Weiss Lake - What needs to be done to make it better ?

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Originally Posted by TARPON180

I have seen local people and guides i know using more than three rods. Last year i was checked by the game warden and i chewed him out about the locals using to many rods and he told me they know what his boat looks like and put them up when they see him. I told him to get in my boat and lets go get them he just laughed. Change the limit to 15 i saw a couple of post that said people would not come with a 15 fish limit that's a good thing. Last but not least i am tired of hearing about Striper eating all of the Crappie the University of Auburn did a study a few years ago on just that and found the number was so small it was not a issue. There has not been a Striper stocked in Weiss Lake sense the late 80's people better stop complaining about the Striper's at least there is something to catch.

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I apologize to you Tarpon if I offended you but I was merely pointing out that I started coming to Weiss because of its claim of "Crappie Capitol of the World" and I think that a lot of out-of-staters probably did the same. I am not completely in disagreement with lowering limits but you should be careful what you wish for. It seems to me that eco-tourism is one of the primary revenues whether directly or indirectly. If eco-tourism slowed or God forbid stopped in this region what do you think would happen to the small businesses in the area? I am just saying that in this very fragile economic time, no one can afford to lose their job or livelihood. The ripple effect could be huge. Enforcement of the existing laws should be paramount.

Surely there's a way to satisfy everyone's concerns here. I'm sure locals would prefer the masses of out of staters stay home, but what impact would that have on local economy? I'm sure many merchants rely on the fishermen from our of state. That being said, I've been to Weiss twice and have been checked once. That's pretty good if you ask me. It's no different at Kentucky lake. Lots of violations with no enforcement. Bottom line,most state agencies are stretched so thin due to budgets they don't have enough co's to be everywhere. Our F&W guys take care of hunting and boating. Guess where a lot of them are during the peak spawning time for crappie? You guessed it, targeting turkey hunters baiting. We are left with policing ourselves. I know some who catch limits, return for more limits just to boast they are some great guru fisherman. Others argue they don't fish but a few days a year vs someone who goes every day. They justify keeping over the limit or short fish this way. I say reduce the limit to 25 and 11" size limit. That way all your 10" fish get an extra year to spawn and the visitors will still travel and spend money to stimulate the local economy.

Pop,

I think a smaller limit would be great, If it is ENFORCED. The big problem with the lake is that it is and has been a destination for fisherman from all over the US. This is a two edged sword. The business people and the county need the revenue but the lake cannot continue to sustain itself without better management. A great model might be what is going on at Granada, MS. We must have state support for more enforcement for it to work, and then people will gripe about that #$@! Game Warden.

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Originally Posted by travish10

I apologize to you Tarpon if I offended you but I was merely pointing out that I started coming to Weiss because of its claim of "Crappie Capitol of the World" and I think that a lot of out-of-staters probably did the same. I am not completely in disagreement with lowering limits but you should be careful what you wish for. It seems to me that eco-tourism is one of the primary revenues whether directly or indirectly. If eco-tourism slowed or God forbid stopped in this region what do you think would happen to the small businesses in the area? I am just saying that in this very fragile economic time, no one can afford to lose their job or livelihood. The ripple effect could be huge. Enforcement of the existing laws should be paramount.

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No need to apologize to me travish10. If something is not done about Weiss lake the problem will take care of its self people will stop coming here to fish and a few years down the road it will get better again.

Don't forget the local fishing off their docks. I seen alot of short fish taken out of the lake. Kill the stripers and birds ( commorands ). Lake St. Clair in Mich. you aren't able to take any small mouth bass until June 15, so they can get their spawn in first. Not a bad idea! Business can not keep their buisness up without dollars coming in. Since the fishing has gotten so bad---no customers. Trickle down economics. Everybody has good ideas but whos going to take some actions.

Let's see, there's about 10 launch ramps on Weiss, have DNR checking boats as the anglers arrive starting in the afternoon, picking different ramps on diffrent days and anyone with over the limit gets licenses revoked for 5 yrs. Etc. Personally I don't think they should be checking limits at 10 am when you still have 8 hrs. of fishing left. Lower the creel to 15 or 20, makes no differences if you have 15 Bigguns or 15 littleluns, makes no differences if you catchem with 100 poles or 1 pole 15 fish is 15 fish. Good fshn to all.

