Livescope

We as crappie fishermen have to sit back and look at livescope.
I watched some of the crappie masters tournament and you have 2 men in the front watching a screen, cherry picking the largest fish. Soon there will be no large crappie to catch.
This has to be called catching, not fishing. Where did the skill to hunt them down, establish a pattern then start to catch fish.
anyone with half a brain can learn to use livescope and I think this is going to ruin crappie fishing as we know it. Find a bush use livescope to see if any crappie if not move on, if some are there cherry pick the large ones and move to next bush with crappie.
people post on here about catching a limit and show the large ones that they caught, this can do nothing but be harmful to the crappie population.
I know a guide on Enid that there are almost no large crappie left.
let’s go back to the old days and throw the livescope away. If it continues there will be regulations that will take care of it.
a professional crappie fisherman might as well stay home without livescope. SAD!!!

Your right to an extent . Livescope makes finding fish easier if you have good boat control but still have to make them bite . I caught limits regularly before livescope . Covid has had too many people fishing and livescope is making it easier for some . I see way less big fish than I ever have before livescope on some lakes . It is taking a toll on big ones . Some believe they will just be replaced but fact is it takes years to grow 2 lb plus Crappie . Once the big ones are gone most guys will just lower standards and catch the ones that will grow into slabs in a few years .Would hate to have the job our biologists have trying to find a fix . We will run out of good fish fast unless things change !

All crappie tournaments have to release live fish right back into the fishery ensuring a high survival rate. As far as recreational fishing, we personally will release anything much over a pound. Keeping 30 huge crappie just to have a picture to brag with is totally senseless.
I personally would rather have 8 or 10 decent 3/4 to a pound fish for a fresh fish fry any day over killing a 2 lb slab that has already survived several seasons. I really like the Rapala Tournament scales for logging the weights of your crappie and then take a pic of the screen.

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Originally Posted by slabbandit

All crappie tournaments have to release live fish right back into the fishery ensuring a high survival rate. As far as recreational fishing, we personally will release anything much over a pound. Keeping 30 huge crappie just to have a picture to brag with is totally senseless.
I personally would rather have 8 or 10 decent 3/4 to a pound fish for a fresh fish fry any day over killing a 2 lb slab that has already survived several seasons. I really like the Rapala Tournament scales for logging the weights of your crappie and then take a pic of the screen.

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The tournaments may release them alive but I don’t think they live long after all the stress!


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Far more regular fishermen than there are tournament guys. No matter where the lake is it is the locals that put on the most fishing pressure. Not that I believe the tournaments are good for the fish.

Such is the luxury/consequence of updated technology...now where did I leave my rotary-dial telephone = just follow the cord DUMMY!:banghead How about the crank-up auto engines?:crazy:

u2s

I agree with you guys that a good portion of tournament fish probably don't survive. It's really up to each fisherman to regulate themselves to some degree based on their proficiency with Livescope. Me, being a local here on Lake Nimrod, I choose to release most of my 1 3/4 lb+ fish. Especially if I can clean a good mess of 1 pounders. Is this a good management of the crappie fishing, I'm not sure.

Well said. The guys with the $$$ are the sudden ' crappie masters' . I say limit poles to 2-3 per person and electronics that have maps and depth. Thats the way a crappie tournament should be held, 2 poles , NO electronics ....now lets see who the real fishermen are.

Till some type of size slots or whatever to limit cleaning out big fish . If 10% of fishermen release big fish the other 90% will clean them out . Nimrod has had an over population problem for years but it seems to be improving with all the pressure except big fish becoming more scarce . Used to see unreal numbers of tiny fish 4 to 8'' and now plenty 10 to 11'' . I refuse to release all the big fish with next 10 boats are taking them . Kinda like Deer hunting . You pass a small 6 point and it goes to next stand and boom . I have seen all kinds of population / average size swings on Nimrod in 50 years . Just wonder if a slot with everything 14 to 15'' released and maybe one over would work ? Doubt your average fishermen would go for this . AGFC say they want to see people catch fish but this is going to be interesting how they deal with this or just sit and watch . From some fishermen I have heard from even some at the big Crappie lakes in other states are beginning to be concerned too .

I wonder how much of a role the shutdowns due to Covid have impacted fishing. Lots more people in the outdoors than there used to be. More people fishing means increased impact on fish. Pherhaps it is the natural ebb and flow of fish population.

I witnessed an estimated 40 anglers catch limits of crappie one spring. Limit was 30 fish over 9 inches. If everyone only kept 20 fish, that's 800 less fish that made it through the spawn. I would say the average that day was 12 inches. This was from a small area of a large lake. If this happened in 10 different bedding areas. The numbers really start to add up.

3 years ago on the lake I currently fish. We had spring flooding during when the crappie spawned. Enough that cities along the lake were flooded. If fewer numbers of fry survived or hatched do to the flooding . Less mature fish to catch now. This lake has. 10 inch minimum lenght. Most of the fish I have caught have been just under that benchmark. Most everyone is reporting the same sized fish. If people get to where they can't catch fish they will move on to something else. Then possibly the fish will rebound