Let's get the debate started

Very well said! By no means, do I want legislated conservation UNLESS it is backed up by scientific data! I have seen the guides on Calcasieu lake PUSH WL&F to change the speckled trout quantity limit to 15 rather than 25 although WL&F told them there was PLENTY of fish to support the 25 limit! Well the guides kept pushing and got the limit changed. This comes directly from a senior agent at WL&F. So by no means do I want this to happen! I fish the same body of water for most of my crappie trips, so there is a decent chance I may catch that big fish I release again.

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Originally Posted by mermentau

Personal conservation and legislated conservation are two different things. Personal conservation is up to the individual but I hate to see legislative conservation based on what people think or feel. I like scientific biological data to make big changes like that

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If that chart is even close for central Florida then I definitely need new scales because I regularly catch 15 to 18 inch black crappie and I have caught one 3 pounder in the last 5 years. Most of the fish I catch that size are only 2 to 2 and half pounds.

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Originally Posted by yankar

Keep enough to eat today all the rest back in the lake. Will release a big one if have enough small ones. All fish accumulate toxins with age. Larger fish will produce more eggs and more fry survival


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What if the 2+ pounder was old and it was it's last season to spawn. But you threw it back and kept five other 11-12 inch fish. Those other 5 fish would have produced
millions of more eggs in it's lifespan.

I think you should just only keep what you and your family can eat. Goes along with the old saying how many burgers can one man eat. If you fish occasionally maybe you keep more. If you go out all the time you may release most of your fish. I think most on this board has a passion for fishing and along with that comes a conservation mentality to not keep more than they can consume.

Then on the other hand you have some people who will keep undersize fish and throw trash in the water or leave trash along the bank. No respect


Myself I prefer colder water fish to eat and will keep winter fish. Maybe a few males during early spawn but I let the adult crappie do their thing. It's weird you can't hunt when deer have their offspring but fishing everyone goes out to catch them up. I guess crappie are prolific breeders and it doesn't effect the population enough to ban keeping fish during the spawn.

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Originally Posted by theygotaeat

It's just a general approximation there Elmo

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Lol


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I very seldom have the pleasure of catching 2lbers here in my area but a lot of gentlemen/ladies do. The few I've caught I have taken pictures of them and released them. I tell myself releasing those big girls will help the gene pool and population :-) The other reason is I don't like to eat those that big. They tend to taste a little different (wilder/stronger) than the smaller ones. Just my take.

Here in Illinois the life expectancy is 5-6 years. Doing the math I figure a 2# crappies days on earth are few. No advantage to throwing it back.

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Around the chemical plants fish absorb toxins like mercury. Not good for young children if eaten regularly. Older, larger fish are worse. Larger fish produce more eggs but are percentage wise less fertile. I fish regularly so I usually release more than I keep. Some fish when handled, photographed and played with too long may go into shock and die when released. I let the small ones have a life and eat a few older big ones. Sautéed or blackened and they never taste bad! �� Two pound fish for me are rare and they are always invited to dinner at my house.

Mercury is almost fully absorbed in the belly meat as I know anyways. Being that the primary river I fish has had mercury advisories for as long as I have visited a boat launch, I worry less about that portion of the fish.
My wife and three boys have eaten these fish up to three times a week.
Might be why we’re all loony.


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