Thread: Crappie stocking

I just received a email detailing the stocking of Black Crappie in Dardanelle. It probably won't make much difference in catch rates next few years but hopefully help add to the spawning and recruitment in the future .

Crappie Stocked in Lake Dardanelle

Recent Floods and three years of above average flow on the Arkansas River have negatively affected Lake Dardanelle’s crappie population. In an effort to mitigate these negative effects, 100,825 Black Crappie were recently stocked into Lake Dardanelle. These fish were stocked in three different areas of the lake, including Illinois Bayou (46,060), the Piney Narrows at the Piney/64 Ramp (46,060), and Shoal Bay (8,705). The fish stocked in Illinois Bayou and Piney Narrows averaged 3 – 4 inches in length, whereas the fish stocked in Shoal bay averaged 5 – 6 inches in length. Although anglers may catch a few more fish in future years because of this stocking effort, overall catch rates will not likely increase much. However, upon maturity of the fingerlings, biologists are hoping this effort will put a few more spawning adults in the lake. This may in turn lead to a quicker rebound in population numbers when spawning conditions improve.

Always great when efforts are made to help the fish population