Self Imposed 10" Size Limit

Depends on what lake I'm fishing. The lakes here in NW Pa don't have a size limit but you can keep fifty per day. They imposed this high limit for a reason. The crappies don't grow fast up here and almost every spawn is pretty much successful year after year. That makes for a tremendous amount of crappies in these lakes. If a ten inch size limit was imposed these waters would be over run with stunted crappies very quickly. We have some nice fish because our people don't mind eating nine inch fish. The meat is a lot fresher than an eight year old crappie that's twelve or thirteen Inches. Yeah it takes a little more time to clean them, as we keep more than most states, but they are worth it. They taste great.
When I fish lakes with size limits, like Ky Lake, I abide by the lake rules, always. Have to admit that I have seen some short fish almost every time I stop at the cleaning station, as MR DUX said. Not wishing any bad luck on those guys but I won't feel sorry for them if / when they get caught. And double dippers should be taken out to the woodshed.

I'm relatively newer to crappie fishing and the balance of the ecosystem they live in. I understand what y'all are saying about overpopulation problems if the shorter fish aren't being taken out. I guess I just thought that if all the fish were allowed to grow to 10" before they were kept it wld make a better fishery. But places like Tville produce so many crappie that it wld be overcome with short fish in a couple years if nobody kept any of the 9" fish.

I have heard of a couple guys catching limits in the morning and goin back out in the afternoon and catching another limit or two, and not being afraid of getting caught doin it. Chaunc nailed it when he said they should be taken to the wood shed. The few guys who disrespect the law make all of us look bad when there is a garbage can full of short fish. I've seen it at the cleaning station at Kenlake at Ky Lake.

Like Mr. Dux said, to each his own, and I just meant that as my personal goal this year, I was not going to keep craaps under 10". Slabseeker nailed it when he said it was good to leave some smaller fish for the newcomers. Thanks for feedback guys. Y'all are a wealth of information.

Chaunc I can appreciate your northern crappie. Years back I fished Dale Walburn, Berlin Reservoir, Pymatuning and they gave up some fair numbers but, for the most part pretty small. When I started fishing Lake Erie, my boat was always the first in the water, come spring, and I'd fish the docks and pilings around the marina at East Harbor where we kept it moored. When we moved south and I started fishing down here, these crappie almost looked deformed, what with their size. To be honest, the first time I saw someone talk of a "gasper goo" I thought they were just referring to a big ole slab :) It took awhile, but I caught on. After fishing a few lakes down here and the ones up north, does the amount of forage, size and depth of a lake have any affect on the crappie these lakes produce? Lake Erie would produce big crappie but not in numbers like the lakes down here and that may be due to the growing season. I know I've been out on Barren and hear water splashing, turn and see an acre of shad schools boiling the water. More than once I've heard guys say that every full moon there's another shad hatch on Barren. Not sure if that's true but our fish aren't as big as the Ky Lake crappie. Now is that because of the expanse of Ky Lake. Who know's? Just things to ponder while I'm trapped in the house with this cursed cabin fever. Does anyone remember what that thump feels like? :fish

Really enjoyed the post great topic. Love fishing Kentucky lake some of the best if not the best fishing anywhere.With a 10 in length limit."we have a small lake we fish that has this limit"What do you do with a 9 in fish hooked deep and dies before you put it back in the water?We all have done it and if not it will happen.Not trying to hyjack thread fish a lake with the 10 in limit.What do you suggest we do with the fish? If you throw it back you are breaking the law if you keep it you are breaking the law.

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Originally Posted by jackie53

Really enjoyed the post great topic. Love fishing Kentucky lake some of the best if not the best fishing anywhere.With a 10 in length limit."we have a small lake we fish that has this limit"What do you do with a 9 in fish hooked deep and dies before you put it back in the water?We all have done it and if not it will happen.Not trying to hyjack thread fish a lake with the 10 in limit.What do you suggest we do with the fish? If you throw it back you are breaking the law if you keep it you are breaking the law.

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I throw them back, a ticket is not worth it to me. Usually on Barkley there is an Eagle or Osprey to take care of the wounded fish, in my mind I'm giving back to nature.

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Originally Posted by Greenwing

I throw them back, a ticket is not worth it to me. Usually on Barkley there is an Eagle or Osprey to take care of the wounded fish, in my mind I'm giving back to nature.

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...or a Blue Heron. I absolutely hate to throw a bleeding short fish back but will every time. Last thing I need is my name in the paper as a game law violator.

I also will not keep a female redear unless it is for mounting or is bleeding from a gill or serious throat wound and will die anyway.

Hang on there just a minute, fellers ... where in the KDFWR regulations does it say it's illegal to release a short fish if it's injured/bleeding ??? Or am I misunderstanding ya'll :dono

It does say that undersized fish should be released immediately & in the "best condition possible" ... but, I can't find anything that says it's illegal to release one that's NOT !!

Now, I do see members from other states chiming in, and it may be illegal in their state (though the law doesn't really make any sense to me, if it does say that) ... but, I don't find it in any of OUR state regulations.

And just to keep to the subject ... I "self impose" a size limit of 1/2 inch over whatever the size limit of that particular lake happens to be ... just as a precaution to avoid "livewell shrinkage" and a potential ticket. I've even marked my "Golden Rule" measuring device so that it measures "long" ... and I make sure any fish measured on it is "obviously" well past that mark. I figure by doing it that way, I'm not only protecting myself, but the resource as well.

... cp :kewl

I'm with you 100%. 9 in fish aren't worth keeping unless you scale them as opposed to filleting g them.
Hand in hand with that I NEVER keep female fish during spawn season. It agrivates the thunder out of me to see of all people Wally Marshall putting chubby females in the livewell. I'm not picking on Wally but expect better things from a spokesperson of the crappie community. TAKE A PIC OF THE BIG FEMALES AND THROW EM BACK PLEASE.

I don't have any problem with someone keeping a legal fish. My limits at Tville invariably contain a couple of 9 inchers. I also have thrown several 9 inchers back if I'm in to some better fish. I've also thrown back all legal fish and kept none. I think a 9 is plenty big enough to clean,heck a 9 in bluegill is a nice fish. People would be thrilled to have a mess of those.
I just think people should follow the rules then make themselves happy. I'm fine with whatever.
Not to change the subject but I never get checked on the water. Maybe twice on Tville for what they called creel surveys. They were biologists not looking for violations. Couple of times at Barren for safety checks. Once at rough at the ramp safety check. That's all I can remember,in 30 years of fishing from a boat in Kentucky. Hundreds of trips I guess. Or over a hundred trips anyway.
I've never been stopped by a game warden and asked to show my fish. Is this y'alls experience?

I've been checked one time in 5 years of fishing at Tville. He did a thorough check of my boat safety equipment but never checked my fish. I've never been stopped at any other lake in Ky.