Thread: Too Many Dinks! What do you do!

If you take dinks home, then they won't grow up to be keepers, no more keepers

All the dinks eat also. So; if you leave all the dinks, then dinks is what you get. Remove the dinks and there is more food for the rest. More food, less competition means bigger fish. This process takes time, but it does work.

I agree some dinks need culled. I recently saw on tv a show about the crappie length limits and how it was a social stigma more so than an ecological benefit. Setting the length limit did not siginificantly help the overall size of the crappie in a lake based on a study from chicot lake due to the mortality of the crappie.

We had a 10" limit years back and it did not accomplish whatever their goal was. Now we don't have a length limit. I equate it to deer hunting. Protect the does and only take bucks and soon does make up about 80 to 90% of the population.
A few people I know just don't like to be seen at the cleaning station with dinks but I feel that every catch should have some in it. I'll continue to take them out myself. I always keep 7 or 8 alive for culling though.Thumbs Up
I agree given time they will grow to be big ones. I am just concerned about the sheer numbers in this 3500 acre lake.
I'm not saying that anybody's idea is right or wrong. I just want to here everyones take on the subject.

Dave

To each his own. Some people like to trophy fish and some people just like to catch fish. I personally like the 10 to 12 inchers to eat. I like to catch any fish though.

Originally Posted by arkansasbowhunter

to each his own. Some people like to trophy fish and some people just like to catch fish. I personally like the 10 to 12 inchers to eat. I like to catch any fish though.

x 2

Nothing wrong keeping a few hand sized Crappie to finish out a limit to cook. But keeping those by the cooler full with some so small it leaves nothing but a tater chip sized piece of meat is crazy. I see folks cleaning fish that are less than 6'' long and paper thin. Our White Crappie our usually thin under 10''. I like to see them keep the black Crappie if they want small fish. The lake grows few good sized Blacks but has a fair portion of them. A 8'' or bigger Black will have a little more meat on it too. I think fishing pressure is so great on Nimrod that the larger fish are caught off too quickly. Not sure what the answer is but we have a high per centage of small fish. Part of the reason is high waters which allow good spawns every spring. I was told the drawdown last summer would help thin out the small fish by concentrating them with the predators. . Folks hauled the dinks out by the coolerfulls. Then a huge spawn this spring has the lake swarming with bait fish. We should have some better Crappie next spring.

Biggest myth in fishing-- Leave the little crappie and they will grow into big crappie. That little crappie might be as old relatively as grandpa. a 5 year old crappie might weigh 2 pounds or 8 ounces depending on food supply and other factors.
Question is-
Do you want a lake with a acre holding about 500 pounds of crappie consisting of 1500 5 ounce crappie or 500 one pounders?