Thread: Should guides keep their own limit? Yes or No?

I agree it's a sticky situation, but sometimes things need said. The good guides will have no problem buying a permit and following the rules. And I do hope the guides aren't hurting the lakes. But we all heard the stories a few years ago about the guides at Enid and the one guy have 152 fish. Guides should set the bar.

Originally Posted by Dodgeman

I agree it's a sticky situation, but sometimes things need said. The good guides will have no problem buying a permit and following the rules. And I do hope the guides aren't hurting the lakes. But we all heard the stories a few years ago about the guides at Enid and the one guy have 152 fish. Guides should set the bar.

I agree it does need to be said! 100% I just think there are way to many “guides” out there for it not to hurt our lakes…. I was born and raised on Grenada lake my grandfather commercial fished it for years! There is a huge difference from what it used to be and what it is now…


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So…… how about the feller that fishes by himself, and also catches a limit everyday ?

Originally Posted by Micanopy

So…… how about the feller that fishes by himself, and also catches a limit everyday ?

I don't know many of them. I know I get tired of cleaning 10-12 a trip. And a guy that just fishes isn't making money off the lake.

Point is guides shouldn't keep their limit. Period Guides should set a higher bar than the average fisherman since they are making money.

Have gone out with a guide multiple times and he caught his limit along with ours as we always got the fish and he does it all the time. IMO he is in the people pleasing business and it's just good for building relations and getting bigger tips which is part of his income. I know some folks on here get all wrapped around the axle about how many fish are taken out of a lake but I have spoken with several fish biologists and the just chuckle and all say that fishermen doesn't impact the population as much as everyone thinks. It's more about food sources and how good of a spawn did they have.

Have one of my friends who is an incredible crappie or truly any type of fisherman get all enraged about how many fish are taken out of T hill and while I don't laugh at him he is not correct as it is one of most underutilized lakes in state according to the rangers and biologist I have spoken with there. You might see a few fisherfolk on the rip rap at the main concourse and a few boats in parking area and there is one other but still relatively speaking not many at all and yet HE thinks it's being over fished because there is a hard core of really terrific guys who fish it most days from bank and take a limit sometimes but in big picture it's not much at all. but that's like 2 to 5 guys, insignificant.

Point is have zero issue with a guide giving his fish to his clients, just not that big a deal IMO.

Originally Posted by hdhntr

Have gone out with a guide multiple times and he caught his limit along with ours as we always got the fish and he does it all the time. IMO he is in the people pleasing business and it's just good for building relations and getting bigger tips which is part of his income. I know some folks on here get all wrapped around the axle about how many fish are taken out of a lake but I have spoken with several fish biologists and the just chuckle and all say that fishermen doesn't impact the population as much as everyone thinks. It's more about food sources and how good of a spawn did they have.

Have one of my friends who is an incredible crappie or truly any type of fisherman get all enraged about how many fish are taken out of T hill and while I don't laugh at him he is not correct as it is one of most underutilized lakes in state according to the rangers and biologist I have spoken with there. You might see a few fisherfolk on the rip rap at the main concourse and a few boats in parking area and there is one other but still relatively speaking not many at all and yet HE thinks it's being over fished because there is a hard core of really terrific guys who fish it most days from bank and take a limit sometimes but in big picture it's not much at all. but that's like 2 to 5 guys, insignificant.

Point is have zero issue with a guide giving his fish to his clients, just not that big a deal IMO.

In my lifetime I’ve seen crappie limits at Grenada drop from 30 to 20 to now 15. I’ve also seen length limits imposed and increased. I do not think that’s due to a decrease in food supply or a bad spawn. I think it’s due to increased pressure from fishermen. But that’s just my opinion.

As to guides keeping their own limit or giving it away, I’m fine with it. As Erin said, with the boat limit imposed, it’s 10 fish.


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I have seen the limits change over the years on the big 4 from 30- 10' limit, to 25, back to 30, then 20, now 15 with a 40 fish limit per boat. It seems fair to me that a guide and 2 clients can take out 40. What they do with those fish are up to them. I'm sure all of us at others times have given our limit of fish to our partners. We probably need to change the culture in regards to keeping all the legal fish we catch but with that being said...…. everybody loves to eat crappie. I'm thankful for way the state monitors the population. I thought in the 80's we would fish them all out the way we hauled out limit after limit but thankful I was wrong.

I'm sure I don't have the facts straight but didn't The Corps add a supposedly sterile bred Crappie to Sardis, Granada, and Enid Lakes to reduce the populations? Seems after that the fish populations in said lakes took a hit they never recovered from. We catch "Wild" Crappie, nothing is dumped into the rivers on the coast but Bass. Our Spawns have been pounded the last six years along with the lack of successful bait hatches to hurt our populations. I have seen crappie migrating in the river, several thousand in the schools, 1ft under the surface, mostly shorts followed by Gar at the back of the school feeding off the stragglers. The fish in front seem oblivious to the carnage at the back of the school. It's been 6 years since those conditions but also 3-5 named storms hitting the coast each season causing the problem. The coastal rain average is 60-65 inches, we received 120+ inches of rain last year. Mississippi Sound was fresh water for most of the time.