Self Imposed 10" Size Limit

[BubbaThump]

I'm a Tville regular and I've noticed a big difference in the size of fillet between a 9" fish and a 10" fish. I can't justify killing a 9" fish any more. There just isn't enough meat to bother with cleaning it. I thought this pic on my phone illustrates it pretty good.



That's a 12",11",10", and 9" crappie. My intentions this year are to not keep crappie under 10". The fish and wildlife won't raise the limit to 10" because of the number of fish that are produced by the lake. They need more fish taken out so others have more room to grow. I guess that makes sense for the average Joe, but I want to see more fish grow to the 10" limit before I take them. It makes for better fillets and the lake has plenty of fertility and forage to support the extra demands of the larger fish. Tell me what y'all think.

[M R Dux]

Each to his own.

What you are saying may be honorable but in the long run will have almost zero affect on populations. Biologists base the creel and size limits by what they feel a particular body of water's fish population can support. The guy who only fishes a few times a year but keeps everything he catches will have a much more adverse affect than you setting a self-imposed size limit will help. Don't think those folks are out there? Go to the cleaning stations at the motels and resorts around KY and Barkley Lakes. I'll bet good money every garbage can at those will contain short crappie. Many who come here to fish have the attitude"I'm spending my hard-earned $$ and there is an almost ZERO CHANCE I will be caught. I'll keep what I want to".

[Tony the Tiger]

Each to his own.

Yup. That's what I believe

[RCC]

I like to catch a big fish, but on a smaller lake, someone has to take out the smaller fish to prevent over population. An example of extreme of this is Lake Charles, Arkansas. The AGFC put a length limit of 9 or 10 inches on this lake of around 600 acres. Now, it is tough to catch a crappie over 7 inches. There is a very delicate balance that needs to be maintained between quantity and quality. Even the trained biologists miss this from time to time, the example being Lake Charles.

If a lake can support a minimum 10 inch length limit, I'm all for it. Some can, and some can't.

[jackie53]

Not knocking.We had one of the best crappie lakes near our home in the country.The lake RCC is talking about.unreal the size crappie and bream you could catch.Could catch limit of 10-12 in crappie any time of the year and some close to 2-3 lb's crappie.The Game and fish added a 10 in min to help grow bigger crappie. Was a huge mistake that will never recover. Can catch 50-100 crappie all 8-9 in and thin.If you hook a small less than 10 in crappie what do you do with the dead crappie? If you keep it its against the law.! if you throw it back your breaking the law! Keep what you can eat use throw the rest back(My Two cents)Couple years ago they added Florida Strain bass and Flathead catfish and took the 10 in limit off. Just in the last couple years and with this years flood should help.Love crappie fish'n.enjoy catching and seeing other's catching especially kid's.I am for protecting the environment but not crippling it.These crappie are a sample from Lake Charles not big.We have caught 100's of crappie keep some to eat.Release the rest nice clean parks and nice boat ramps.

[slabseeker1]

We all fish for different reasons and those reasons may change as we get older. Like Bubba, I choose not to keep fish less than ten inches and seldom keep more than ten not so much for the ecology of the lake or fish but more for that guy who only gets out a few times a year. I hold no grudge to that guy to keep nine inch fish and hope he gets a limit. For the vast majority reading this, we give our day's catch to those we take out and enjoy the smile we've help given at the end of the day. In my prime I'd keep a limit when blessed with those days that gave them up. Back then I worked at Lowes and would have fish fries for the employees and some of the regular customers. I fried up a many as five hundred crappie fillets and made a lot people smile. Now, I guess I'd like to see the newbees come and enjoy what I've been blessed to experience in my hay day. Maybe be a small part of helping the ones that aren't sure just where to start. Not ready to give up waypoints, just points.

[ccollins]

We all fish for different reasons and those reasons may change as we get older. Like Bubba, I choose not to keep fish less than ten inches and seldom keep more than ten not so much for the ecology of the lake or fish but more for that guy who only gets out a few times a year. I hold no grudge to that guy to keep nine inch fish and hope he gets a limit. For the vast majority reading this, we give our day's catch to those we take out and enjoy the smile we've help given at the end of the day. In my prime I'd keep a limit when blessed with those days that gave them up. Back then I worked at Lowes and would have fish fries for the employees and some of the regular customers. I fried up a many as five hundred crappie fillets and made a lot people smile. Now, I guess I'd like to see the newbees come and enjoy what I've been blessed to experience in my hay day. Maybe be a small part of helping the ones that aren't sure just where to start. Not ready to give up waypoints, just points.

This is dead on . XX2

[Kevmc]

Each to his own.

What you are saying may be honorable but in the long run will have almost zero affect on populations. Biologists base the creel and size limits by what they feel a particular body of water's fish population can support. The guy who only fishes a few times a year but keeps everything he catches will have a much more adverse affect than you setting a self-imposed size limit will help. Don't think those folks are out there? Go to the cleaning stations at the motels and resorts around KY and Barkley Lakes. I'll bet good money every garbage can at those will contain short crappie. Many who come here to fish have the attitude"I'm spending my hard-earned $$ and there is an almost ZERO CHANCE I will be caught. I'll keep what I want to".

Right on, I've seen guys catch a limit in the morn, back in the afternoon, keeping 7" fish....

[crappiemax]

I'm with ya all the way Bubba. I guess when I was a kid I kept smaller fish but I personally just can't see the point in cleaning 9" fish. If someone else wants to clean them that's up to them.
I've been more selective for probably the last 10 years. I also am conservative about the number of fish I keep. We have a 30 fish limit up here and I rarely keep more than 15 fish or so between 2 guys fishing. There's a few guys up here who keep everything over 9" they catch and will keep 3 or 4 limits per week, I know I don't get it.
As far as Ky Lake I will say it's a rare time I see anyone with short fish.

[justinp61]

KY and Barkley Lakes have a 10" minimum so I don't keep anything smaller. Personally I don't keep anything over 1 1/2 pound. It may not make any difference but I haven't missed any crappie suppers because of it.