Reduce the limit.

Increase the Size Limit.



What about Closing certain bays, and coves during the spawn ?


Close certain coves to fishing, during the spawn, this may help.


I wish they would do that here on Kentucky Lake.

This lake also gets a ton of attention from anglers across America.

So the fishing pressure is probably taking it's toll on the lake. IMO


I worry this will happen to many of our lakes in the near future. It's had a negative effect here on Kentucky Lake.IMO

After reading all the posts on this topic I feel the need to make some comments.
On the subject of raising out of state liscense fees: This would be a big hit to the local economy.
Lowering the creel limit: I think 15 is too low, some families will eat more than that in 1 meal. 25 is a good compromise.
Length Limit: Raising it to 11' or even 12" is a sound idea. I grew up fishing this lake since it was impounded and have watched up and down cycles over the past 40+ years. What sticks out to me most is when the lake comes out of the down cycle it doesn't reach the level where it started going down. The 10" size limit helped for several years, and now it has been abused for a long period.
Enforcement: Maybe the businesses and people that make their living on the lake could look into starting a fund to help with providing more enforcement officers on the lake if the State doesn't have the funds to suffeciently man the job.
On the subject of the spawns: I have watched the lake level fluctuate up and down over the years during the most critical part of the spawn. It is a known fact that when water levels are rising and falling the females will hold their eggs until the water stabilizes. There is not much that can be done about this considering that the water has to be held in Weiss and slowly released to keep from flooding the City of Gadsden down river.

There is no one solution to solving our problem. It will take a joint effort of everyone, including all the fishermen, to help the lake to rebound. It comes down to simple "ethics" of the people catching fish in the lake and being a responsible steward of the resources that God has given us on this planet.

OK,I've read all of this thread and was gettig depresed,,But NO Weiss is still a great Carppie Lake .We will be there 3/23 for a week.

With 4 of us in the boat we do not need 120 Crappie for a good day. 25 11" Crappie is all we'll keep ,if we get a big female 14 to 15" full of eggs she's goin back in....

http://www.crappie.com/crappie/alaba...e-alabama.html

I would like one person to show me factual evidence not personal opinion where the Striper population in Weiss lake is the actual problem with the Crappie population?banghead

Here is the answer.


People need to start releasing more fish back into the lake.

It seems tons of people go to the lake and keep as many fish as possible, they do that here on KY Lake also.

I live by Kentucky Lake, and I fish on KY Lake probably 40 to 60 days each spring, and summer.


I catch tons of keeper Crappie, however I release probably 99% of them back into the water.

If more people did this, Americas lakes would become much better.imo

I agree with Kentucky release more fish when you have enough for a few good dinners.I see a lot folks keep more then they should , when your fishing 5 to 6 days a week it adds up.I also see a lot folks around the bridges same people every time.
I used to make my Grandad mad when I would release a female Crappie busting with eggs lol it's alright to release a big female maybe one out of every two you catch.

Alabama Striped Bass Stocked Lakes.


Striped bass grow to gigantic sizes. Alabama’s state record stands at 55 pounds, while the world rod and reel record is 78 pounds. Striped bass can feed on large gizzard shad, which few other predators utilize efficiently. Competition with other important sport fish, such as largemouth bass and crappie, is limited. Recent research by the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries indicates stripers feed almost exclusively on shad and live primarily in open waters.

A diet study of 442 Weiss Lake striped bass indicated less than one percent of the stripers’ stomachs had remains of sport fish. States such as South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Virginia and Oklahoma have conducted studies with similar results and concluded that sport fish are not a primary food item of striped bass.

I don't think stripers are the problem (tho I don't like them), they don't tend to use the same habitat as Crappie, but you will hook 1 every now & then, mostly when long-lining, pulling, trolling. I think the largest problem is over fishing, keeping short fish & over limits. Crappie are a renewable resource, just have to manage them.

