Thread: size limits

Good info in here. Thanks

In general terms, at what temperature do crayfish disappear for the winter? Also at what point in the spring do they reappear in the food chain?

I love to fish for crappie and would rather turn a 13 in fish loose than a 9 1/2 incher,as I also love to eat those same crappie.I hope not to offend anyone but I think the MDC has a good grasp on what they are doing in regards to the size limits.

Size limits are to prevent over harvesting mature spawning fish. As a conservationist we all need to realize its about having healthy fish, size limits and creel limits are what ensure that happens. As sport fishermen we love to catch those big ones. The biologists job is to first ensure the fish have what they need in a fishery from food sources to cover to spawn areas, then that information can be analyzed to provide the regulations with the adequate size and numbers needed to be harvest to keep the fishery in balance. Its not easy sometimes, just talk to the guys down in MS.

I keep telling y'all keep the big ones turn the small ones back, the small fish will be stronger, spawn more fry, the big ones are old , and do not produce great numbers of fry, and the size of a fish does not mean it will spawn big offspring.

true dat.

More prone to go along with that if so many people didn't want to keep one the second is "squeezes" to the 9 inch line. On average in our part of the world a 9" fish is 3-4 years old. If it's caught in February or March, prior to the spawn, would think it never had a chance to spawn unless you think it was mature enough the spring before as a 6 incher.

Hello all, my name is Mike Bayless and I'm the fisheries biologist on Truman. I plan to begin gathering preliminary age and growth imformation from Truman crappie this spring. Truman has consistently produced many larger crappie over the past 5 years. As a manager, one of the most common comments I recieve is why don't you increase the length limit to 10 inches. There are numerous factors that play into this, growth rates, varying spawning rates, angler harvest, food availablity, etc. The current length limit is based on growth information from the late 80s and early 90s. I hope to begin getting a better idea of current growth rates. You will probably see us this spring at several marinas around the lake collecting age structures from crappie.

Originally Posted by MBaylessTrumanMgr

Hello all, my name is Mike Bayless and I'm the fisheries biologist on Truman. I plan to begin gathering preliminary age and growth imformation from Truman crappie this spring. Truman has consistently produced many larger crappie over the past 5 years. As a manager, one of the most common comments I recieve is why don't you increase the length limit to 10 inches. There are numerous factors that play into this, growth rates, varying spawning rates, angler harvest, food availablity, etc. The current length limit is based on growth information from the late 80s and early 90s. I hope to begin getting a better idea of current growth rates. You will probably see us this spring at several marinas around the lake collecting age structures from crappie.

Welcome Mike.... Bill C. via Mason's way