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Thread: can anyone answer a question

  1. #1
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    Default can anyone answer a question


    Lake Size Is 490,000 Acre Feet. Normal Lake Where A Lot Of People Fish. If You Catch Your Limit Most Of The Time Can The Lake Be Fished Out? Looking For Serious Answers

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    ok moose we need an expert scientist for this one

  3. #3
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    CrappiePappy is offline Super Moderator - 2013 Man Of The Year * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Exclamation do the math

    If the lake is 490,000 acre feet in volume - and there's 1 Crappie per acre ft ... then there's 490,000 Crappie in the lake. That means that, in less than one year, over 32,600 people would have to remove a limit of 15 fish (size not considered) on one trip. (or put another way - 3,260 people would have to remove 150 fish, in that time)
    OK, so the numbers are a little skewed - but, you get the point. Pollution, introduction of foreign species, habitat destruction, weather related problems or disasters during the spawn (over several years), and other "variables" will cause a greater decline in size & numbers; than will the angling population .... IMHO
    Crappie, being the prolific fish they are, will produce new generations, every time they can. The DNR/Wildlife Dept, of your state, should be tallying the number of anglers that target Crappie on that lake (man hrs fished) vs the number of fish "normally" taken (per hr fished) ... and set the creel limit accordingly. Size limits are set to allow a "quality" factor, and also help control the numbers (of fish taken, and fish left to replenish the numbers). It's a balancing act - between the two factors ... the negative impact factor of overharvest, missed spawns, angler takes, and normal or abnormal mortality --vs-- the positive impact of a good spawn each/most years, the prolific nature of the fish, good water & habitat quality, and anglers obeying the creel/size limits. The DNR/Wildlife Dept wants the lake to produce quality fish in numbers .. that draws more anglers, who buy licenses, and thereby fund the Depts. The lake can only produce and hold so many fish - and it must also produce and hold a certain amount of baitfish, to keep the predator fish fed. When the balance is right, you get banner years. But, the balance tips occasionally, and the numbers/size fluctuate ... that's what is meant by Crappie being "cyclic" - the cycles of good years, and not so good years, creates gaps in the year classes (size ranges).

    Now ... just exactly which lake in your state has 490,000 acre ft of water ? Or better yet ... how many surface acres is the lake, and what's the average depth. What other species of predator fish exist in the lake, what form of baitfish, and what's the water clarity/condition and basic makeup of the lake bottom & types of cover available ? The devil is in the details !! ....... cp

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    Lake & River Information:
    As of: Friday, July 22, 2005

    Storage: 489,751 in Acre Feet
    Elevation (Lake Surface) 2598.42 in Feet
    Inflow: 1571 Cubic Feet Second
    Outflow: 2975 CFS
    Inflow @ Kernville: 1410 CFS

    Visit our Kern River Flow Data Page 2 sources - updated hourly!




    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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    Lake Isabella In Kern County

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    I think that crappiepappy has pretty well covered this question.


    Bottom line is that it's hard to clean out a big lake with crappie in it. A female crappie can lay over 200,000 eggs each year.

    But the quality of the fish has been interest to the fishery biologists. These guys have taken course in population dynamics and they are better studied to answer this question. I do know that the tagging programs help the biologists determine the fish populaitons.

    KY Lake has implemented a 10" size limit to help the fish grow longer before they are taken out of the lake. A 10" fish will have a few spawns before it's harvested thus insuring the survival of the crappie population.

    I fish a lake that is only 90 acres and I can take a limit out of this small lake most of the time. Not ever time but enough that it could start to deplete the numbers of fish in this small lake. But I know of many other guys that can also catch a limit in this lake. We all fish the same spots LOL. The fish are small in this lake but that is due to the poor water quality.

    Lakes that are more fertile will produce more biomass and have larger crappie along with other fish.

    A lake needs certain minerals and chemicals in the water to support good fish populations. A fertile lake will produce more algae and more micro-organisms and have a more complex food chain. It will have a higher carrying capacity and maybe even better habitat which will improve the growth rates of the fish.

    In my little strip pit that I fish the fish can be three years old and only 8" long. They are stunted because of poor water quality and low numbers of prey fish.

    Other lakes around me (Hovey's Lake) have much better growth rates and a three year old crappie may be longer than 12" and have much more girth. Hovey's lake is an old Oxbox lake that at times of high water is connected to the Ohio River. The lake is faily shallow and filled with Cypress Trees. It's in a flood plane and is surrounded by farmland. This farmland has minerals and nutrients deposited onto the soil as the flood waters receed. This is very rich farm land and full of the right nutrients. When the Ohio River floods these nutrients are carried into Hovey Lake and deposited into the lake. These rich nutrients helps promote a good fishery and rapid growth of the crappie. This lake has some of the best crappie fishing in the Southern Part of the State of IN. Too bad they limit the motor size to only 10hp or less. I would fish this lake more often if they would let my boat on these waters. My boat only has a 35 hp motor. If I do ever fish this lake it will have to be with just my trolling motor (electric). The lake is 1300 acres which is a lot of water for my little 12 volt DC trolling motor and my 16 ft long boat.