I may have missed it, but something I have not seen mentioned here is the fact that state law says that it is illegal to transport more than one days creel limit past the state line. I know that some people from out of state take more fish than that home with them. I know that if this was strickly enforced that a lot of people would not come to Weiss and spend their money which would hurt the local business people. I would hate to see that happen because I have several friends that own business in the area. When we talk about enforcing the laws on the books we must think about them all. I do agree that we need more enforcement of the laws we already have to help our present situation.

how about make Godfrey off limits for 2 months march and april, post a few signs post a fine, great breeding ground.And maybe a few others around the lake. Weiss will make everyone happy just like it is. It won't kill people to stay away from a few spots for the good of the lake. There will be some that will voice there dislike, but it might help.

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Originally Posted by Kentucky Lake

Here is the answer.


People need to start releasing more fish back into the lake.

It seems tons of people go to the lake and keep as many fish as possible, they do that here on KY Lake also.

I live by Kentucky Lake, and I fish on KY Lake probably 40 to 60 days each spring, and summer.


I catch tons of keeper Crappie, however I release probably 99% of them back into the water.

If more people did this, Americas lakes would become much better.imo

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I agree, and it seems that most of us agree that we need to reduce the number of fish being removed from the lake in one way or another. We have no control over some of these ideas, and no way to implement some of these ideas, but we DO have control over how many fish WE as individuals remove from the water. I cant control how many fish the other guy takes home, but I can control how many I take home. Catch and Release works, and if Crappie Fisherman dont catch on to the idea, we are headed for darker days. I love to eat fish as much as the next guy, and I do keep a few here and there, but that's not the reason I go fishing. I simply love to be out on the water enjoying God's Creation, catching fish is a bonus, and the feeling you get from watching a big ole 2 pounder swim away after you release her isn't a bad feeling either. If you've never tried it, you may be suprised how good it can make you feel.

One mature female crappie can produce 30,000 or more eggs each spring; however only about 1% survive to reproduce - but that is still about 300 crappie.

Maybe we should support our own sport for future days with more catch and release today? Maybe we should ALL consider releasing most of those big fat females full of eggs during the spawning season, and only keep the males and just a few of the females during the spawn? However this idea won't work if I release them back today and someone else keeps them tomorrow before they spawn. Please consider releasing the fat females full of eggs. We will be helping not only ourselves, but all crappie anglers in the long run, including our grandchildren. Doing this for just a few years would restock crappie populations in most lakes. Think about all the crappie we could then catch in the summer, fall, and winter ? :fish

It is my understanding that the large male crappie are the ones that need to be released, they protect the bed after the female lays her eggs. Without them the fry wont make it to produce. I had a honey hole that was always good for some big fish, one year we caught a bunch of big males (2lb +) and the place has not been the same since, while other places I've caught & kept huge females and it produces year after year. I also read this in a book calld "Crappie Secrets". Have yall ever heard this theory ?

Catch-Photo-Release= Memories. I saved a few for our next generation! BB

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Originally Posted by Uncle BS

It is my understanding that the large male crappie are the ones that need to be released, they protect the bed after the female lays her eggs. Without them the fry wont make it to produce. I had a honey hole that was always good for some big fish, one year we caught a bunch of big males (2lb +) and the place has not been the same since, while other places I've caught & kept huge females and it produces year after year. I also read this in a book calld "Crappie Secrets". Have yall ever heard this theory ?

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Good Point Uncle BS... releasing mature males is important.

The limit needs to be lowered. I live on Weiss Lake and I fish Weiss Lake. I would like to see 15-20 limit per person, that is plenty of fish to eat on. I also agree with catch and release. I would like to have a dollar for every fish I have caught and threw back into this lake, I might not retire but I could put a good down payment on a new boat...lol

I like the slot limit idea for saving the bigger fish. Maybe throw back the one's between 14" and 17". Or how about this idea- let's say you can only keep a certain number (2 or 3 fish for example) over a certain length (14" for example).

There has been an awful lot of good fishing on Weiss in the last 6 years without any changes being made since this thread was started.

But just think about it! If the length limit had been increased back then to protect the females and MALES, who plays a larger role in the reproduction cycle, thus allowing more fish to spawn several additional times before being harvested, how great would the fishing be today plus the boost in tourism for the local economy!!!
There again, nothing will work without ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAWS IN PLACE!

