fishing pressure

How much fishing pressure can our waters take ? Everyone buying high end electronics and fishing more . I used to catch plenty with no electronics then moved up to cheap depth finder , then hand held GPS . Now I have a 10'' Humminbird and ordering another one . All this technology moving so fast with upgrades every year . The imaging is improving at at fast pace like computers and options like 360 . Even the guys that don't fish tournaments that can afford them are doing so . With limits raised in some areas , technology , and folks having more time on the water has to be taking a toll on the resource . If trends continue we maybe looking at the need for tighter restrictions on some waters . I know some places even in the Crappie Capitol of the south , Mississippi looking at this .

More people need to practice catch and release instead of keeping a limit and giving them away every time they fish. No way one person or family can eat as much as some folks catch, keep and or give away. Preserve the future and take greed out of it by taking a picture of your nice catch instead of keeping them all the time.

People go through stages just like hunting. Happy to catch a few fish, then have to fish to catch limit, then how many times can I limit in a row or days a year. Then fish for big fish only. Then catch picture and release.

Some folks never make it through several of these stages. I now take pictures of more of the fish I catch than keep. I will keep what I want and occasionally share with my mother. But nothing like what I used to keep and butcher. I have seen the resource depleted and now do my part to help preserve it.

Just my 2 cents.

i don't usually catch very many, but even if i do i very seldom keep more than 8/9. that makes two good meals for me and the wifey. if i catch less than 6, i either give them away at the launch to someone who needs a few to make a mess or release them. used to put them on ice, but learned that was problematic on days i only caught 4 or 5.

i have also gone to a self imposed 11" rule, although the length on Conway is 10". I just don't need fish that small just to say i caught em.

Cell phones, texting, social media, and word of mouth can deplete a fishing hole more so than boat electronics. Pressure can deplete small waters, not so much on a large waters. I can say that I have fished enough waters and bites here and there to know that pressure can kill a spot, the spot drys up and the pressure stops. The fish that are left over grow big re-spawn and repopulate and the cycle starts over. Thankfully crappie bread like rabbits and it don't take long for them to repopulate and start the pattern over. I have seen this many times Some lakes can use all the pressure it can get. Me personally when fishing by myself I throw back 100's to do my part for catch and release, conservation, but mainly because I don't want to clean that many . But i also take no shame in throwing up a couple of limits on a tail gate with a buddy for a good memory, pic, or feeding someone who don't get to fish as much as me or just enjoys having some crappie to enjoy from time to time. We have educated people who are paid to watch our waters and write regulations to protect our waters from over fishing, I also believe in conservation and routinely give something back. I also trust in the AGFC to do their jobs and make sound decisions for our fisherman and resources. On a finale note: there are at least five different lakes right now. I know I could travel to and catch a good mess of fish, so i am not really sure how much pressure really matters. A couple penny's for ya.

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Originally Posted by CrappiePro

Cell phones, texting, social media, and word of mouth can deplete a fishing hole more so than boat electronics. Pressure can deplete small waters, not so much on a large waters. I can say that I have fished enough waters and bites here and there to know that pressure can kill a spot, the spot drys up and the pressure stops. The fish that are left over grow big re-spawn and repopulate and the cycle starts over. Thankfully crappie bread like rabbits and it don't take long for them to repopulate and start the pattern over. I have seen this many times Some lakes can use all the pressure it can get. Me personally when fishing by myself I throw back 100's to do my part for catch and release, conservation, but mainly because I don't want to clean that many . But i also take no shame in throwing up a couple of limits on a tail gate with a buddy for a good memory, pic, or feeding someone who don't get to fish as much as me or just enjoys having some crappie to enjoy from time to time. We have educated people who are paid to watch our waters and write regulations to protect our waters from over fishing, I also believe in conservation and routinely give something back. I also trust in the AGFC to do their jobs and make sound decisions for our fisherman and resources. On a finale note: there are at least five different lakes right now. I know I could travel to and catch a good mess of fish, so i am not really sure how much pressure really matters. A couple penny's for ya.

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I'd say it matters a lot. Considering limits in the big 4 lakes I fish went from no limits to 50 now down to 15 and fewer poles and hooks. They just didn't all end up dying out. But I'd agree with your very first sentence about cell phones, social media, etc. cause and effect!!!!

I wonder the same thing. I figured we will start seeing pole restrictions and overall boat limits if it keeps up. But like Crappiepro said we have very intelligent people that specialize in keeping our resources there and we must trust in their decisions!


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Here's another good question what's worse a guy going fishing one day a week and keeping his limit of 30 , or a guy going 6 days a week all year long and catching his limit of 30,maybe they game and fish should regulate the number of crappie that could be harvested by an individual on a yearly basis , kind of like a bag limit on deer and most other game animals , let me show you some numbers

52 weeks a year x 6 days a week x 30 Crappie =9360 crappie per year

52 weeks x 1 day per week x30 Crappie =1560 Crappie per year


So who's harming the resources more ? regardless of electronics , style of fishing and all this BS , its up to the game and fish to monitor and control and individuals be responsible and not over harvesting to fill their freezer, I don't have a single frozen crappie in my freezer because I like em fresh , rarely keep more than 8-10 for myself anymore , practice catch and release most of time, and I won't even get into the socialmedia web pages , that's a whole other animal !


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Hmmm I have fished some of the big four over the last several years and never seen where pressure effected it. seems like the last year they even bumped the rod count up to 8 poles on the last lake i fished. Caught the heck out of them each time. if anything it seemed like that the regulations were too tight for the lake i fished. Yes the pressure may effect the trophy count but each year those big 4 have never been close to being fished out. Like I Stated the MS Game and fish have made darn sure those money makers down there are not going to be fished out. Trust in your Game in Fish Mgt.

No telling how many are killed and tossed back with all the pressure .

The Big 4 in MS, have more crappie guides than anywhere else, they fish most every day and most of the time they catch a limit or 2 or 3 depending on how many clients they have that day. I have not seen any difference on the numbers or quality of crappie on those lake, so i doubt that we have a big problem here in AR.:twocents