Release the Big Ones

[yenach11]

I am new to central Florida, Plant City to be excact. I enjoy Speck fishin' with moderate success, trying lake after lake from I-4 south to Okee. I have been skunked on Specks but never skunked on fish often finding catfish and bass interested in my minnow pole.

But!!!!!!!!! Fishing has picked up and I have been culling nice fish keeping from 7 -17 slabs in the 12 - 15 inch range. Now I noticed I am keeping slab females full of spawn. That big ol' female in doomed to grease and the fry will not hatch. She was big and I was proud to open my live well and show off slabs.

I am gonna stop for the sake of the fishery! I am going to slot 10 - 12 inch fish and return the bigguns until after the spawn.

What do you think fellow enthusiasts! Practicing conservation catches on, "wise use of resources".

Dick "Yenach"

[slimecoat]

Sometimes I wonder if that’s the case with crappie. I’ve noticed man lakes in central Florida are full of stunted dinks. Its seems that the more you catch the bigger the remainder of them grow. I like to see what a fisheries biologist says

[#1 SuS-speck]

I noticed that if I find small ones,that I need to move until I find the bigger ones.Dinks tend to school away from the bigger fish for what ever reason.Gave it a try and tell me what you find.Good luck.Plus crappie are the rabbits of the fish world,if you get my drift.

[RAWHIDE]

Strippers will destroy a crappie population faster than anything. They will eat their weight in fry weekly so don't worry about fishing out a good lake. Fish,clean,eat. There's an old saying put two specks in your pond and you'll never get rid of them. A bad biologist can ruin a body of water faster than a drought.

[slimecoat]

Not only do they destroy crappie populations they wear cheap purfume and smoke and drink too much!

[RAWHIDE]

Oh How True!!!!!

[fishwish]

Not only do they destroy crappie populations they wear cheap purfume and smoke and drink too much!

Now that's funny. Sounds like a voice of "experience"!!!!!

[centerdriver]

Strippers will destroy a crappie population faster than anything. They will eat their weight in fry weekly so don't worry about fishing out a good lake. Fish,clean,eat. There's an old saying put two specks in your pond and you'll never get rid of them. A bad biologist can ruin a body of water faster than a drought.

No treur wrods ever werr spkoen.