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

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    Jigging15 is offline Moderator MO OT and MO Tournaments * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Default Truman and LOZ length limit changes? Spider rigging new regulations?


    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.
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    I personally like the idea of upping the length to 10" to get a little more size. As far as spider rigging and more fish being caught I know MDC does keep track of the population by shocking fish every year and from my understanding the crappie population in Truman is good. The nice thing about crappie are they are prolific spawners and it's not hard to get the population up if it does go down if you have a good spawn. Definitely something to keep an eye on.
    Smile, it kills time between disasters!

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    I am all for raising the length limit to 10" also. I don't eat fish so I rarely clean fish but from my experience there is not much to a 9" fish even compared to a 10"-10 1/2" fish. If I am keeping fish I try to keep 11"-12" fish. If it slows when trying to get that last couple for a limit I will keep some in the 10 1/2" range. I was just curious to the rigging rumor because I like to rig myself and certain times of the year during tournaments you better be doing it. I would not be against making it a 3 rod per person. If fishing with a partner that still gives a good spread of 6 rods. Would be a change for when I am by myself going from 8 to 3.
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    Back in my Arkansas Oxbow days we always had three hooks/pole. Nine baits is still good coverage.
    The best way to get to where you want to be in the future is to act like you are there TODAY.

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    Some of my post disappeared. I was saying in the days of Oxbow fishing you fished 6-8 rods with 3-4 hooks per. I generally went with three, hook-jig-hook, jig-hook-jig, or jig-jig-jig, never hook-hook-hook. I'd spread em 18-24" apart so I'm covering some good range of the water. Too much cover on Truman to do that many for the most part, but wait another 20 years and it'll be clearer.
    The best way to get to where you want to be in the future is to act like you are there TODAY.

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    Would love a 10" length limit on both lakes. Don't rig so cant say much about that.
    There will be days when the fishing is better than one's most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse. Either is a gain over just staying home.

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    Preface by saying am a fan of MDC, think they do a good job given the challenges. Crappie are classified as a pan fish, pure and simple. Many of us see them as a sport fish and prefer catch and release for the most part. But MDC, seems to me, manages crappie fisheries primarily for the purpose of consumption rather than the purpose of a trophy fishery. Personally wish it wasn't that way, to me a fish is way too valuable to only use once and the thought of someone catching a fish later that I released is rewarding. But it seems it takes some significant population or catch rate change to prompt updated guidelines and laws on panfish. Given the number of crappie anglers in the state it my belief that MDC budgets a disproportionatly smaller amount of funds for crappie management than they do for some of the more glamorous species like walleye, spoonbill, trout, and bass. It usually takes a bad wreck or two to get a stoplight installed at a dangerous intersection, may take a population crash at Truman to let people know that "the well will never run dry" isn't necessarily correct. A subpar spawn and recruitment year or two such years in a row on Truman could be a real eye opener.
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    Really a good thread and, as always Kaz, articulated very well.

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    We have to remember how well the MDC as done here in Mo. not only in fishing but hunting as well. There are states where you can only fish with one rod no matter what you are fishing for. I to would like to see a larger length limit but, no matter what they (MDC) do there will allways be someone who complains. I myself do this I don't always keep the smaller fish or bigger fish and not always a limit so I can say to myself, self you left some and I let everyone else make up there own minds on how they fish and what they keep as long as it is on the legal up and up
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    Any talk of changes at Truman or LOZ are very premature at this point. Quite frankly we don't have the pressure, catch and harvest information we need to determine if spider rigging is having an adverse affect. The biologist is analyzing age and growth information from this past fall to get the latest information on crappie growth. There is a creel survey proposed for 2018 (I think) to get at the pressure, catch and harvest information. What I've found is that our crappie anglers have become much more educated over the years. When 10"+ fish are available, few 9" fish are kept. So I question whether an increased length limit would have much impact. But like I said any proposed regulation changes talk is premature, but rest assured our guys are collecting population information and keeping tabs on everything. Truman is a crappie factory and sometimes you just have to say "It ain't broke, let's not fix it".

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