LAKE TALQUIN OVERFISHING???

I want to bring up the possibility that our lake talquin crappie population is down due to overfishing. I live on the lake in the back end of hammock creek. I have fished here for approximately 20 years. The spawn hasn't come to our part of the lake yet. Overdue. Seems overdue this whole western half of the lake. Last year seemed to be a down year. Usually our creek quite full of boats, esp. way back in the shallows, by this time of year. Are other talquin regulars seeing a change?? I see more crappie fisherman on our lake year by year in large numbers. So many out of state anglers take home multiple limits of crappie!! I see literally thousands of cormorants and anhingas feeding on the lake. Vast increase in numbers in the last 20 years. And, pelicans. Never saw any 10-20 years ago. Now i count over a hundred. But, what i see mostly is the human fishing pressure has increased exponentially. Anyone else seeing these changes??

mother nature puts humans to shame in the fish kill department , lots of birds is likely the problem , cormorants are a scourge ,they hammer crappie bigtime and in big numbers too ...

Those big ol catfish like then some crappie also

I'm sure all the increases, man and beast, are part to do with it, but I know the productivity of all lakes are cyclical. Every year it's different due to a ton of reason,s but if you're having some good years consider yourself lucky. That's how I figure it. Hopefully some locals can chime in as well.

20 years ago, my brother returned to his pickup after fishing Talquin = Cormorants ate all the rubber components on/near windshield! Wipers, rubber trim etc. [emoji83][emoji33]

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I agree with the cormorants problem. The trees at iron curtain has white skirts. I hadn't been in years until recently. Your right fishing pressure is bad on every lake. But on eufaula 10 years ago we never saw cormorants. Now at times there are floating islands of them. It's amazing how many and size of fish they eat. YouTube will tell the story. No reason they should be protected. IMO.

Several years ago, between harvey mill and polk creeks i sat and methodically counted over 1000 cormorants and over 100 white pelicans. they gathered and moved as a tight group. I have never seen crappie fishing as tough as it has been this year.

There does seem to be more people fishing Talquin each year. But this has been an unusual year. Some of the people that I’ve met over the last few years that have fished Talquin for at least 20 years are having problems. Most of them single pole jig at night, this year only catching one or two per night. Most of them think it has to do with the weather going from warm to cold then back to warm. Just like the next few days is suppose to do. I hope it straightens out because I only will be able to come over and fish one more week. I will be over next Friday night for the week. Hopefully we will catch some because the freezer is empty. Not looking for a limit per day either.

They used to do a draw down every few years , that really helped the fishing IMO. 1996 was the last year that happened. The following 3-5 years was great for size and numbers. I do miss the good years for sure.