Thread: 10 more Sardis crappie tagged and released

Have a Question? Are you tagging all the fish in the same spot or hole? If so would this not show a normal movement of the fish? Being there's always a lot of fish shallow even in winter. My fishing buddy (Died this fall) could catch them year around using a single pole and jig. Even in Jan the man could pull a big box of slabs out in water most would not even slow down to fish until March.
So just wondering if your tagging fish from the lower and upper part of the lake? But sure enjoyed what you did last year and looking forward to it again. Would love to know more on tracking fish like this. Might even try to come up with the funding to try it on Pickwick/Yellow Creek.
Pete

Originally Posted by ShilohRed

Have a Question? Are you tagging all the fish in the same spot or hole? If so would this not show a normal movement of the fish? Being there's always a lot of fish shallow even in winter. My fishing buddy (Died this fall) could catch them year around using a single pole and jig. Even in Jan the man could pull a big box of slabs out in water most would not even slow down to fish until March.
So just wondering if your tagging fish from the lower and upper part of the lake? But sure enjoyed what you did last year and looking forward to it again. Would love to know more on tracking fish like this. Might even try to come up with the funding to try it on Pickwick/Yellow Creek.
Pete

Good question Pete. You are right that a group of fish caught from the same spot may be expected to stay in that spot (or otherwise all behave alike) if they are closely associated with some feature like structure or bottom contour. Fish so far have been caught while drifting large areas in flats around the Lespedeza area and others closer to Clear Creek and Pat's Bluff. I think they have been spread out enough to reduce site fidelity for the group, though they would all be considered to be 'lower lake' fish. I will try to catch and tag fish further up the lake, but the low water level this year will limit that effort.

Looking forward to seeing the results. Will you be updating on the forum again this year or is this a private study?

Also, if it helps you any, I always catch more black crappie in Clear Cr b/w the ramp and the dead trees (along the east side but out from the bank) than anywhere else on Sardis. With the lake at winter pool a lot of that area is probably shallow or dry but they should be somewhere around the 1st third of the creek now if they read the book. Good luck!

Originally Posted by Release to the Grease...

Looking forward to seeing the results. Will you be updating on the forum again this year or is this a private study?

Also, if it helps you any, I always catch more black crappie in Clear Cr b/w the ramp and the dead trees (along the east side but out from the bank) than anywhere else on Sardis. With the lake at winter pool a lot of that area is probably shallow or dry but they should be somewhere around the 1st third of the creek now if they read the book. Good luck!

I'll post tracking reports here, on the MDWFP site and at another crappie site. The project is funded by a grant from MDWFP through the SportFish Restoration Act. Thanks for the tip, I'll try Clear Creek for some black crappie.

thanks CR it is really interesting to read your results

Originally Posted by CrappieRadio

Good question Pete. You are right that a group of fish caught from the same spot may be expected to stay in that spot (or otherwise all behave alike) if they are closely associated with some feature like structure or bottom contour. Fish so far have been caught while drifting large areas in flats around the Lespedeza area and others closer to Clear Creek and Pat's Bluff. I think they have been spread out enough to reduce site fidelity for the group, though they would all be considered to be 'lower lake' fish. I will try to catch and tag fish further up the lake, but the low water level this year will limit that effort.

Thanks for the reply. I think this is something more lakes need to do. Thus give the ones in power over fishing a better ideal where they move and I know it will sure help out dumb fisherman like me.
PEte

What are you supposed to do if you catch a tagged crappie?