Decent Day at Geist

[Crappieking1]

Went to Geist today, could only stay until about 1:00. Had a very good morning. Ended up catching three 14" fish and several 12" .

Most of the fish were about 12' down in 14 or so foot of water. I even caught a 10lb channel cat. Those BnM Rods are strong!!
Below are some photos of some the nicer ones of the day



This is a photo of my teammate holding up a nice 14" fish



Same fish laying on the Golden Rule



This is a photo of me with a nice 14" crappie



This is the same fish on the golden rule



Here is another 14"er, no one holding it, just on the Golden Rule.

Black and Chartruese 2" Southern Pro tubes, 11' BnM Sam's Super Sensitive, and Teezur Jigheads! Doesn't get much better then this!

I was wanting to go to Monroe today, but was very happy with our results

All in all a very good morning, caught a total of about 60 fish, several over 12".
One of the better days I have had in awhile at Geist, all fish were released to be caught another day!

I know there is a lot of talk on here about catch and keeping, but there is a lot to be said about selective harvesting. My personal feeling is a 10" or so crappie has plenty of meat on it, and larger fish should be released alive. That is the future of our fishing.

[Nolichucky]

Jim,

We totally agree with you. Past several years (since 2003) we've taken less than 50 total from Morse- releasing practically all caught before & during spawn. We do this because there are plenty of anglers keeping their share and more. There are guys keeping EVERYTHING- saw this one guy keeping 5-6in crappie a week ago. Why? There is no meat on these size fish. We spoke up and said something, then he began to throw some back.


Besides to me, cleaning them sometimes is almost too much like work (in other words like bass fishing!). 95% of the fish we eat comes from the market or restaurant (Tilapia is one of our favorites).

Good fishing to you!

[jimdiana]

I have the same view. "Cleaning fish is work." I keep maybe two or three messes of crappie and bluegill throughout the year and send the rest back to the lake. I guess the lake management people at the lake I fish would like for me to keep all the little bass I catch (the lake is slotted 12-15) but I just never have. Those were some pretty crappie in the pictures.

[Crappieking1]

Nolichucky and jimdiana,

Thanks for the support on this guys. I know prior to the spawn is prime time to get some very nice fish, but those larger fish are usually the main breeding stock for the lakes. These larger fish are the ones that are the best at spawning and even the larger males are just as important to the future.

I usuallly take a camera along, and I get a lot of enjoyment out of looking back on photos of some of the nicer fish we catch throughout the year. I don't have any beef with guys who like to take some fish home to eat, I know crappie are one of the best on the table.

I talked to a INDR Fisheries Biologist for the Patoka area, and he told me one of the problems at Monroe and Patoka are the slow growth rates of the fish. He said that it was taking nearly 5 years for a crappie to reach 8" in length on each of these lakes. Since we are in a northern state, all of our crappie take a lot of time to reach the large size. After talking to the Biologist, it was a real eye opener.

If you are a good fisherman, and with the new electronic devices, it seems as though there are a lot of good fisherman now compared to in the past, the breeding stock of a lake can be depleted quickly if your not careful.

I am not trying to step on anyone's toes, just trying to help make everyone aware.

Thanks and good luck everyone!

[High Tide]

Nice fish! In regard to the catch and release, I agree to an extent... some lakes need more of a harvest to keep the fish from over populating... crappie are prolific spawners, and lakes like Morse and Geist need some pressure to keep it in check. Most people can't afford to launch on those lakes and there isn't alot of good bank fishing, plus the ice doesn't stay safe very long. Lakes like Summit, Pakota to name a few, need some selective harvest, no doubt. It's also a tough call to make when keeping fish near the spawn... males protect the nest, and females lay the eggs, so your damned if you do, damned if you don't, personally, the hormones flowing through their bodies affect the taste, so I don't keep very many of either anyways (rely on the ice fishing stash of fillet). Some would even say that if you fish for them period, your doing an injustice, because if you take the fish off the bed, bluegills, rock bass, yellow bass etc. go in and eat the eggs.
All in all, its definately good to make people aware of over harvest, and other methods of enjoying your successes, so I'm not disputing your post, just wanted to add a couple comments. Good Fishing!! HT

[Hoosier Hog Daddy]

Nice catch fellas. I won't ever fish Geist, but when you guys are at monroe, feel free to throw all the harvestable crappie back. I'll be glad to take them home and eat them if I am ever so lucky to catch them. I managed to bring home 17 harvestable crappie from monroe last week... the only keepers I've gotten from there in 4-5 crappie trips over the past 20 yrs. I'm a big threat to the crappie population for sure. :rolleyes: Occasionally I do get lucky and get to eat like a king.

HHD

[Crappieking1]

Thanks to everyone for commenting, if nothing else happens from this post, I hope people take away to be a responsible sportsman!

I am heading out to KY Lake, the Big Sandy this week to fish a Crappie USA tournament this up and coming Saturday, with high hopes for a successful trip.

Good Luck to everyone!

