Thread: Closing bays for spring spawn

We are obliged to answer to all of the public’s ideas or suggestions concerning management options of our lakes, streams, and rivers. However, we will not pursue a potentially controversial regulation without a full public survey. Such an inquiry would only occur after we determined that a particular regulation change would either benefit fish populations and our anglers, or if public outcry warranted a survey. KDFWR Biologist Rister was simply addressing issues brought to our attention at these meetings. We remain neutral to this and several other proposals suggested at these (or any other) meetings until it is determined that they are necessary options or that they have biological merit. Our intent is never to limit our resources for Kentucky’s sportsmen and women; in fact, the opposite is true as our record indicates.

Crappie.com is but one forum KDFWR may use to inform the public of any potentially controversial fisheries management decisions in Kentucky. We use all of our available media outlets. We also invite everyone to routinely visit the KDFWR website since every regulation proposal is posted there prior to beginning the process of passing them through the KDFWR Fisheries Committee (which convenes quarterly), the KDFWR Commission meeting (which occurs one month after the Committee meeting), and ultimately through the Commonwealth’s legislators. We wholeheartedly want the public to remain informed about everything we do. Evidence of this is a decision that KDFWR Fisheries Division recently made to simplify access to our annual reports and stocking protocols. That information can now be found at our “Fisheries Management” link which is linked to the “Fishing and Boating” link. This is a new attempt by KDFWR Fisheries Division to allow anglers easier access to the data our biologists use to make their decisions. Also, to be released very soon, we will include special reports that will cover in depth our responses to public comments at the League of Kentucky Sportsmen meetings, the recent Townhall meetings, and other comments as well. Our first release of some of these reports should be within a few weeks.

Ron Brooks, KDFWR Fisheries Division Director

I might not like seeing a bay I fish in made "Off Limits" but I would be willing to do it if it helped the fishery. The one thing I think should be considered is if they decide to do this, they should not make make the same bays "Off Limits" every year but rotate them every 3-4 years.

We are getting to the point where we could start losing more and more fishermen. It is getting more and more expensive while at the same time limits continue to decline. Many former fishermen will never come back because it costs to much with too little return. This means less and less money going into fish and game management.

We shouldn't abuse the resource but at the same time if sportsmen continue to see limits decrease some of them will finally say enough, instead they'll take the money they normally used to catch a fish dinner and instead buy steak for the entire family. If they did it would be way cheaper.

Being outdoors is what's its about but enjoying a nice bunch of crappie is icing on the cake. I think there are a lot of fishermen out there who would be willing to help put out habitat or do whatever that would help bring crappie back. Bass seem to be doing pretty well and you can't but wonder if it's because that's where the money is.

I've talked to Mr. Prister on a couple of occassions and he has always been a straight shooter. Hopefully the best decisions made will benefit fish and fishermen and in that order. There may be more serious problems on the horizon w/Asian carp that they will have to deal with. If it continues to be a problem, our fishery could be headed in a downward slide that will take many years to work out of.

Thanks Ron,
I appreciate your concern for Kentucky Sportsmen and there rights to hunt and fish on public lands and waterways. I started a petition 2 years ago against extending the closing of Smith and Duncan Bays.I had 14 locals,8 tourists and 6 guides that fish in these waters and they were willing to go to any meeting or talk to any official about what was seen as a threat to there fishing rights. I was told by Paul Rister that this idea was done because the biologist did not think it would have any significant effect on the overall population of crappie in Kentucky Lake.These bays are federal waters that we all enjoy in the spring. They in my opinion are the most diverse in wildlife that you will see anywhere in our beautiful state of Kentucky.The closure of these bays does not only effect crappie fishing it effects bass fishing,bank camping and wildlife veiwing. I have a good friend who is a professional photographer that anchors his sailboat in Duncan Bay in the spring and takes some very beautiful pictures of the eagles and wildlife in the bay.There are many boats that do overnighters in these bays.Can you deny the rights of everyone to enjoy a public waterway?

Why not change the size limit to say 12" I know most of the big Mississippi lake has a 12" size limit and it really helped the crappie alot according to the locals.

Our we could not do anything and hope for the best,everything Paul suggest someone has a complaint about it.Everyone wants better fishing but knowone wants to sacrifice anything for it.I sure would hate to have his job.

If extending the closure of Smith and Duncan bays until May 1st will help bring the crappie population up, then it may be something to consider. I guess one question is how many crappie normally spawn in these bays. And two, can these areas be protected from illegal fishing activities?

Another option may be to implement an 11 inch size limit. The Mississippi lakes with their growth rate seem to be able to support a 12 inch limit, not sure about a 12 inch limit on Ky Lake. It seems like there are lots of suggestions about how to improve the fishery and no easy answers.

I think the KDFWR has to start checking all the fish cleaning stations for short fish. I have seen crappie and largemouth ALL undersized being cleaned at a certain station or two. Paul, I can give you these by email. OOS fisherman are bad but I have asked even instaters about the small fish and they said it aint hurtin noone. I have called KDFWR with no response twice.Leave the fish alone and police the fishermen...that is all.

Paul, didn't you state in an earlier post that the fish in Blood River rarely left the bay? What good would it do to shut down a bay like that to fishing if the fish that are spawned there never go anywhere?

BBD has the answer. The lake and cleaning stations need to be swarmed with LEO's during the spawn and it won't take long for the word to get out. It really doesn't matter what size limit you put on the fish if people don't observe what is already there.