Crappie Biology at Kentucky and Barkley lakes

**BobB** · 03-02-2017, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by smashdn

I shared what you had posted with a guy here at work. He concurred with what you said.

He also added this, back in the day when the bushes were there the fish had a place of refuge so to speak. He went on to say that you could catch fish pretty darn well in the bushes but it was hard fishing and you lost a lot of fish too. He said that when the bushes were gone the stake beds replaced them, and they hold crappie BUT they are comparatively easy to fish. You can spider rig right over them and easily present a bait and (more easily than dipping a buck willow) get them out. No place to hide.

I remember jig poling for bass a long time ago on barkley and imagine it to have been about the same premise as what he said. You just couldn't get a boat back into the really thick stuff and the fish had a refuge.

Cuss and discuss.

The young crappie would also have a good place to hang out and be safe in the thick brush ..... probably a lot bigger % survive other predator fish.

**prister** · 03-13-2017, 11:50 AM

It has been a few years since we did a complete aging study on Redear. Age data is scheduled to be collected this year. In the last age data set (2008),
the length at age in the spring were; age 1 (3.1-6.7"), age 2 (5.3-8.2"), age 3 (7.1-11.3"), age 4 (10.1-12.2"), age 5 (10.5") age 6 (9.5").

The problem with this data set is that we did not collect many 12" redear. But the growth of the fish starts leveling out at about age 3. So really, you could have a fast going age 4 that is 12, or older fish. I doubt we see any age 3 12"inch redear. And in this data set we saw very few (only 2) that were older than age 4.

**ifish** · 03-13-2017, 02:44 PM

**mgrimm** · 03-13-2017, 03:51 PM

Originally Posted by ifish

Name: redear1.jpg
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Wow! Nice fish!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**chaunc** · 03-13-2017, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by ifish

Hey Doug, remember this. I'm glad we had our disagreement about keeping them so many years ago. I may have never met you, my brother from another mother. See you in a couple weeks.

**M R Dux** · 03-14-2017, 07:43 AM

Originally Posted by chaunc

Hey Doug, remember this. I'm glad we had our disagreement about keeping them so many years ago. I may have never met you, my brother from another mother. See you in a couple weeks.

I remember it well Brother. I still can't bring myself to keep an egg-heavy female redear unless it is deep hooked and bleeding. Each to their own.

Nice fish Buddy. Recent?

**ifish** · 03-14-2017, 08:46 AM

[QUOTE=mrdux;3387011]I remember it well Brother. I still can't bring myself to keep an egg
This was a few years ago. I was referencing Pauls' comment on getting 12" redear to study. I would love to help in a study for them. I usually release all redear with just pics. I will be attempting a world record fly fishing IGFA this year.

**redearhoosier** · 03-14-2017, 10:16 AM

I would be willing to help in a redear study too. There's soooo much to learn about them and frankly, the information just isn't out there.

I do think it's really crazy that a 3 year old redear can reach over 12 inches in length. Talk about a fast growing fish with excellent food sources!

My boy caught a monster redear last year that had no ears, it looked like he had been fighting. I thought he was an older fish but I'll bet he was much younger than I realized.

**johnboy1** · 03-14-2017, 10:39 AM

Great information, but I have to wander why we can have such a large range of size in the same year class coming from the same location?

Thread: Crappie Biology at Kentucky and Barkley lakes

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