What Can Be Done About Nimrod's Stunted Crappie Population?

[slabbandit]

I have fished Lake Nimrod back when 2 to 2 1/2 lb slabs were pretty common. I have felt for many years now that Lake Nimrod could still produce the amount and quality of fish that it used too. It's still a rich, fertile, lake with an awesome amount of shad forage for the crappie to eat. The problem, in my opinion, is that the lake is considerably smaller in total acreage, at 3,550, than some of the more famous big crappie lakes which average 10,000 acres or even larger.
Although a huge amount of manmade structure has been placed in the lake I feel that, at best, this just concentrates the crappie to a spot where an angler can have more success but does nothing to help with the overall imbalance of size in the crappie population.

I read this from the article entitled "Crappie Science In The Headlines" by Brian Waldman.

Anglers think that you can simply slap a 10" size limit on a lake full of 6"-8" crappie and in a year or two, all those fish will have grown to 10" - WRONG. In many if not most cases, they'll stunt out and the population will be worse off than when you started.

Back on the original point. Biologists over in Illinois (Rend Lake) came up with a creative idea to improve crappie fishing for larger fish while stabilizing the cyclical nature of the population. They took their existing 25 fish limit and applied a tiered bag limit, such that you could only keep 5 of your 25 crappie >10", and the other 20 had to be <10". They later (2004) revised the over 10" component to 10 > 10", with the remaining 15 having to be under 10". This forced harvest of smaller fish while protecting for over harvest of larger fish. From a recent presentation on the results; "The size structure of the crappie population improved noticeably following implementation of the regulation. Data from the fall 2002 trapnet survey showed a sharp rise in the percentage of the crappie population > 10 in and this increase has remained relatively stable for eight years post-implementation. Creel data also showed a dramatic increase in catch rates and harvest of crappie > 10 in."

Sounds like a win for crappie anglers. Some posters on fishing forums even pointed out that it is, at times, difficult to even get your 15 fish under 10".

I, like every other crappie fisherman, like to show up at the cleaning station with a big mess of slab crappie to show off but this sounds like what this lake needs to become the awesome slab crappie lake that it once was.

All comments welcome!

Dave

[CrappiePro]

Seems like the AGFC would have a quick way to get some of those smaller fish out of there on a large scale... either by the use of nets or shocking then transport to a lake that needs them. I agree Lake Nimrod is stunted no doubt and the fish are slightly skinny compared to other good lakes ive fished.

[Lkconwayguru]

They need to kill the lake and start over, then in a few years it will be back bigger and better than ever.

[Bigben7]

You were on to it. The best thing possible for that lake would be to harvest more small (8" and less) fish. However, be warned that if it works, over time, catch rates will decrease. Everyone wants "more bigger" fish, but you can't have both.

[NIMROD]

Find a way to kill most of The Crappie spawn every other year would help. I think the lake went down hill when the buckbrush filled bays became mud flats. With all the timber spraying and clears cuts the lake was sufficated. Back in the hey days Nimrod produced lots of big fish but that was 1942 when it filled till in the late 1970's when problems started showing up. I remember old men trotlining slabs by the tubs full in the early 1970's. I think it could help to stay on the drawdown plan every 5 years to allow vegatation to grow, allow prey on the small fish, and encourage the commercial fishermen to remove more rough fish which compete for space. I would be better on a 3 year plan but I know too many folks would scream. Would help to stop holding lake higher 3' each spring. Leave the level at a set height except floods which we can't control. This would allow the vegatation a better chance on the shores and shallow coves. I would like to see them raise limit on fish under 10'' for those that could utilize them. That could work part of the year or maybe till test numbers dropped.

[NIMROD]

You were on to it. The best thing possible for that lake would be to harvest more small (8" and less) fish. However, be warned that if it works, over time, catch rates will decrease. Everyone wants "more bigger" fish, but you can't have both.

Being a flood control lake with thousands of acres of flooded vegatation during most spawns , I doubt fishing pressure could drop overall population enough to drop numbers too low. There is something wrong and it is more apparent in hot weather. Low oxygen causes fish to bunch up shallower and you can catch loads of fish. They seem really poor too. Could this be caused by the low oxygen? It got so bad we had a die off this past summer.

[Bigben7]

Summer is a stressful time for our temperate fish because their metabolism is on overdrive. This causes a lot of what people consider poor condition including thin fish. At this time they are more vulnerable to infections by things like parasites, bacteria and fungi as well.

Low oxygen conditions which are common during summer and especially during drought summers like this one do not help things. Fish kills like you had this summer are a risk of living in this latitude. That's what also makes it so productive.

The best example is the risk reward is in an oxbow lake. I think everyone can agree oxbows are some of the most productive bodies of water to produce a lot of large fish quickly. On the flip side they are also the most likely to have a turnover or oxygen depletion kill or flood with the river and trade a lot of sport fish for rough fish.

[jackie53]

Have fall crappie camp on lake Nimrod every fall!!!! Won't be any crappie left!!!! Like any other fish,duck,turkey,deer you need a balance floods during the spawn and droughts in the fall. Great lake,lots of fish,lots of crappie beds,pallets and good fishermen!!!! We can send you some hybrid stripers to help thin them out it worked so well on greers ferry they have about wiped the crappie out !!!!!

[jackie53]

We fish a border water lake in canada,Minn for smallmouth bass they have some of the best smallmouth fishing anywhere.They want you to throw back the bigger fish and keep the smaller ones to eat anything over 14 in throw back that is your good breeding stock they have made it.Keep the smaller ones too eat thin the small ones out so the bigger ones have a better chance of making it through the hard winters.They have great fishing!!!!! "ZUPS" on the border waters in Canada. Not if you will catch a five pound smallmouth you will catch one if you fish at all!!!!!!