Thread: should we keep large females ready to spawn?

Won't be long now! This rain set us back a little but get ready to hang on to your poles! Thanks for the input on releasing some of those spawning females. Good luck whatever you decide. . . Hopefully throwing one or two back. Be sure to update when they start.

I have done both....to me it depends on if i need fish or not.....if i dont have 10 fish them i release them all.....if they are under ten they get released anyway..provided they are not dying....i try to bag mine in increments of 20 fillets because thats usually what we cook per meal

Andy

Originally Posted by cpd21

I have done both....to me it depends on if i need fish or not.....if i dont have 10 fish them i release them all.....if they are under ten they get released anyway..provided they are not dying....i try to bag mine in increments of 20 fillets because thats usually what we cook per meal

Andy

Andy, that is an ideal, conservationist plan. I applaud you for that attitude. Take what you need and release the rest is basically what I'm proposing. I know its a macho thing to limit out daily, everyday so you can brag about how good you are but, I believe we need to be thinking more about future generations so they can enjoy the sport we all love so much. Most people don't agree with me and that is fine.

But I also try to keep a couple of hundred in the freezer....because we have so many people that want fish and dont know how to catch them or they are not able to, when the kids come in...etc etc....and right now i am trying to restock the freezer. If I dont need them i will give them away to someone else that is trying to get some fish too. I see alot of people that come down to the lake and are limited on the chances to come down and i will give them fish. As long as they are getting eaten it doesn't really matter to me. I was raised "If you kill it, you eat it" and have raised both boys the same way. Now oldest and his wife live in Okc and youngest is at OSU so we try to get them in fish when they are able to come down.
We are all guilty of keeping too many, or short fish at some time, but i guarantee you they got eaten...now I am lucky enough to live close to the lake and can pretty much get crappie when we want and it is just the wife and I so we dont need that many.

Andy

I let a 2lb 10 oz female full of eggs swim yesterday. Also released a 1-12, 1-07 and a 1-04. All were full of eggs. Took pictures with the big girl to have. I've caught em large before but never put em on a digital scale.

Originally Posted by CHECrappie

I let a 2lb 10 oz female full of eggs swim yesterday. Also released a 1-12, 1-07 and a 1-04. All were full of eggs. Took pictures with the big girl to have. I've caught em large before but never put em on a digital scale.

Wow! That is awesome! I know it's hard to let go of that lip. . . But you would be surprised that you're are smiling as you watch that big girl swim away. Fill those baskets with males and let some of those baby makers give us something to catch next year.

Figured out how to post the picture. DUH!

I'm with Redge on this one, I don't fish a lot in the spawn I have keep some of the big girls. I read somewhere that a 10" female only has like 3,000-4,000 eggs and the big girls 14" or so has 300,000 eggs. So with all the people keeping small fish I now like to put the big girls back and catch them in post spawn. My not make any difference but I feel better. I also would like the 10" minimum on all Oklahoma lakes.