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Is cj soft yet. Want to fish
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Crappie.com 2K Star General
Who was that...Edwin Wainwright III......Originally Posted by CrappieDreamer
lol
"So they informed me, that ain't no rose, roll up the windows, and hold your nose...you don't have to look, and you don't have to see, you can smell it in your olfactory....dead skunk in the middle of the road, stinkin' to high heaven"!
I had that on a 45 when I was young!...I sing it to Dale and he thinks I'm nuts....maybe! Lol
Keitech USA Pro Staff
Keeper
Is cj soft yet. Want to fish
Crappie.com 2K Star General
From another post on the Main thread about why do Crappie have such a low survival rate when they produce so many eggs!
The info is true...they just do not go into all of the factors....in the Wild, researchers speculate that only 1% may reach LEGAL size...ideas vary but BEST CASE scenerio is that 3% spawn once.
First, all of those eggs are not always viable or get fertilized.
When the Males sit on the nests, invaders (craws, worms, fish) will get in to eat eggs.
Once the eggs hatch, invaders will eat fry (craws, bluegills, other fish, etc)
At 70 degrees the Male heads off and the fry are on there own....they are a nice soft, small, piece of sushi FOR ANYTHING.
EVEN at Adult size they are Prey for Musky, Walleye, Cats of all kinds, etc, etc!
Then you have Water birds, Eagles, otters, coons, etc.
Then polluted water, disease, dams, water fluctuations, algae blooms, etc.
And in some cases MAN is the largest killer of Crappie...besides eating...Many Adult Crappie are killed by using TOO SMALL OF TACKLE/HOOKS and POOR HANDLING when catching and releasing!
At our MARINA during the Spawn, we have seen Thousands of SMALL dead Crappie, from people using SMALL MICRO HOOKS AND LURES and gut hooking them...they rip the hooks out and pitch the small Crappie back in!
And then they wonder why we have such huge population swings!
Keitech USA Pro Staff
Crappie.com 2K Star General
Florida DNR conclude a study that Crappie DO spawn in the fall....it has been noted in other States also.
The main reason given the most credence, is above normal Fall Rain and bad Spring weather, but not ALOT of money is being spent to study Crappie behavior.
The reason they believe Crappie will Spawn in the Fall, is if the Normal Spring Spawn is interrupted....Here in Ohio, last year we had a brutal Spring, the weather was VERY late warming up, then we kept having Cold Fronts that kept the Water temps low, then we hit Hot Summer weather, that put temps past the Preferred Spawning Temps, in just a week!
They believe rising water levels in Fall, will trigger fish that have not spawned out, from earlier in the year.
Genec is correct, NORMALLY after a successful spawn, eggs sacks will again form in late summer, and eggs will be carried until they are ready at Spring Spawns.
If eggs are not layed, and conditions do not improve, most Crappie Female will absorb the old eggs and use the Protein to start the cycle off again. Researchers just don't fully understand why some absorb and some will hold and spawn later.
Even though Crappie are HUGE spawners, they are also one of the most delicate....things really have to come together to have a successful spawn...Crappie spawn year after year in the same area/cove/bay/shoreline, if that area changes, it will effect spawns, water temps have to be perfect, water flow or current has to be perfect, low water robs fish of preferred cover, high water release from the lake effects spawns by removing fry in the release, high STABLE water is actually preferred to add nutrients and boost zooplankton for larval Crappie...and then if it is a good Spawn, maybe 1% will survive to legal size (high end is figured to be 3%). Then you also figure that Crappie have one of the highest HOOKING and HANDLING MORTALITY rates if released, and you can understand why they can require management to have a continual Crappie Fishery!
The slow Winter draw-down really doesn't have an effect on the Spawns at flood control lakes, but a massive draw-down can flush ALOT of fish! Our Dam has top gates and Massive lower gates....if the coe regulates properly with the top gates, you don't lose fish...when they goof up and have to use the bottom for faster drains, you lose ALOT.
As long as the water is at full pool by the time the males are heading to the beds, you should be alright....if they wait too long to get to Summer Pool, then yes, it will have a big effect.
This is my beef with Our Army COE....they continue to operate from obsolete orders that have been proven to be outdated and effect WB, Walleye, and other fish getting up into our creeks to Spawn...they also have made bad judgement decisions on raising and lowering the lake effecting our shoreline spawners also.
Our COE works off of dates...no matter what, they will not bring the lake up until a certain date...whether it effects the fish, birds, etc. They have plenty of time to bring the lake up and adjust if necessary...we have never come close to flooding or Overflowing the dam or lake, in my lifetime, and we have had some seriously bad late Winter and Springs. IMHO, The COE, DNR, etc should work together to develope new "Orders" that benefit the entire ecosystem and the nearby cities!
Our Reservoir also had 2 major projects after it was built and established in '74, one to put in a Marina, and another to put in a Larger new/modern boat ramp....both projects required massive drawdowns in the lake and it pumped out all kinds of fish, killed all of the underwater vegetation, and set the lake back for many years! We have just now established a sustainable fishery again, with the addition of cover, vegetation, ect....but the COE lowering the lake too quickly in Fall and raising too slowly in Spring, is having dire consequences with some of our fish populations and trying to stabilize them. THE BEST SPAWN we ever had was a few years back, we had massive Spring rains that melted heavy snow, then it continued to rain steady until summer, the COE could not release the water downstream...many low lying areas of the park were flooded....we had record spawns of Crappie, Bass, Gills, etc, and then they SLOWLY released the extra water from the top gates...we're still seeing part of that population today.
Crappie are in Every part of our Country...the one common factor is that unless they are hybribs, they follow the exact same temperature patterns whether they are in the N, S, E, Or W....except for one....spawns!
It is proven that Crappie spawn in the Fall, also the zooplankton and microscopic food that Larval Crappie and Fry live on in the Spring are the Same zooplankton and microscopic food, that mature Crappie live on under the ice in Winter here in the North. The reason why Crappie grow faster in the South but live longer in the North is due to Prime water temp conditions which allow them to eat larger meals throughout the year in the South.
If conditions are dry in the South and Spawns are interupted by fronts, etc, Crappie will Hold their eggs until Fall, they can do this because somehow their bodies know that they can still eat enough to trigger the hormones to start egg production again for the next Spring...in the North they tend to absorb them faster due to the lack of time they would have to gestate the next batch...but it does happen in the North also with cool summers that don't trigger the abortion.
We have late Shad spawns also and many times have found 2-3 inch Crappie in the ice and ONE inch shad....One of my Favorite sayin's is that "Nature will find a Way"!
Keitech USA Pro Staff
Keitech USA Pro Staff
Keeper
I don't think I've posted my intentions yet about the breakfast tomorrow...I'll will be there.
Crappie.com 2K Star General
Well then, I guess I'll be there too!
I'll be good to see you Shag!
Keitech USA Pro Staff
Keeper
Really looking forward to it, seeing some of you old farts again and hopefully meeting a new fisherperson or two.Well then, I guess I'll be there too!
I'll be good to see you Shag!
BTW Tackle Warehouse is now selling the Crazy Flappers. Is it known yet when the 4.4" is going to be available?
Crappie.com 2K Star General
He's getting a large shipment on Feb 14, but doesn't know if they'll be on the boat or not!
Keitech USA Pro Staff
Keeper
Unfortunately I have to work this Saturday as well.
West Bank Pro
Crappie.com 2K Star General
That's alright....get all the OT, you can get....until it's time to fish!
Keitech USA Pro Staff
