Reduced Crappie Tournament Limits

[M R Dux]

I guide and fish tournaments. I have to buy a $150 Ky resident guide license plus my fishing license yearly. To guide in any lake that is attached to the Mississippi River by navigation, I have to have a US Coast Guard OUPV credential. It has to be renewed every 5 years. My initial cost for it was over $2000. Renewal costs several hundreds of $$.

I’m never ceased to be amazed by the contempt some here have for guides. I fish one trip per day and I never fish on my guide trips. KY guides can’t keep fish on guide trips. I have lots of clients who say we can catch our limits then catch yours! Not happening! My clients rarely catch limits. If filling ones freezer is your goal, you need to go elsewhere.


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[BroKenneth]

Well according to all the discussions with several biologists that I've listened to fishermen can't deplete the crappie population on a lake......
I've seen this discussion pop up several times over the years and as all of you know you just simply can't catch most of the crappie in any school or on any brush pile.....
There are times when most just won't hit anything.....
Those that have the biggest problem with this topic usually struggle to catch crappie and feel their lakes Crappie population is low....
Instead of thinking that maybe try making some changes to your fishing techniques and fish different areas, maybe watch for areas where there isn't a lot of fishing pressure on your lake.....
Lake Fork is one of the most fished lakes I know of but yet it's a constant producer of big stringers and big fish....
I think we're shooting ourselves in the foot wanting more and tougher restrictions....
I'm sure some will disagree with my opinion but just know it's My Opinion.....
Want to catch More and Bigger Fish? Come on, I'll show you how......

Just like you can’t lump all guides into one category, you can’t lump everyone who doesn’t like the way guiding is set up into one category either. Not everyone opposed to guiding is inept at catching fish.


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[BroKenneth]

I never meant to highjack the thread or start guide bashing. I simply pointed out the fact that if we are worried about depleting the population, guides are more prone to do that than the tournament fishers. To each his/her own. I'll get mine and enjoy doing it. It is interesting though that the guide business is largely unregulated in Mississippi, especially on the Corps impoundments. All you need is a fishing license to start a guide business.

[BroKenneth]

Well according to all the discussions with several biologists that I've listened to fishermen can't deplete the crappie population on a lake......
I've seen this discussion pop up several times over the years and as all of you know you just simply can't catch most of the crappie in any school or on any brush pile.....
There are times when most just won't hit anything.....
Those that have the biggest problem with this topic usually struggle to catch crappie and feel their lakes Crappie population is low....
Instead of thinking that maybe try making some changes to your fishing techniques and fish different areas, maybe watch for areas where there isn't a lot of fishing pressure on your lake.....
Lake Fork is one of the most fished lakes I know of but yet it's a constant producer of big stringers and big fish....
I think we're shooting ourselves in the foot wanting more and tougher restrictions....
I'm sure some will disagree with my opinion but just know it's My Opinion.....
Want to catch More and Bigger Fish? Come on, I'll show you how......

One more question about depleting the resource. If this is true and it’s virtually impossible to overfish the population, then why have length limits? Or reduced creel limits? When I started fishing in the 70’s we could keep 30 crappie. Now it’s 15. What is that?


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[SKs Crappie Catching Adventures]

One more question about depleting the resource. If this is true and it’s virtually impossible to overfish the population, then why have length limits? Or reduced creel limits? When I started fishing in the 70’s we could keep 30 crappie. Now it’s 15. What is that?


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The biologist were only talking about crappie and with the current laws in place which are to prevent over harvest..... Not sure why your lake limits has changed.... Did they do a creel study? Was there a fish kill?

[BroKenneth]

The biologist were only talking about crappie and with the current laws in place which are to prevent over harvest..... Not sure why your lake limits has changed.... Did they do a creel study? Was there a fish kill?

No and no. Word they gave was that the crappie were being over fished. Which is exactly the opposite of what you suggest. I’m no biologist but I do know while both of those positions can be wrong they both can’t be right. I’d love to know the truth.


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[John Doe]

I reached out to a contact who guides Mississippi and Alabama waters. He is required to pay a fee of some sort to guide in Mississippi; not Alabama. He is also required to have insurance, which I translate to liability. So yea, there are fees for the law abiding. I appreciate these folks who offer this service to people. It’s a good thing! Guides introduce people to this great sport and resource we have.


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[BroKenneth]

I have an issue with your statement, even as you say it’s not relevant to the topic. Who are we to say an entrepreneur cannot sell his/her services to the public if there is a demand, and surely there is? I believe most here want to preserve the resource we love - but I believe we should not let anecdotal evidence sway our opinions. We have the state’s DNRs to make that decision, and avenues to address those decisions. Im not a guide, but I know a few and they are good people doing what they love and making a few dollars doing it. I applaud that.


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I apologize for stirring this up. It seems we were talking about two different issues here. When I stated guiding is technically illegal, I was referring specifically to the three Corps impoundments in Mississippi, not the entire state. To my knowledge, guiding is licensed and permitted in other places such as the Tenn-Tom waterway. The regulation I posted to support my opinion was taken verbatim from the Vicksburg district website.

As for context and interpretation, the regulation does apply to a commercial guide business. Technically, it’s against the regulation to conduct the business of guiding or soliciting for guide trips on Corps impoundments in Mississippi. I personally know of situations where a park ranger made a guide service remove the advertisement magnets from his truck while camping in a Corps campground.

Also, you can call the district office, ask them if you can get a license/permit to guide on the Corps impoundments and they will tell you flat out no.

Lastly, I was intentional in my use of the term “technically” because up to this point the Corps has chosen not to enforce the prohibition against actual guiding for crappie.



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[John Doe]

No heartburn from me and I know very little about the legality of the business. Just like any other business, it has all kinds of people.

I know a few guides, and these folks are good people who love the sport. I believe their contribution is a benefit to the sport and for sure to the people who enjoy the service. The smiles on their faces tell it.


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[Foxy Jig]

weekend warriors and retired ppl take way more out of our lake than guides