[japayton6]

I like to eat crappie redear and bluegill and always keep fish when I fish. One of lifes little tresures my family freinds and neighbors enjoy. Sorry just my two cents.

[Hoosier Crappie]

Nice fish! In regard to the catch and release, I agree to an extent... some lakes need more of a harvest to keep the fish from over populating... crappie are prolific spawners, and lakes like Morse and Geist need some pressure to keep it in check. Most people can't afford to launch on those lakes and there isn't alot of good bank fishing, plus the ice doesn't stay safe very long. Lakes like Summit, Pakota to name a few, need some selective harvest, no doubt. It's also a tough call to make when keeping fish near the spawn... males protect the nest, and females lay the eggs, so your damned if you do, damned if you don't, personally, the hormones flowing through their bodies affect the taste, so I don't keep very many of either anyways (rely on the ice fishing stash of fillet). Some would even say that if you fish for them period, your doing an injustice, because if you take the fish off the bed, bluegills, rock bass, yellow bass etc. go in and eat the eggs.
All in all, its definately good to make people aware of over harvest, and other methods of enjoying your successes, so I'm not disputing your post, just wanted to add a couple comments. Good Fishing!! HT

Adding my comments...

Like Crappie King said selective harvest is beneficial for all bodies of water due to crappie growth taking so long. Despite high launch fees, there is significant pressure on these lakes esp Morse. Much of the good ol' days of fishing are a memory on these lakes. Summit is a strong lake with solid crappie, which could change. All we can do is be good stewards of our natural resources. What's encouraging is the results of our efforts can be seen within a few years when populations rebound.

What disturbs me is hearing about and seeing catches above legal limits. It seems people want to rape our resources. Education might help. Would this change and can we make a difference if there was more required to obtain a fishing license than merely $17, like pass a test, say maybe a conservation test?

Ponds need management and keeping in check. Lakes tend to balance themselves. Where are the lakes that are in jeopardy of crappie over populating? I can't remember the last time DNR has asked crappie fishermen to increase crappie harvest for the sake of Morse or Geist lake being taken over by crappie.

Now don't get me wrong I'm not picking on you, because there are others that either justify themselves or truly feel that way. Using this over population reasoning just doesn't make sense and seems absurd! I can write all night about what I feel is wrong about this subject, but I'll call it an evening. I'm glad your on our team.

Crappie King, lead the way. You have respnsible anglers behind you!

[High Tide]

Adding my comments...

Like Crappie King said selective harvest is beneficial for all bodies of water due to crappie growth taking so long. Despite high launch fees, there is significant pressure on these lakes esp Morse. Much of the good ol' days of fishing are a memory on these lakes. Summit is a strong lake with solid crappie, which could change. All we can do is be good stewards of our natural resources. What's encouraging is the results of our efforts can be seen within a few years when populations rebound.

What disturbs me is hearing about and seeing catches above legal limits. It seems people want to rape our resources. Education might help. Would this change and can we make a difference if there was more required to obtain a fishing license than merely $17, like pass a test, say maybe a conservation test?

Ponds need management and keeping in check. Lakes tend to balance themselves. Where are the lakes that are in jeopardy of crappie over populating? I can't remember the last time DNR has asked crappie fishermen to increase crappie harvest for the sake of Morse or Geist lake being taken over by crappie.

Now don't get me wrong I'm not picking on you, because there are others that either justify themselves or truly feel that way. Using this over population reasoning just doesn't make sense and seems absurd! I can write all night about what I feel is wrong about this subject, but I'll call it an evening. I'm glad your on our team.

Crappie King, lead the way. You have respnsible anglers behind you!

Hoosier Crappie, no disrespect, but I fish Morse 3-4 times a week, and the lake is for the most part in my back yard, and if you told me there is too many Bass fisherman I would agree, but I see only a handful of boats targeting crappie during the week in the spring, and almost zero in the summer, fall, and winter. If your talking about the weekend, well, just about every lake in the state has alot of anglers hitting there banks, but it doesn't mean they are catching them. So my question to you, is where are all these people?? I fished it in November, and I think we came across 10 boats all month, I ice-fished it in the winter, never more than 10 guys on the lake at any given time on a 7 mile lake??? You mentioned Summit, I fished that almost 3 days a week though the ice, there is 10 guys fishing per 10 yards, and your not worried about that over Morse?? You mentioned good ol days... I fish with a guy who has fished Morse for 25+ years, and he says this lake has never changed, its always been great for crappie. Another question, for you, have you ever heard the DNR talk about lower the limit on Geist and Morse, because I haven't. I think your barking up the wrong tree, because I practice selective harvest everytime I hit the water, and have never kept over my limit, plus, I make sure if I see somebody who maybe harming our resources, I speak up. Also, lakes with high shad populations like Giest and Morse, usually have faster growth rates, especially when there not competing against Pike, Muskie, Walleye, Smallmouth, which Morse and Geist have very very few if any.

Nothing wrong with feeling passionate about our resources, and taking a test does seem like a good idea, though. HT