Sorry CT this spring has been a real problem for me due to some health problems (I have missed 200 hours of work since the beginning of March - thank-heavens for good insurance and sound sick leave benefits - hopefully I am back for good now). I have been sorta out of the picture this spring. Also fallen behind on garden and house repairs; so I am doing some catchup, if slowly...
Still fishing crappies around the cities from time to time. Lots of crappies, few of any size, although we have taken a few 11 and 12 inchers with rumors of more in some places generally coming after dark. There are some nice crappies in the Cities waters, although most are smaller and that varies by lake too. Nokomis has as many as any one could ask for, you can see them along the docks, but few if any even make 7". Other lakes have fewer but far better quality. However Nokomis is the only one of the Park Board lakes here with no consumption advisory on bluegills or crappies; so it gets bucket fished by family licenses pretty heavily. Very little has the chance to live long enough to size up.
The family, some 100+ of us, will be gathering in the Staples/Motley area last week of July on a very good crappie lake with average size generally well over 10" with top end so far at 15". Good lake crappies for Minnesota. Also good bass and pike. This is one of those lakes with a put back on pike between 24" and 36" which has been a very good thing for size. Also nice walleyes for those who specialize. We had to learn our lake, but once done it has produced very well.
When I run the motor on this lake, I have a boat rule that any crappie 13" or bigger has to go back as breeding stock. We always have a meal or two of fresh fillets that week, but I would almost as soon just release everything. That wouldn't go over real well with every one, but for myself there are always enough others who harvest, and some of them not very selectively.
Time to get back to the chore of catching up on delayed tasks :-(