Kentucky lake limit

that KY/Barkley Lakes have become infested with Zebra Mussels !! This has helped clear the water clarity, too. And it may be a factor in the decline of the White Crappie, since the mussels filter feed on the same planktons as Crappie fry. Could it not also be possible, that Black Crappie fry have a different diet, and are not impacted as much ??
I've also heard that the lakes went thru a couple of years of drought conditions, and that may have impacted the spawns of those years.
The "grass/water weeds" are also supposed to be making a comeback, and that bodes well for the Black Crappie (which prefer weeds/clear water ... think Canadian border area and Florida ;) )
White Crappie do prefer murky/warm waters, and Black Crappie prefer clear/cooler waters ... so maybe the changing conditions of the lakes has more to do with the domination change, than other factors ?

As to the creel limit reduction, I think it's the easiest, cheapest, and most fair way that the KDFWR knows how to use, to slow down the harvest numbers. We won't know, one way or another, for several more years, if it will help the fishery recover.

... cp :cool:

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Originally Posted by crappiepappy

that KY/Barkley Lakes have become infested with Zebra Mussels !! This has helped clear the water clarity, too. And it may be a factor in the decline of the White Crappie, since the mussels filter feed on the same planktons as Crappie fry. Could it not also be possible, that Black Crappie fry have a different diet, and are not impacted as much ??
I've also heard that the lakes went thru a couple of years of drought conditions, and that may have impacted the spawns of those years.
The "grass/water weeds" are also supposed to be making a comeback, and that bodes well for the Black Crappie (which prefer weeds/clear water ... think Canadian border area and Florida ;) )
White Crappie do prefer murky/warm waters, and Black Crappie prefer clear/cooler waters ... so maybe the changing conditions of the lakes has more to do with the domination change, than other factors ?

... cp :cool:

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You are right CP. There are several reasons for the water clearing up here on Ky. Lake. You mentioned Zebra Mussels. Un fortunately my industry (tow boats) and pleasure craft are primarily responsible for the introduction of the Zebra Mussel into the lakes. They attach themselves to the hulls of boats & barges and get a piggyback ride to other river systems. They are also found in ballast water. They are a problem.

Anytime you introduce a non-native species into an ecosystem you are asking for trouble! It takes decades for that system to evolve and adjust to the new addition to the family.

The weeds are coming back too. They made an attempt to keep them out a few years ago but they are on the way back. I for one welcome them but your pleasure boaters and skiers don't like them much. :D They act like a filter and sift out sediment and cause it to settle around the weed beds. That’s one of the ways they get their nutrients.

You are also right that for the last few years the water flow has been down. The age of the lake has also contributed to the clarity. Most of the soil has long since washed off the banks & exposed rock causing less muddy runoff. Many farmers have changed their practices and gone to no-till as well as CRP/Set aside programs. All of these are contributes to the change.

As for the fish population... Anyone who thinks that the crappie population in these lakes is in great shape is kidding themselves or just don't know what it used to be like.

BadBrad mentioned in his last post about the abundance of crappie in the "old day". He was right. I was there. I can remember my granddad & I fishing in Ky. Lake for years and if we didn't catch 150 or 200 BIG crappie a day he thought the fishing was slow! :eek: Unfortunately many of our parents and grandparents thought that the fishing would last forever. We know better today.

There used to be no limit. Then they imposed a 60 fish limit, then 30, then 30/ 10 inch, now 20 / 10 in. Folks the horse is already out of the barn! You can say what you want to about how great the new limit is but you'll see 10 or 15fish limits in a few years. When they set the limit at 30/ 10 inch fish I told my dad that it wouldn't be but a few years and they'd drop it to 20. It was a no brainer. I spend between 120 & 150 days a year chasing these fish & I see the changes first hand. The new limit alone WILL NOT fix the problem!

With today's fishing pressure, boats, technology, movement studies, lures, poles, books, videos, etc... A poor'ol crappie don't stand a chance.

Sooner or later they're gonna see how much crappie mean to the local economy and get serious about the problem. It chapps my fanny! You let 1 Elk die and KDFW is jumping thru their butt to see what happened and try to head off a problem. The crappie around here have made millions of dollars for this state over the years and all they can do is slow the leak!

Folks I hate to sound so negative but sometimes the truth hurts!

BTW I don't claim to have all the answers. My tax dollars and licence fees are suposed to pay for people to figure it out.

BadBrad brought up Weiss Lake and I believe Weiss Lake Association actually stocks 100,000 crappie every year. They say it's to keep the gene pool strong. I wouldn't think 100,000 fish wouldn't matter in a lake that size but ya' got to admid they have a heck of a fishery there.

I watched a video the other day, not sure exacty which lake, but they were going to build a hatchery on that lake just for stocking crappies. (may have been Lake of the Ozark's, not really sure) Same problem, fishing has declined in recent years. They felt the only way to sustain the fishing was with additional stockings.

It would be interesting to see if stocking would help, but would probably be tough to convince the State DNR to give it a try.

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Originally Posted by crappiemax

BadBrad brought up Weiss Lake and I believe Weiss Lake Association actually stocks 100,000 crappie every year. They say it's to keep the gene pool strong. I wouldn't think 100,000 fish wouldn't matter in a lake that size but ya' got to admid they have a heck of a fishery there.

I watched a video the other day, not sure exacty which lake, but they were going to build a hatchery on that lake just for stocking crappies. (may have been Lake of the Ozark's, not really sure) Same problem, fishing has declined in recent years. They felt the only way to sustain the fishing was with additional stockings.

It would be interesting to see if stocking would help, but would probably be tough to convince the State DNR to give it a try.

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That's gonna have to happen here sooner or later if they want to sustain a good crappie population. Heck if they'd start a stocking program I'd supply the females! :D

They won't ever do it though. They'll stock deer, turkey, otters. They'll move Elk 2500 miles but they won't even consider helping out the crappie.

Ive read all your posts and I agree on slot size , limit of 20 , and would like to see limit on poles 2 per person. Its 300 miles for me to get down their but still try to make it at least once a year.If my wife would learn how to clean fish I'd move down their .

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Originally Posted by howferg

Ive read all your posts and I agree on slot size , limit of 20 , and would like to see limit on poles 2 per person. Its 300 miles for me to get down their but still try to make it at least once a year.If my wife would learn how to clean fish I'd move down their .

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Heck come on down! We'll have your wife clean'n fish like a pro in no time! :D

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Originally Posted by howferg

Ive read all your posts and I agree on slot size , limit of 20 , and would like to see limit on poles 2 per person. Its 300 miles for me to get down their but still try to make it at least once a year.If my wife would learn how to clean fish I'd move down their .

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If there's a limit to how many you keep what difference does it make how many poles you use??? You can still only keep the limit.

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Originally Posted by wannabe fisherman

If there's a limit to how many you keep what difference does it make how many poles you use??? You can still only keep the limit.

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I agree. A pole restriction would not be popular with the spider riggers. :(

If they put a limit on the number of fish, a limit of the number of poles you use what's next?? Limit the amount of time you can spend on the water??

I know everyone likes to have a lot of poles in the water, the more the hooks the more the chances of a bite. No offense intended in my reply to howferg's suggestion, I agree with him. If you are on a spot and catching fish two poles are plenty. If 2 poles can't catch 20 fish in a 10 or 11 hour day then your not gonna catch those 20 fish. I wish they would have gone with a 15 fish limit and moved the size to 12 inches. You would'nt be catching too many keepers for a few years but it would really get a lot better in that time, thats just my two cents.