC doing it during my 26 years.

[beagle man]

just add up the catch on C. D. C post for truman each day for a week. then tripple it and you will have a low count as to how many are caught in a week.

[vic n]

In a large reservoir like Truman, I'd be very surprised if 40% were harvested every year.

If 60% are going un-harvested (as opposed to 80-85%), would it make sense to bump up the daily limit, or in an effort to have a uniform daily limit in our large reservoirs, does MDC keep them all the same?

[Green Wing]

I would have to ask a question without an answer lol. Thanks for the info MOfishmgr.

Now we just need everyone to fish all the other small lakes and keep a bunch of crappie so they will have a better population of crappie.

[MOfishmgr]

Vic, 40% harvest is a pretty high rate for reservoir crappie. Reservoir crappie have variable success in spawning each year. Small lakes have consistently high reproductive success which leads to stunting. Our crappie regulations came about as a result of some of the first good work done on crappie populations back in the late 70s. At that time Lake of the Ozarks and Table Rock specifically were plagued with poor crappie populations. We found out that they were being harvested before they could reach desireable size. When Smithville Lake opened the crappie population was decimated under a 30 fish per day daily limit. Large reservoirs can be overharvested. Managing crappie populations involves managing the food source (shad), allowing sufficient harvest and protecting the young fish until they can grow to a desired size. It can be a delicate balancing act and once you've established success it's probably best to keep doing the same thing. Truman is consistently one of the best crappie lakes in the state. If I managed it I'd be very reluctant to change a thing since it's obviously working well.

[MOfishmgr]

And please do fish the smaller lakes and take a limit of those stunted crappie. I've been encouraging anglers at Watkins Mill State Park Lake to do that for 20 years! It's slowly improving but continued high harvest is needed. What constitutes a small lake? Crappie do best in lakes over 1000 acres. There are smaller lakes that do well, but the vast majority of lakes under 1000 acres have stunted populations. If go to a lake and see a daily limit of 30 with no length limit, the manager is trying to increase harvest.

[vic n]

I remember the first years at Smithville, and the years trying to rebuild the crappie population. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: MDC does an AWESOME job of juggling all of the unpredictable natural events that occur, trying to allow fishermen/women a decent harvest, recruitment vs size/quality of the harvest, and all the different recreational uses of our small lakes and large reservoirs. I applaud all you do...

[MOfishmgr]

Thanks Vic. It is a balancing act. I love to crappie fish as much as the next guy and would love to be able to harvest more fish on those good days when you never catch a short and it seems like every cast producess a nice fish. But we have to balance the needs of the resource with the wants of the fishermen too.