    I am surprised that crappie.com does not have more fishery biologist posting in here.
    Quote Originally Posted by crappiepappy
    If the lake is 490,000 acre feet in volume - and there's 1 Crappie per acre ft ... then there's 490,000 Crappie in the lake. That means that, in less than one year, over 32,600 people would have to remove a limit of 15 fish (size not considered) on one trip. (or put another way - 3,260 people would have to remove 150 fish, in that time)
    OK, so the numbers are a little skewed - but, you get the point. Pollution, introduction of foreign species, habitat destruction, weather related problems or disasters during the spawn (over several years), and other "variables" will cause a greater decline in size & numbers; than will the angling population .... IMHO
    Crappie, being the prolific fish they are, will produce new generations, every time they can. The DNR/Wildlife Dept, of your state, should be tallying the number of anglers that target Crappie on that lake (man hrs fished) vs the number of fish "normally" taken (per hr fished) ... and set the creel limit accordingly. Size limits are set to allow a "quality" factor, and also help control the numbers (of fish taken, and fish left to replenish the numbers). It's a balancing act - between the two factors ... the negative impact factor of overharvest, missed spawns, angler takes, and normal or abnormal mortality --vs-- the positive impact of a good spawn each/most years, the prolific nature of the fish, good water & habitat quality, and anglers obeying the creel/size limits. The DNR/Wildlife Dept wants the lake to produce quality fish in numbers .. that draws more anglers, who buy licenses, and thereby fund the Depts. The lake can only produce and hold so many fish - and it must also produce and hold a certain amount of baitfish, to keep the predator fish fed. When the balance is right, you get banner years. But, the balance tips occasionally, and the numbers/size fluctuate ... that's what is meant by Crappie being "cyclic" - the cycles of good years, and not so good years, creates gaps in the year classes (size ranges).

    Now ... just exactly which lake in your state has 490,000 acre ft of water ? Or better yet ... how many surface acres is the lake, and what's the average depth. What other species of predator fish exist in the lake, what form of baitfish, and what's the water clarity/condition and basic makeup of the lake bottom & types of cover available ? The devil is in the details !! ....... cp
    Regards,

    Moose1am

  7. #7
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    ALso the more crappie caught the harder it will get to catch them which means the amount taken out will not stay steady until its baron. Also the more crappies taken out the more bait will be in the lake, if every spring crappy some crappy die due to not much food that won't happen anymore so more will survive. ALso the less crappy in the lake the less popular it will be. SO when numbers of crappie start dieing fishermen should naturally die down too which in a year or 2 could completly replensih numbers. I think only god can answer this one.

  8. #8
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    I think Crappiepappy and moose covered it very well. I don't think a lake of any size can be "fished out". There may not be enough food available, there may not be enough cover for effective regeneration, pollution may have an adverse impact, but in my opinon sports fishing alone will not deplete the fishery. I have five years of a survey done on a lake near mee. The survey was started in 1998.
    3% of the crappie were over 6 years old. In 2004 3% of the crappie were still over 6 years old. From year to year that per centage has varied little. It is not a good crappie lake. The fish are there to reproduce but other factors won't allow effective regeneration.



  9. #9
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    Hey Whiz:

    It sounds like the average life expectancy for the crappie in the lake you are referring to is about 5-years or less - about half what is considered "normal". There must be some environmental, food source or other issue that is keeping the crappie there from living to their full potential.

    I agree that legal sport fishing pressure on a lake of any size will usually have minimal affect on the long-term populations. Adequate food source and habitat and predation by other fish, animals and birds probably have a lot more of an impact than anglers.

    Probably the easiest and most affective thing that can be done to promote recruitment and longevity of game fish is habitat improvements. The power company that owns Lake Hamilton has finally started restricting seawall construction, requiring more rip-wrap and vegetation type erosion control.

    Since many species spawn in shallow waters and hatchlings and fingerlings use shallow water to escape predators, measures like this can have a positive affect in the long run.

    On the other hand the power company has been drawing the lake down in the winter in an effort to control aquatic vegetation. This program has been so affective that many of the weed-beds are completely gone now, which could have a negative impact on fish populations in the future because small fish will have less cover to hide and feed in.
    FISH ON!
    Jerry Blake

    www.BLAKETOURS.com

  10. #10
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    CP;; MOOSE You guy's have got more information in yall's pinky than I've got in my whole body. If that don't explain it, nothing does. CP, I see on Moose's profile why he's smart. What field of work are you in And don't say fishing. haha

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