Quote Originally Posted by sterkat View Post

That's why I release all my crappie over 2.8 pounds until I finally catch that 4lber I'll probably never catch.
Just curious, why is "2.8" lbs. your magic number? Or was this a typo? That 15-16 inch crappie has had the same genes from the moment he hatched. Being sexually mature at 1-2 years old, I'm sure he/she has spread their genetic line around somewhere in the lake a time or two. I'm all for releasing big fish (more so during the spawn) however, it's a mute point when it comes to genetics.

Some bodies of water just will not support nor grow the quality of fish that we all want. By imposing a 10 inch limit on fish I'd like to think that these fish get a chance to spawn a time or two in turn passing on their genes. There's no guarantee that the offspring of these 3lb crappie that are released would ever make it to that size in their lifetime regardless of whether they were released at 10 inches or not. One thing is for certain, if he ends up in the grease there's no doubt he's done growing, but as a fisherman and hunter I wouldn't want to see unrealistic restrictions put into place in attempt to grow trophy deer or trophy fish. If it's legal, do as you wish. Have fun and enjoy some fried fish every now and then if you choose to do so.

The secret to any trophy management program is age. You want to deplete your resources, keep on filling the coolers with barely minimum fish. In due time you wipe out an entire slot size of fish for several years to come. To top it all off, like you mentioned, toss in a curve ball from mother nature and you can have some SERIOUS issues with our fisheries.