Thanks: 
HaHa: 
Reply With QuoteAGFC dumped a ton more shad in 2 weeks ago. I was waiting on him to finish so I could pull my boat out. There are still some nice ones in there, but they are few and far between.
Crappie Wall Hanger II
In Feb. of '17, I helped the G&F fisheries biologist run hoop nets on Hogue while he sampled the crappie population. His data indicated that the crappie population was mostly young (<1yo) fish that had not reached the size most anglers were keeping. This is part of the cycles I mentioned earlier. The lake is in the low of the cycle. Having gained popularity for good crappie being caught in good numbers over the past few years. The biologist (Brett Timmons) told me mid year '17 that he had small shad added to the lake to help boost the growth of the crappie. He was also kicking around the idea of submitting a request that the lake's crappie limit be reduced to 10 p/day for a year. I didn't see any changes in this year's regs so I don't know if he changed his mind or his request was turned down. Anyways, the lake's crappie are near the bottom of a rebound. It will be a couple of years before it produces the stringers it did 4 years ago.
As for identifying stunted crappie for those that may not have seen one, a crappie's eyes will continue to grow after it's length and weight stop increasing. The result is a small fish with very large eyes. If you find a lake with this type of population, it's safe to say that the crappie population is greater than what the food chain can supply.
I'd rather be fishing.
faithfularcher LIKED above post
Minnow
AGFC dumped a ton more shad in 2 weeks ago. I was waiting on him to finish so I could pull my boat out. There are still some nice ones in there, but they are few and far between.
Minnow
Trophy King
sliderman,
If Brett discussed changing the regulations in mid-2017 with you then there hasn't been time to propose new regulations yet.
We typically propose regulations in January/February for the upcoming year.
For example: In a couple of weeks, we will be meeting to propose regulations for the FY 2019.
Crappie Wall Hanger II
Awhhh. ok... I'm not familiar with procedure. I'll get with him and see what his plans are.
I'd rather be fishing.
Slabmaster II
Great info guys. Thank you. I agree rcc it seems like what happened at mallard lake several years ago and we would pull a lot out of there. I know it would probably help but it's hard to put those in the cooler. I held on to 2 decent ones for a little while but put them back before leaving. Probably take the kids next time. Make it easier to keep some then when I'm by myself I think.
Slabmaster II
Crappie Wall Hanger II
Ok, I talked to Brett today. He said that after running the models with the samples taken last year, he's decided to hold off on lowering the daily limit. The shad that were put in last week were golden shiners. He's thinking that if he boost the growth rate among the younger crappie, that the lake can come back in a shorter time. He's looking at possibly having a tagging program this fall / next spring. I asked about any signs of stunting being noted in last years samples. He said that is not an issue. The small fish are simply young and will continue to grow. I also asked about lake fertility because of the way the lake is built and the diminishing timber. He reminded me that they are pumping the lake up out of the ditch and by doing so, are adding nutrients. All in all, it sounds like the lake is near the bottom of a cycle and will be back toward the top in a couple of years, in regards to the crappie fishing.
I'd rather be fishing.
Slabmaster II
So do we need to keep some of the smaller ones out of it or leave them since they're just young?
Crappie.com Legend
Keep whatever size you prefer to eat (if no size limit). On a lake that doesn’t have a stunted population, no need to target a certain size or avoid harvesting a certain size.
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Matt Schroeder - AGFC - (877)470-3309 - [email protected]
