Thread: Lookin at Butla

Originally Posted by bird down

I will bite on this and try to give my opinion. I think the lake absolutely got pounded last summer by fisherman. I also think a good many fish died when the water got so low. I could smell them from the mud hole off of interstate 55. It may have been land locked at the time but that is the same fish that swim in butla. I think a lot of fish went through the spillway due to extremely low water. With that what is left? I honestly believe there is only 15 percent of the crappie population compared to the prior year. You take all that and then give them a place to hide and there you go. Fishing sux. Btw handi, the year you spoke of that water was so high I actually did really well. This year I have only been 4 times, in prime conditions, and caught one fish.

It's a good thing all them big ones got whacked last summer. I would hate to have seen them all die to low water or going through the spillway. At least some of them got put to good use.

Butta is getting a week deserved rest this year and it needs it.

I meant well deserved rest. Dang autocorrect.

just because a fish is a year older it is not for sure that he'll be bigger.

Originally Posted by Gomer Snerd

just because a fish is a year older it is not for sure that he'll be bigger.

Are you serious? If so, you may want to work with us on habitat day so you can talk the the MS biologist.

I said nothing about butla. Instead Will stick to my statement that just because they are a year older they may not be bigger. Don't need to talk to your biologist. My degree is in wildlife management.

Originally Posted by Gomer Snerd

I said nothing about butla. Instead Will stick to my statement that just because they are a year older they may not be bigger. Don't need to talk to your biologist. My degree is in wildlife management.

I dont think that you do no what your talking about nor do i think you have ever caught one of those hogs out of butla.

Originally Posted by Gomer Snerd

I said nothing about butla. Instead Will stick to my statement that just because they are a year older they may not be bigger. Don't need to talk to your biologist. My degree is in wildlife management.

This is a thread about Butla, it is automatically implicit that we are talking about Butla if not stated otherwise.

Originally Posted by Gomer Snerd

just because a fish is a year older it is not for sure that he'll be bigger.

There may be a situation where that logic applies, but it isn't Butla

That lake is so full of tiny shad you wouldn't believe it. The stained water color stunts their growth (the shad) a little and they make perfect crappie forage as such. When you filet a crappie at Butla it is normal for a pile of those little shad to fall out of the gut. Those are arguably the best fed crappie in the nation, and as Stan alluded that info is straight from Keith Meals mouth and backed up by my filet knife!!!

The breakdown they give on the big four is that Butla and Grenada have a similar ecosystem in terms of the shad having a slower growth rate, meaning multiple year classes of shad are small enough for crappie to eat, and therefore providing a better food source for the crappie, this is owing primarily to the stained water color. My guess is that the stained water inhibits algae blooms which are the forage for the shad themselves.
As far as Enid and Sardis, the water is somewhat clearer, the shad grow faster and provide a better forage base for Bass, meaning only the youngest shad are small enough for most crappie to forage on, which is why you will catch larger Bass at those 2 lakes and larger crappie at Butla and Grenada.

As far as ranking the lakes, I think a 12" crappie would be heaviest at Butla, then Grenada, Sardis and Enid last. That is why the 3 lbrs. come from where they do

Originally Posted by Gomer Snerd

just because a fish is a year older it is not for sure that he'll be bigger.

Is that a true statement or do you carry your lunch?? It says nothing about butla. It does say something about a fish in a stunted population or one up in years on the decline.