Pop,
Lot's of good input and ideas, but I have competitively fished with you on this lake for at least three years ad have yet to see or be checked buy a Game Warden. Without enforcement none of the ideas presented, good or bad, can implemented. Mississippi seems to have a good operational model in place but I have never been checked there either. It all boils down to everyone that graces the beautiful waters of the Coosa River system are being a good steward to the bounty that God allows us to harvest. As a business owner and longtime local that loves his community, I understand your frustration, but nothing will improve until the current rules and regulations are enforced.

Love your lake. It was the first place I went out of state to fish and still fish it yearly but. I'm from Tenn and fish Chickamauga and Watts Bar. When I started crappie fishing I think Tenn had a 30 fish limit. Things got bad and they lowered it to 15. Today these 2 lakes are the best kept crappie secret in the south. We don't travel to Weiss as much anymore because we have better quality fish here at home. The 30 fish limit on Weiss attracts a lot of tourist and a lot of dollars but it would be interesting to see what 3 yrs of 15 fish limit would do for your lake.

I have been fishing Weiss lake all of my life up to this point. I live here and if the Lord is willing I will die here. To revisit the Stripper issue, they are not the problem, the catfish eat more Crappie than they do. I fish 3 to 5 days a week and I release most if not all of my fish if I keep any they will be the 10 inch fish. And believe me most of the guides are having just as a hard time right now catching fish as the rest of us. This is a complex problem and will be hard to fix. I understand that there are 3 Game warden working in the county now. Like I said I have been fishing here almost all of my life and I have never been checked except when I was with my Dad back when I was 8 or 9 years old. I am now 63 years old. A lot of people are responsible for the decline, locals that are just too greedy and selfish, I have seen too many cases of this from getting there limit taking it home and coming back and getting another limit. Guides that keep under size fish to using too many poles, out of town folks that keep small fish and Carries too many fish home also from the feeling that our lakes owe them for them spending there money here, and greed. There has to be a workable solution to this problem, but perhaps it starts with each and everyone of us. I am not a biologist nor a politician I am just simply a man who loves to fish for crappie. All I am saying is we all are to blame so let’s not try to pin it on any one group, let’s just find a solution.


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I don't know what the solution is but I do think some things need to change. No mater what is done nothing will change if there is no enforcement. I too have never been checked on Weiss lake and have fished it for over 20 years.

These caught on Lake Jordan, a Coosa River lake south of Weiss. These fish were caught two weeks ago. So tell me, why you think we need more State level regulation.

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Originally Posted by John Doe

These caught on Lake Jordan, a Coosa River lake south of Weiss. These fish were caught two weeks ago. So tell me, why you think we need more State level regulation.

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Raise keeper size to 12’’ inches and lower the daily creel to 5 fish and do away with the possession and transport limit, then the state resident fishermen could only keep 35 fish a week during the spawn, instead of keeping 105 fish a week like it is now on Weiss, and the out of state fishermen could come to Weiss and fish a week and keep 35 fish and transport 35 fish back to the neighboring states during the crappie spawn, this would let both instate and out of state fishermen both keep the same amount of crappie per week during the spawn, saving a lot of fish to grow to 12 plus inch size. My 2 cents


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Originally Posted by waterdog101

Raise keeper size to 12’’ inches and lower the daily creel to 5 fish and do away with the possession and transport limit, then the state resident fishermen could only keep 35 fish a week during the spawn, instead of keeping 105 fish a week like it is now on Weiss, and the out of state fishermen could come to Weiss and fish a week and keep 35 fish and transport 35 fish back to the neighboring states during the crappie spawn, this would let both instate and out of state fishermen both keep the same amount of crappie per week during the spawn, saving a lot of fish to grow to 12 plus inch size. My 2 cents


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Curious why you think we need more regulation when it's obvious Lake Jordan, a COOSA RIVER lake, isn't having a problem producing big crappie. Be careful what you ask for from your government.

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Originally Posted by John Doe

Curious why you think we need more regulation when it's obvious Lake Jordan, a COOSA RIVER lake, isn't having a problem producing big crappie. Be careful what you ask for from your government.

