Catch and Release

**BigRiverMarine** · 08-29-2017, 06:23 AM

Originally Posted by NIMROD

Best we can hope for is fewer floods . When we get our annual floods with this being flood control lake the woods and old fields are full of water . This makes ideal spawning habitat . With huge spawns and when water drops back to normal pool we have way too many fry . This slows growth and hurts the fishery . We need a special regulation for a few years to take the limit off Crappie 9'' and under . But was told they could not do it . Some people keep the little ones but many folks just toss them back .
I would like to see a slot where anything under 9'' would be no limit . I think we could see the lake improve . This limit being raised to 30 could help if everyone kept 30 small ones . But I don't want them . I usually have no problem catching 100 or more but sometimes hard to find good ones .
I think we need more baitfish . Most would disagree with that statement but when most are Gizzard Shad they grow too fast to be prime feed for smaller Crappie . Trouble is a shallow flood control lake gets too cold to over winter Threadfin Shad .
The AGFC did annual studies where they counted what we had in the lake by net barrier across a cove and rotenone for years. Now they are limited to electro fishing and Crappie net traps last I heard. Wish we could hear from the area fisheries biologist . I think they don't have an answer to the problem .
Maybe Matt or one of the other AGFC guys can contact them and have them tell us what they can do . i think the main one in this area is Frank Leone .

Mississippi's Big 4 lakes are all flood plain reservoirs and they dont have that issue. They have tremendous spawns most years. They do have cycles where they don't tho. Why is it that Nimrod is different than those lakes, and overpopulates?

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**armyman** · 08-29-2017, 06:28 AM

In reference to Nimrod's post, the 9" and below seems to be the solution to me. You've got to start somewhere if you're overstocked. Why did they say they "could not do it"? We went from a 10" MLL to 12" MLL limit in our Corps lakes, and we suffered through it, but it paid off, I think. jmho.

**Semo** · 08-29-2017, 06:39 AM

Nimrod is more like Reelfoot in respect to the flood plain. A 6" increase in water depth opens up more ground. For the most part the big 4 have steeper banks so thr water mostly gets deeper. Nimrod gets much wider because of the flatter banks and the fish spawn on what will be dry land, stranding the fry. This doesnt just affect the crappie, the predatory fish also(catfish, bass, etc.)

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**Semo** · 08-29-2017, 06:40 AM

Crappie Science - In-Fisherman

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**Semo** · 08-29-2017, 06:42 AM

This a pretty cool read. I read it several years ago, the more times I've read it and compared it to what I've seen yearly, the more its made sense.

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**BigRiverMarine** · 08-29-2017, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by Semo

Nimrod is more like Reelfoot in respect to the flood plain. A 6" increase in water depth opens up more ground. For the most part the big 4 have steeper banks so thr water mostly gets deeper. Nimrod gets much wider because of the flatter banks and the fish spawn on what will be dry land, stranding the fry. This doesnt just affect the crappie, the predatory fish also(catfish, bass, etc.)

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Big 4 are the same. Not many steep banks. Lots wider when the water rises.

BRM

**armyman** · 08-29-2017, 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine

Big 4 are the same. Not many steep banks. Lots wider when the water rises.

BRM

Yep, a whole lot wider!

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**NIMROD** · 08-29-2017, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine

Big 4 are the same. Not many steep banks. Lots wider when the water rises.

BRM

From what I see they pull the big 4 down low ever year and lots of dry ground and no cover .Nimrod is small till it gets over 30' high then it is a big lake . Then all that spawn gets pulled back into a small lake . I figure the big 4 probably are more fertile , younger lakes , and warm enough to have Threadfin Shad . Since Crappie hatch out in less than a week , the spawn seldom gets stranded here .

**BigRiverMarine** · 08-29-2017, 07:40 PM

Ok, DONT catch and release on Nimrod or similar lakes. If you fish the more productive lakes without the overpopulation problem, Keep what you need and Release the rest for another day.

Every time this subject comes up we always have Nimrod (the lake)pop up too. You guys get the point anyway.

BRM

**Mike1234** · 08-29-2017, 07:46 PM

Nice catch good job letting them go.

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