Thread: Attention Georgia crappie fisherman

anything over 12 don`t have meany years left to grow . average life is 5 years .


Crappie are, in my opinion, one of the most fun fish to catch and certainly one of the best tasting fish. They swim in large schools and are found throughout most of the U.S. and into Canada. Crappie prefer fairly warm water and are normally found in nearly all types of cover. They average 6-11" fully grown, however with enough food and cover they can reach lengths up to 17". A large crappie is referred to as a "Slab". In most waters, crappie with a weight of 1/2 to 1 pound are considered good fish. In other waters, crappie are not considered large until they hit the 1 1/2 or 2 pound mark. They can, under ideal circumstances, reach weights of up to 6 pounds.

Got my vote. With gas prices, have to stay close to home.

Originally Posted by papasage

anything over 12 don`t have meany years left to grow . average life is 5 years .


Crappie are, in my opinion, one of the most fun fish to catch and certainly one of the best tasting fish. They swim in large schools and are found throughout most of the U.S. and into Canada. Crappie prefer fairly warm water and are normally found in nearly all types of cover. They average 6-11" fully grown, however with enough food and cover they can reach lengths up to 17". A large crappie is referred to as a "Slab". In most waters, crappie with a weight of 1/2 to 1 pound are considered good fish. In other waters, crappie are not considered large until they hit the 1 1/2 or 2 pound mark. They can, under ideal circumstances, reach weights of up to 6 pounds.

Discussion was about wanting to grow big fish not how long they live but it is all relative. by leaving the smaller fish you are taking away the food for the bigger fesh. Some lakes can handle the pressure others cant.

some very interesting points of view in this thread. in my opinion a size limit is essential on some lakes, but could be a detrimental to others. all lakes are different and do need to be managed in a different way. on some lakes I think a size limit would cause over population and cause the fish to be stunted. while other lakes would flourish. food supply has to be considered also. some of Georgia's lakes simply do not have enough bait fish to support huge amounts of large fish. I hope they do conduct a study and do a poll of the fisherman in Georgia. like some have said here they are on a limited budget. so maybe they should poll us on how many would be willing to pay higher fees and have the extra money go to conducting these studies. I would gladly pay extra to help improve our fisheries. tight lines to all and stay safe out there.

Higher fees would only be squandered or the funds would be misdirected just like the money we paid for wildlife tags. Size limits will never be enforced properly. Heck I dont even get checked once a year by a warden now. A great example of non enforcement is QDMA in Dooly County. Some farmers slaughter deer with crop deprivation permits while the average hunter that gets to hunt only on Saturday has to watch bucks walk beacuse they are not outside the ears. Sometime width has nothing to do with age or deer maturity. I say set your own personal length limit on crappie and stick to it. Also along those lines only keep what you Need! Just my two cents that aint worth one!

Here is something else to throw in the debate.....................Talquin has had a size limit of 10 inches for several years and only has black crappie in the lake. Those 10+ inch fish were OVER harvested by a lot of poachers from FL and others states for years too. That lake is around 8,000 + acres of water with heavy wood and grass type cover throughout 80+% of the water. Now that FL has decided to crack down on that lake's poachers, will it increase the number of 10+ inch fish to more 12+ inch fish? Blackshear is very similar in a lot of ways to Talquin as far as components (cypress, single river and a few creeks feed it, size of water coverage). Blackshear has black and white crappie populations and lacks the amount of vegetation cover. These two lakes are for the most part in a similar climate throughout the year and water temps are normally close throughout the year. What keeps Blackshear from producing more fish that average 10+ inches? Blackshear has its share of poachers as well, yet no active patrols for anything other than the no wake zone at the resort. Earl, I can't remember the last time I was checked on the water at a GA or GA boarder lake. Once or twice at the boat ramp when I took out and think the last time was at West Point 2 or 3 years ago and they were more interested in boat gear and license and never even looked in the live well or asked how many I had.

Earl, I agree also about funds not making it back to GA's natural resources because of greedy politicians. If we could get these greedy chest thumpers to see the $$ in revenue they could squander in their own backyards, then maybe they would give the Fisheries and Wildlife biologist and Rangers more to work with. We have to get them to see What's In It For Them to get a little some thing for our kids to enjoy.

The more successful states like MS had more sportsman/women in the decision making areas that were able to get things moving in the right direction years ago. Our politicians are mostly a bunch of lawyers that mostly couldn't change a tire let alone skin a catfish. Those other more successful states have predominately white crappie populations in their lakes that grow so large. Talquin and Weiss are the only size limit lakes which also have a lower creel limit than GA. Those two lakes have predominately black crappie and still grow larger than normal crappie. We have all seen what pressure and over harvest did to Weiss. Then look at Santee which has kicked out boat loads of 2-3.5 lbs black crappie over the last few years, and so has Clarks Hill. Only last year did SC change to a 20 fish limit and 8 inch minimum for crappie.

Here is one more variable. Does area of water factor in? Grenada falls and rises within a flood control plan by COE. It's acreage of water varies in the thousands throughout the year from spring to fall. This lake also is mostly void of aquatic vegetation except what is flooded when the lake rises and then dies off soon after. Why do those white crappie flourish and reach the sizes they do in a very unstable water world. Most of the popular big fish lakes in MS are just like Grenada.

If money was to be spent, I would be more interested in obtaining some of the Grenada white crappie and have them stocked into a couple of our lakes to see if it is a gene difference or if we truly just have to travel to certain places to catch certain size fish of a certain species. Least we could get back to debating which baits are the best!!!!

Just my thoughts that I am entitled to have and probably not popular with most, but I am used to that.

Shine runner, I want to subscribe to your newsletter. lol One of the best posts I have read on this forum.

Yes, I also agree you need to be careful for what you ask for. Here's a thought....What if they made the creel limit kinda like they have the deer regulations. A buck of your choice then the next one has to be so large to meet the regulations. You could make the creel limit with "X" amount of crappie being under 10" inches and the rest being greater than 10" inches to make the 30. I don't know what the number/ratio would be but it is a thought. Let's say 10 less than 10" inches and the remaining 20 greater than 10" inches.