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I was reading the forum and everyone was talking about lake Weiss, I’ve never fished Jordan lake but assume, it wouldn’t be any better than Weiss, some guys were talking about what could be done to improve crappie fishing on Weiss, and I posted what I think would help the crappie fishing on Weiss or any other lake. Glad Jordan is producing good fish, I think Weiss and Guntersville is producing good as well, but 12’’ keeper size and 5 fish daily creel without possession or transport laws, would be fair to everyone, 35 fish per week to all fishermen, durning the spawning season, this would save tons of big female egg laying crappie, in about 3 or 4 years, catching a big 3 lb plus crappie would be a common thing


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Originally Posted by waterdog101

I was reading the forum and everyone was talking about lake Weiss, I’ve never fished Jordan lake but assume, it wouldn’t be any better than Weiss, some guys were talking about what could be done to improve crappie fishing on Weiss, and I posted what I think would help the crappie fishing on Weiss or any other lake. Glad Jordan is producing good fish, I think Weiss and Guntersville is producing good as well, but 12’’ keeper size and 5 fish daily creel without possession or transport laws, would be fair to everyone, 35 fish per week to all fishermen, durning the spawning season, this would save tons of big female egg laying crappie, in about 3 or 4 years, catching a big 3 lb plus crappie would be a common thing


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Who defines what is fair? Bama state law or dogooders like you?


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Let’s above all keep the conversation civil and family friendly please.


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Originally Posted by John Doe

Who defines what is fair? Bama state law or dogooders like you?


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we’re all Americans, the lakes were built with tax dollars, everyone that fished the lake buys a fishing licenses, and everyone that loves to fish, should want what’s best for the lake and the population of the crappie, my thoughts were to raise the size of keeper crappie to 12’’ and lower the daily creel to 5 fish, do away with the possession and transport law, then anyone that fishes 7 days could keep 35 fish, locals or out of staters, guess I should have used another word besides FAIR, I see you didn’t like that word, I’ll change that word to best, I am a dogooder and I think it would be, best for the spawning crappie and all fishermen.


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Originally Posted by John Doe

Who defines what is fair? Bama state law or dogooders like you?


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Trey, Jordan and the rest of the Coosa lakes including Neeley Henry, have pretty much always been great Crappie lakes. But day in and day out Weiss has had more pressure than all of the rest combined. About 6 to 7 month a year there are a ton of people here from out of state fishing and the whole state of Georgia. We have more guides that specialize in crappie fishing year round. Than most lakes in the state of Alabama, a lot are listed and a lot are by word of mouth from local bait shops. But all I will say here is something is going to have to be done. I don’t know of anyone that wants the state to step in, we all know that they can’t be trusted and most of the time they don’t know what they are talking about anyway. But someone needs to start listening to the fishermen and taking our side. We will talk about this more at camp and I will bring you up to speed.


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First, I shouldn’t have gotten snarky - sorry for my loose lips.

I do grow weary of those marine biologists wielding doom and knowing exactly what needs to be done to save the lake. The advice ALWAYS means regulations and fisherman take the brunt of it and the government at some level gets more power than they should have.

Just ask the snapper guides down down on the Alabama Coast what federal gubment over reach looks like. In that case, kudos to Alabama state conservation organizations for fighting back.


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There is one way everyone is over looking that would help save a lot of Crappie Year round on Weiss . Remove the stripped bass. Not going to happen but before they were introduced by the real intelligent biologist that thought they could not reproduce in Weiss(oops forgot about that big spring in the upper end called little river and the gravelly bottom it has ) the lake held its own even with the garbo fishermen from up north filling several freezers yearly. But once the population of the stripers exploded the crappie population has slowly declined. Same intelligent biologist said they don't bother the crappie fry just the shad, guess they never bothered to look inside one stomachs of a 10lb
Striper. Maybe some of the strippers needed glasses so they wouldn't get them mixed in when on a feeding frenzy. About the only way to reduce the strippers would be to figure out a way to keep them out of the feeder creeks and small rivers that are spring fed so their spawning would not work, but then you wouldhave some irate guides and homeboy Stripper fishermen not happy and I would not blame them . Just my:twocents worth .... and for the record I know a tiny bit about fishes , I am a Biologist myself

I just bought our retirement home last year, and I love our lake. I wish there was an easy answer, the more post I read here the more complicated it's getting . I don't how much Cherokee co. Relies on the money the fishing season brings. Wonder if we as anglers could start an outreach to impose our own size and creel limits? It has to start somewhere I would take a pledge. Just saying.