I will never understand why people put a knife in trophy fish.

[Ketchn]

i managed a really large crappie a few years ago ....she was estimated at between 3.8 and 4.4 lbs from the measurements i took of her . i released her back into my private pond that she lives or lived in . she was full of eggs and the first thing i told my other half was ....hope she makes some more just like here . a taxidermist made replica for me of a 4.4 he had and when it arrived at the house the other half said that isnt as big as the one you let go . now mind ya to this day there are some ole boys that will say ugly things about me not killing her and weighing her . never understood that philosophy myself and on that day its like i also told m other half ....we already have 4 nice fish on the stringer and we dont need her for dinner anyway.it never bothers me to see a BIG dead crappie and i have killed quite a few over the years . but the one thing for certain , i have also released ALOT of really large crappie over 2 lbs . the one thing i can say is i prefer to fillet fish around 11 inches ,,,,they cook easier and are easier for me to handle .
in closing this post i would like to say i HOPE someone ...(preferably an inexperienced angler) ...Ketches one of those whales and its the MOST memorable fish of his or hers lifetime ....KABOOM

[Renegade]

I don't understand how putting a bigger legal fish back is the "right" thing to do. Killing somebody else's dream? What does that mean?

[Gobob]

I'll be glad when I can get the boat out and try for another big slab. The biggest I ever caught was during the spawn. She was full of eggs had eyes the size of nickels. I let her go with the thought that the crappie gods would reward me with lots of eater size fish. The next big old girl gets landed is going on the wall You all have spring fever as we all do. Play nice fish on

[fishervet]

i managed a really large crappie a few years ago ....she was estimated at between 3.8 and 4.4 lbs from the measurements i took of her . i released her back into my private pond that she lives or lived in . she was full of eggs and the first thing i told my other half was ....hope she makes some more just like here . a taxidermist made replica for me of a 4.4 he had and when it arrived at the house the other half said that isnt as big as the one you let go . now mind ya to this day there are some ole boys that will say ugly things about me not killing her and weighing her . never understood that philosophy myself and on that day its like i also told m other half ....we already have 4 nice fish on the stringer and we dont need her for dinner anyway.it never bothers me to see a BIG dead crappie and i have killed quite a few over the years . but the one thing for certain , i have also released ALOT of really large crappie over 2 lbs . the one thing i can say is i prefer to fillet fish around 11 inches ,,,,they cook easier and are easier for me to handle .
in closing this post i would like to say i HOPE someone ...(preferably an inexperienced angler) ...Ketches one of those whales and its the MOST memorable fish of his or hers lifetime ....KABOOM

You ARE as kind as you sound....thanks

[fishervet]

I don't understand how putting a bigger legal fish back is the "right" thing to do. Killing somebody else's dream? What does that mean?

Just curious...how old are you?

[Zippy]

I add to my previous post that I never keep females prespawn or spawning. Even now the females are getting fat in my neck of the woods and will be full of roe. Figure they will be there next fall when I get back on the river if I want to keep them so I let em go. The males on the other hand are open season year round. But even then my cooler is empty most of the time not because of lack of numbers but lack of size. I catch a lot of small crappie.

[trypman1]

I said I was not going to get involved in this--But, most people like to show their trophy fish around. They also like to eat big slabs and they like to brag about their catch. There is nothing wrong about that. You spend thousands to equip yourself with the best of the best equipment & boat- so why not. My 2 cts.

[trypman1]

I forgot, who are we to judge a fisherman, who follows the law and likes to shout about his/hers catch sometimes!!!!!!!!!! I personally appreciate the person who gets the lucky catch and wish I could sometimes be in their shoes!!

[feelay]

I add to my previous post that I never keep females prespawn or spawning. Even now the females are getting fat in my neck of the woods and will be full of roe. Figure they will be there next fall when I get back on the river if I want to keep them so I let em go. The males on the other hand are open season year round. But even then my cooler is empty most of the time not because of lack of numbers but lack of size. I catch a lot of small crappie.

To each his own. Most of the research I've read suggests that you are doing just the opposite of your intentions. If your intention is to protect spawning, biologists I've discussed this with say you should release the males. They do all the work building nests, fertilizing the eggs, protecting the eggs. A large female drops tens of thousands of eggs, but without the males they don't become fry. With that said, the biologists I've talked to all say it's not essential to release any legal crappie. crappie are prolific spawners and have very short life spans. I say, if it's legal and you want to eat it, keep it!

[Zippy]

To each his own. Most of the research I've read suggests that you are doing just the opposite of your intentions. If your intention is to protect spawning, biologists I've discussed this with say you should release the males. They do all the work building nests, fertilizing the eggs, protecting the eggs. A large female drops tens of thousands of eggs, but without the males they don't become fry. With that said, the biologists I've talked to all say it's not essential to release any legal crappie. crappie are prolific spawners and have very short life spans. I say, if it's legal and you want to eat it, keep it!

Thats interesting, Ill remember that.