Harvesting Females

[JigginPoleJoe]

I hear a lot of folks saying they release females in the spring... If that is your goal, why only the spring?

My thought would be.. If you harvest one in the fall... It still would have spawned in the upcoming spring... So... What's the difference?

[hawgdog]

I hear a lot of folks saying they release females in the spring... If that is your goal, why only the spring?

My thought would be.. If you harvest one in the fall... It still would have spawned in the upcoming spring... So... What's the difference?

The difference is nothing.... Nothing at all... In my opinion anyway

[Gkbatts]

Maybe jus the thought that she's so close to spawning and full of eggs... if u catch one in Aug I guess there could b a chance of her dying or getting inhaled by a big flathead before the next spawn...I keepem anytime they decide to come aboard my vessel personally!

[NIMROD]

Better not bite my jig.

[D10]

I hear a lot of folks saying they release females in the spring... If that is your goal, why only the spring?

My thought would be.. If you harvest one in the fall... It still would have spawned in the upcoming spring... So... What's the difference?

I agree. However a lot of people can't visually tell the difference between a male and female except when the females are full of eggs during the prespawn and spawn. So they are only selective during this time. Personally I don't care what gender it is. They both taste good to me.

[501mooney87]

I'm not a sexist, I eat em all!

[Possum]

I agree with Gkbatts. After the spawn they might or might not have another year to live. Using this logic there is possibly a difference in when you keep or release females. Another argument might be, why the hell are you fishin for crappie if you aren't going to eat them? There are other species of fish that fight better. My bottom line is I'm with Nimrod on this one, "I'm not a sexist, I eat em all!"

[arkcrappie]

I only keep a female crappie if I can get it in the net.

[ski trip]

I can't taste the difference in a male and a female crappie! Just my !

[dog doc]

Keeping or releasing females is personal choice. MY choice is to release them in the spring when they are heavy with eggs. Big crappie produce big offspring. A female just before spawn has a better chance of living to lay eggs than one that is caught late summer or fall. Fishing is not about a limit every time or it should not be. I see pictures on here of people catching a limit two to three times a week(how many fish do you have in the freezer, that it would hurt to turn loose a large female, full of eggs). The fun is in the catching and having some to catch the next time you go. Count the fish in your freezers and tell me why it makes me less of a crappie fisherman that I decide to turn females loose. Most lakes in Arkansas do not have a slot size, so does it make sense to keep every fish you catch just so you can say "I CAUGHT A LIMIT". Little fish grow into larger ones, large females produce eggs to make little crappie to grow into bigger ones. Just my thoughts, not expressed very well but my thoughts anyway. CATCH AND KEEP THEM ALL> CATCHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN FISHING EVERYDAY.