HaHa HaHa:  0
Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 11 to 16 of 16

Thread: Truman and LOZ length limit changes? Spider rigging new regulations?

  1. #11
    Jigging15's Avatar
    Jigging15 is offline Moderator MO OT and MO Tournaments * Crappie.com Supporter
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Clinton,MO
    Posts
    11,484
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default


    MOfishmgr thanks for your reply to this. This forum is great to get questions answered truthfully by the ones that really know. So thanks again.
    We are truely lucky to have such a great fishery as Truman right in our backyard. I only crappie fish now but the catfishing and walleye have been unreal the last couple years for the guys and gals that like to chase after them. Looks like the bass are on their way back this last fall and this spring. Had a friend catch over 22 lbs and had a 8 1/2 lb kicker in a tournament last weekend. I have traveled all over the place chasing crappie on the tournament trail and fun fishing. I have yet to find a place I would trade for Truman and I have been to what some call the best in the country. Grenada, Lake Washington, Kentucky lake. I may change my mind when I get back from Lake Fork in April.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    582
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Good luck at Lake Fork. I actually interviewed for the job of managing that lake 15 years ago. It wasn't a good fit with existing staff so I took myself out of the running but managing it would've been fun.

    Truman isn't my lake but I was helping the biologist last fall with age and growth sampling and we got to talk about the crappie population quite a bit. MDC can be very conservative when it comes to regulation changes. There must be ample evidence that a regulation change is needed and that it will make a difference. Our procedures require us to convince a regulations committee of other biologists that our science is sound, we've considered all options and that we can predict expected outcomes. Then the Director and the Commission must approve the change. And this doesn't include public meetings where input from the public is gathered. This is much more rigorous than other states who have to go through the legislature to get regulations changed.
    Likes kazualobzerver, peculiarmike LIKED above post

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    MO
    Posts
    187
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Jigging15 View Post
    Still hearing a buzz about a 10" length limit for Truman and maybe LOZ and possible creel limit change as well. Also heard a comment from a couple guys that there may be some changes to the regulations on spider rigging/trolling. I'm guessing that would have to reducing the number of rods we can use per person. Any info or timeframes for any of the above would be great. I've been rigging Truman for as long as anyone I can remember. I use to push it pretty hard to get people in to it. My defense was always that a limit was a limit. But now I have some worries after seeing 25 boats in each creek up and down the Grand arm all winter the last couple years. The guys that have switched to rigging are now able to catch fish that they normally would not have been able to catch fishing with one or two poles. So even though my original stance of a limit is a limit I am worried after seein so many fish come out of major creeks in Nov.-March that never would have been fished for or caught in years past.

    I fish a lot of the places that you fish on Truman, up river from Bucksaw, and have for 20 years. There has been a real change in the fish population and the fishing pressure over that time. The winter fishing, guides, and the spider rigging (as well as the news about it on the internet) have changed the lake.

    I'm a single poler and the fish aren't nearly as abundant as they used to be, and that is due mainly to the fishing pressure. The crowds on that section of the lake have gone up dramatically, as in 4-5+ times the number of fisherman.

    There are fewer fish than there used to be, but you are right, the fish finders, and fishing techniques have really changed things. Even 15 years ago there were winter holes being fished with 8+ boats on top of them everyday, back before spider rigging, where I thought the pressure was too much to be sustainable in the long term.

    I'd even be OK with a 11" limit on that arm of the lake, or stretch of water.

    I also think the protection on blue cats on Truman was unnecessary, but the pressure on flatheads in the spring is also detrimental. I fully support more protections length/creel limits for the flatheads.
    Last edited by warmouth; 02-27-2017 at 11:57 AM.
    Likes Jigging15, CrappieHead, Snagged again LIKED above post

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    582
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Different length limits on different arms probably will never happen. Agents would have a hard time enforcing it and less experienced anglers would have a hard time following it. With boats capable of 70 mph, anglers can fish several arms a day. Crappie populations can decline in popular areas of a lake while the overall population remains in good shape. I wasn't involved in the blue cat regs, but the idea is to harvest more of the fish under the slot. The biologist is expecting the remaining fish to grow better. It's a very similar idea to a bass slot-limit with the added benefit of allowing 2 fish over the slot. Flatheads are a different story. I have no knowledge of the flathead fishery there except I've caught a few jugging. However in Smithville Lake the flatheads get hit pretty hard, sometimes by me!, and they've been holding up well. Fishery science can be tough. It's not like I can drive by the lake and see what's in there. It takes a lot of effort to sample enough fish to accurately evaluate a population. It takes measuring 400-600 bass a year to have a statistically valid sample. The longer the fish the more you need to collect too. Rest assured the folks charged with managing the fish populations are just as avid a fisherman as most anglers. We care a lot about our fisheries. I especially do since I'll be retiring in a year or two and then I'm gonna get to fish more! Best of luck, spring is on the way! And be careful out there please. High winds this time of year coupled with cold water can spell disaster.

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    MO
    Posts
    68
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    What is amazing about this conversation is that everybody seems to think that anybody that fishes catches a limit every time out. The real truth is that on any given day 1% of the anglers will catch their limits, but 99% won't. In actual fact, (if it were studied) it would show that 90% of the people that have fished any particular lake have NEVER caught a limit.

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    582
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Hank,J View Post
    What is amazing about this conversation is that everybody seems to think that anybody that fishes catches a limit every time out. The real truth is that on any given day 1% of the anglers will catch their limits, but 99% won't. In actual fact, (if it were studied) it would show that 90% of the people that have fished any particular lake have NEVER caught a limit.
    When we do creel surveys, one of the things we are looking to get is exactly this information. The "stringer tables" show us what the typical angler harvests per trip. The stringer tables tell us how many anglers limit out and also how high a length limit or how low a daily limit would have to be to reduce harvest. Many times the stringer tables will show that we don't have a problem of overharvest. The old adage that 20% of the anglers catch 80% of the fish is actually pretty accurate.

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

BACK TO TOP