River Crappie Growth Rate
Actually a crappie that has to fight the current all day long will expend a lot more energy than one in a still water environment like a lake. Even if both have the same amount of food the one that has to swim longest will be in better shape but thinner.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim The Lippa Rippa Mon
Here in Iowa, where we have REAL tape measures, our 12" fish are commonly over 1 lb. That is where I place the official beginning of Slab Crappie. Fish that spend a lot of their lives in or around current seem to be shorter, and weigh more per inch than slack water or lake fish. I have caught 14" River fish that out weigh 17 1/4" fish from a strip mine. Kinda weird how the same species can grow so differently! <,"}/>{ Rippa
Food is the key to growth. Excercise alone will not build muscle without food.
True excercise will increase muscle growth but only if you increase the food intake. To increase a mucle's size you first have to break it down and then let the body build it back up bigger and stronger. You can't grow without proper nutrient intake.
Fish in Rivers are not always in the current. Most of the fish will find slack areas and spend most of their time in those non current areas. So in effect they are living in a micro lake environment as much as possible.
Now if the River has a greater food supply than a lake and the food is brought to the fish then the fish get more food. Since the fish can stay in a slack water area without exerting a lot of energy they can feed well and grow bigger.
Not all rivers are the same. A river to me is like the OHIO RIVER. Now that is what I call a river. We have a creek that is larger than most rivers. It's more than 30ft deep at it's mouth where it empties into the Ohio River and it's about 200ft wide at the mouth of the creek. We have a river in IN that is called the Blue River. But the Blue River is not as big as Pigeon Creek that flows though Evansville, IN. Pigeon River in Gatlinburgh TN is smaller than our Pigeon Creek.
Each river has a set of different characterists..
What I said earlier is that given the same amount of food intake a fish will not grow as big if he constantly has to swim against a current as compared to a fish that does not have to swim against a current. Swimming takes energy and that means burning calories that would otherwise be used for growth.
So yes it's possible for your river fish to grow bigger if they get more food than other fish without having to exert more energy to find the food.
I would think that fish that live in a moving body of water are better fighters and are in better shape than fish that live in a lake.
There are a lot of variables that determine how big a fish will grow. Genetics is one of the variables along with food and environmental conditions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim The Lippa Rippa Mon
If this is true, why then do the fish I catch out of the Mississippi, and other current filled waters commonly out weigh lake fish of the same length? They seem to be more built like a football, with very thick and meaty backs. Like I said before, a 12" fish will commonly weigh more than a pound out of the river here. I fish tournaments all over the US, and the only place I find this weight to length ratio, usually comes from bodies of water with current.
I know if you work a muscle that first it becomes more dense, then it will begin to grow in size. Wouldn't this also be true with a fish? and wouldn't a larger intake of food follow as well? I am no biologist, just stating what I have observed first hand. <,"}/>{ Rippa
Interesting thread, guys.....
but when I got to the 30" crappie post, I went and got my rubber boots. When I got to the 60" crappie, I started wondering where I left my waders..............?? :D