Thread: LAKE TALQUIN- take care of it!!!

Been fishing Talquin for 20 years. I know the lake well and keep no fish smaller than 12 inches (self imposed limit). Also, when my clicker hits 20 fish, my mind starts saying "I got to clean these little suckers" so I call it a day or throw others back that I catch. When I'm down for a week, 20 fish daily is more than enough for me. I'm blessed to have such a great lake close to me!

Shellcrackers thrive off of mussels,clams and well any other creature with a shell. These creatures require hard sandy bottom. When a lake is newer it doesn't have as much sludge, mud and muck. So the bottoms is clean and clear. Shelled creature populations take off. So do Shellcrackers. In many places during drought and drawdowns lake bottoms get cleaned. This starts the cycle. Most of the Shellcracker records get broken within three years immediately after a drought/drawdown with clean up. Talquin shell cracker and white bass populations are down tremendously for many reasons. Habitat, forage, fishing pressure and invasive species to name a few. The crappie is a little different it is primarily fishing pressure. Though the loss of lily pads is beginning to play a huge role.

Nearby Lake Jackson has an amazing Shellcracker population. It has experienced many years off and on of drought. Clams at times large as baseballs cover the docks there. Two pound Shellcrackers are common and 1-1.5 are easily caught. Several factors go into management and each species requires something the other doesn't but a good management plan and vision are need for each body of water. Talquin seems to be mainly being focused on largemouth over the last ten years. Losing several commercial cat fishermen has also hurt pan fishing there. Jackson being in Tallahassee is getting a lot of talk towards management along with funding soon.

Originally Posted by crappielimits

Shellcrackers thrive off of mussels,clams and well any other creature with a shell. These creatures require hard sandy bottom. When a lake is newer it doesn't have as much sludge, mud and muck. So the bottoms is clean and clear. Shelled creature populations take off. So do Shellcrackers. In many places during drought and drawdowns lake bottoms get cleaned. This starts the cycle. Most of the Shellcracker records get broken within three years immediately after a drought/drawdown with clean up. Talquin shell cracker and white bass populations are down tremendously for many reasons. Habitat, forage, fishing pressure and invasive species to name a few. The crappie is a little different it is primarily fishing pressure. Though the loss of lily pads is beginning to play a huge role.

Nearby Lake Jackson has an amazing Shellcracker population. It has experienced many years off and on of drought. Clams at times large as baseballs cover the docks there. Two pound Shellcrackers are common and 1-1.5 are easily caught. Several factors go into management and each species requires something the other doesn't but a good management plan and vision are need for each body of water. Talquin seems to be mainly being focused on largemouth over the last ten years. Losing several commercial cat fishermen has also hurt pan fishing there. Jackson being in Tallahassee is getting a lot of talk towards management along with funding soon.

What kind of invasive species are in Talquin


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Originally Posted by Glad2Bhere

What kind of invasive species are in Talquin


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The most critical is flathead catfish. Unfortunately fisherman imported them from other fisheries illegally. The river red bellies have been hurt the worst but all panfish have been affected.

Do any of you guys know what they are spraying on Talquin, I have been seeing a couple airboats spraying some weeds near my house up on the East end of the lake?

They seem to be targeting a specific type of plant, but when I went out for a ride last night it just looked like normal grass that they had sprayed.

Originally Posted by Lowhydrogen

Do any of you guys know what they are spraying on Talquin, I have been seeing a couple airboats spraying some weeds near my house up on the East end of the lake?

They seem to be targeting a specific type of plant, but when I went out for a ride last night it just looked like normal grass that they had sprayed.

Did you ever get any info about the spraying?


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Originally Posted by Glad2Bhere

Did you ever get any info about the spraying?


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Yes, sorry for the late reply. I saw them down at the ramp one morning a couple weeks back. They're contracted by FWC. They're from Central FL and are targeting an invasive grass.

Originally Posted by Lowhydrogen

Yes, sorry for the late reply. I saw them down at the ramp one morning a couple weeks back. They're contracted by FWC. They're from Central FL and are targeting an invasive grass.

If its the same guys spraying down here, they may be targeting one type of grass but have really bad aim. They nuke everything including tree limbs 20' above the water.

I only fish locally but would be in support of smaller creel limits and bigger fish minimums. With the advance in electronics more people can find and catch fish more easily. And more people are fishing now than ever. I like to catch and keep my limit but it is the responsibility of our generation to preserve a fishery for those young fishermen to enjoy. Just my thoughts.

How has the crappie fishing been the last few days with the warmer weather? I will be down this weekend. Must be doing good, the web is quiet!