Lets help our favorite fish species. NEED IDEAS

[Slab]

Crappie.com has helped so many people catch so many more crappie over the years than they would have normally caught that I feel a need to give back a little something. I'm talking about giving back to the fish! I want to somehow promote action that supports their continued abundance for future generations.

Now don't take me wrong here. We all know Crappie are very prolific and can sustain selective harvesting, and that's one of the big reasons we love them.

I know this may be controversial, but I do think together we can come up with some good ideas and do some real good for the long term viability of the sport. So I'm asking for ideas and suggestions. Please share your ideas here in this thread.

Here are a couple ideas I've thought of. I'm not saying any one of them is a good idea, but I wanted to hear your thoughts.

• A Crappie.com catch and release day.
• A release “half your limit” week during the spawn.
• A create and drop structure (where legal) week!
• Stocking programs.
• Big female tagging program to encourage catch and release of those big females where it might be legal.

I'm not necessarily looking for something that can be done at a local level. I'm interested in a way to encourage the improvement of the resource across the crappie.com nation. And I'm interested in a way to execute these ideas using the website. How do we do it.

[Speckanator]

Florida.....statewide 10" limit

["G"]

Everything you suggested is good.....but everything varies from one fishery to the next. Biologists....do shock studies, creels studies, and collect data and no more about what each particular fishery needs than we do. In some fisheries catch and release would be good .....in others not so good. Most crappie fisheries do not need stocking from what I have read. We do have habitant days here in MS where folks get together and place structure according to guidelines. Some lakes allow it and some do not. Stucture placed wrong or out of the wrong materials can and do create boating hazards. Big females would have to be caught of course to be tagged. I think we need to promote good sportsmanship such as....you do not always have to catch a limit, just keep enough to eat, don't try to take home all the fish you can get your hands on etc. Be courteous to other fisherman and do not try to crowd them. Promote saftey....use your kill switch and wear your pfd. Don't try to bend or twist the intent of the regulations. Stuff like this. I also think that we need to do something to cut down on the bickering and division of crappie fisherman....this singlepolers against the trollers is not good. We are all the same, just use different methods....the creel limit is the same no mater how we catch them. Some are wanting a crappie season where fishing dureing the spawn is closed.....that in the end would probably do more harm than good......because you could wind up with a overpopulation problen which is very easy with crappie....even on the larger lakes. I trust the judgement of the biologists....that is what they studied and trained to do and what our tax dollars pay them for. What you think and what I think, and what others think is moot because we are really just speculateing.

[S10CHEVY]

Thanks "G" for your thoughts, and agree with it. What I don't like seeing though, is people keeping the little ones, including gills. But each person has their own thinking, or lack there of (oops). Small fish aren't worth my time keeping, as I filet all of mine. Crappies no smaller than 10 inches, and gills 8 on up. With crappies, if catching 12 inch plus, then I adjust my size for the day. We have a limit of 50 panfish per day, but I never keep any where that many.

[hawgdog]

I agree with "G" also. Expecially in regards to trusting the biologists.(I.E.- fishing during the spawn/stocking programs). Maybe you could ask or submits some letters to certain states biologists/game and fish.... and see what there thoughts are.

This would not necessarily give back to the fish, but it would be nice to work out someway to pick a couple couple of weeks/days during the spring season and figure out how to get some food banks involved and "feed the needy".

[MO' MONEY]

Everyone has their own opinion on the size/limit restriction, and I'm not a biologist so a legal fish is a legal fish... I def think a structure drop would be a great idea, or maybe a sponsored contest. Largest released crappie(photo for evidence), receives a prize over a month period.

[BulldogBruce]

I agree with G mostly. I found it real interesting that someone had brought back a post recently concerning Grenada when the 3 pole 20 fish 12" limit was being enacted in 2006. The same complaints / concerns were evident in that post and here is is 6 years later and they are still catching 3lbers out of that lake at an impressive rate.

The one issue that I hope the biologists are taking into account is what seems to be a substantial increase in the amount of Crappie Fishermen taking advantage of the fishery. I had stopped fishing the big waters for about 10 years and when I started back up in 2011 I was shocked at the amount of folks fishing Crappie all year long. 10 years ago Sardis was probably 10 to 1 Bass Fishermen versus Crappie Fishermen and now it is probably the opposite way now.

Then you add a great information site like Crappie.com and other sites and publications getting the word out about great lakes all across the country you increase the pool of folks that want to try their luck at these destinations. They see pictures of tailgates full of extra large fish, and they start salivating. It seems they are, but if the amount of fisherman is not kept track of properly, the lowering of limits might not be good enough. So hopefully someone is counting the fishermen along with the fish.

Also as G said the mentality of Crappie Fishermen might need to change and maybe it already is. Historically Crappie fishing has always been a meat sport. I have seen some pictures since I joined crappie.com of 60, 70, 80+ fish. Again it is up to the biologists to say that is hurting or helping, but coming from a Bass Fishing background it is hard for me to even keep a 15 or 20 fish limit. With the increase in the tournaments the catch and release idea of Crappie Fishing and smaller limits seems to be part of the future of the sport.

So I like all the ideas. I think the education of the fishermen is the most important for the future. So sites like Crappie.com needs to stay on top of the actual data concerning this sport and make sure anecdotal information does not become part of the facts.

[wannabe fisherman]

fish like I do, don't catch many in the first place.

[Slab]

I don't really want this to become a numbers limit discussion, or a rod limit discussion, or a size limit discussion. I'm interested in how Crappie.com can be used to help make our fishing environment more sustainable over time. Stuff we can do. Or I can do.

Even ideas like a Crappie.com shirt that says: "Only Keep what you Need". Or "Release a Momma" Or "Fish Like Wannabe" (I speak of both them wannabe's)!

Or kinda like MOMO says, largest released crappie pic gets a prize.

["G"]

Just promote good sportsmanship, and practice conservation.