Would you support this ?

Would you support lowering the amount of crappie, and bass that fisherman can keep during the pre spawn, and spawn season?

A lot of fish are caught this time of year and they are full of eggs, so when fisherman keep those pregnant females they don't get to lay their eggs.

I realize most of those eggs would probably get eaten anyway, but lowering the crappie and bass limits would help this problem.

There are thousands of fisherman who keep crappie, and bass every week on KY Lake. Many people keep several fish per day. This has to hurt the fishery.

So perhaps the number of crappie/bass allowed to be kept per day should be lowerd. But only during the months of March, April, and perhaps part of May. Or perhaps the size of fish should be raised in order to keep them during these months. Perhaps crappie should have to be 12 inches or larger to keep during March, April, and early May.

Would you support something like this?

Dude, you like stirring the pot don't ya!

I like proper management of natural resources, and I like to save fish populations for future generations to enjoy.

I wouldn't be in favor of such a ruling .. unless it was determined to be necessary, by the KDFWR.
My personal opinion, for what it's worth, is that our lakes produce rather well from year to year .. even with the pressure they receive. Weather & water levels seem to do more damage to the spawn, than the catch rate. I also don't think that we are in a geographical area that's likely to produce large numbers of huge fish (within a 2-3yr span, like some lakes South of us). Alot of our lakes are more highland type lakes, than lowland type lakes (like Ky/Barkley). Those type lakes are generally not known for huge fish, anyway .... and the ones that do get big (like over 2lbs) are generally a couple of years older than lowland lake fish of the same size.
Putting a "season limit" on the fish may sound like a good idea ... but, would make it less desirable for anglers to come here, or for us to fish here. Lowering the creel limit, or raising the size limit, seems to be the method of choice that the KDFWR utilizes. Same principal, different approach.
A "season limit" would also be hard to monitor. We already have reports of people noticing large numbers of sub-legal fish being caught/cleaned. Many are getting away with this "poaching", due in large part to the low numbers of CO's in the field. In a round about way, that's telling me that there's plenty of recruitment going on ... but, not everyone is savy enough to get on big fish, so they keep everything they catch. Put a serious hurt on those people, and you'll probably help the cause as much as you would by limiting everyone to a "seasonal limit".

... cp :cool:

This is just a simple idea, don't take this personally.:)

Have a good fishing season everyone.

I personally don't think there is a problem with the bass population in Ky Lake. I can catch a bass just about anytime I want too.

As for the crappie... I wouldn't support that as a management tool.

In Feb of 2009 many of us local crappie anglers attended a meeting with Paul Rister and his crew. They talked about the new 20 fish limit and the stocking program. I think both will help to some degree. Like Pappy said though the big problem is the water level changes during the spawn and the sorry son of a guns that take short fish and over the limit. If I see it happen'n I'm get'n Lic. Plate #'s and mak'n the call.

The idea of having a chance to catch a trophy bass or crappie, will bring tourists from around the world. In fact fisherman spend tens of millions of dollars per year on fishing trips to Trophy bass/crappie hot spots.


Tens of thousands of fish are caught and removed from KY Lake each year.

My proposal would certainly help save a lot of those fish for future generations to enjoy.

I love KY Lake, however like most other lakes, it can improve. It could always be better.

Keep in mind there are several lakes out of state that already have implemented these rules. And you can go to those lakes and catch 50 to over 100 bass per day.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crappiepappy

I wouldn't be in favor of such a ruling .. unless it was determined to be necessary, by the KDFWR.
My personal opinion, for what it's worth, is that our lakes produce rather well from year to year .. even with the pressure they receive. Weather & water levels seem to do more damage to the spawn, than the catch rate. I also don't think that we are in a geographical area that's likely to produce large numbers of huge fish (within a 2-3yr span, like some lakes South of us). Alot of our lakes are more highland type lakes, than lowland type lakes (like Ky/Barkley). Those type lakes are generally not known for huge fish, anyway .... and the ones that do get big (like over 2lbs) are generally a couple of years older than lowland lake fish of the same size.
Putting a "season limit" on the fish may sound like a good idea ... but, would make it less desirable for anglers to come here, or for us to fish here. Lowering the creel limit, or raising the size limit, seems to be the method of choice that the KDFWR utilizes. Same principal, different approach.
A "season limit" would also be hard to monitor. We already have reports of people noticing large numbers of sub-legal fish being caught/cleaned. Many are getting away with this "poaching", due in large part to the low numbers of CO's in the field. In a round about way, that's telling me that there's plenty of recruitment going on ... but, not everyone is savy enough to get on big fish, so they keep everything they catch. Put a serious hurt on those people, and you'll probably help the cause as much as you would by limiting everyone to a "seasonal limit".

... cp :cool:

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Kentucky Lake has a lot of potential to produce huge bass and crappie. I have caught several 6 and 7 pound bass out of the lake.

The TN DNR conducted a shock survey on a lake in Natchez Trace State Forest in Tennessee, they caught a 17 pound bass. The fish pics were on Paris Landing.com

So if a lake in central TN can produce a world class 17 pound bass, than so can KY Lake.

Ky Lake is easily capeable of producing crappie over 3 pounds. In fact there are probably a few 4 pound crappie in KY Lake. They just caught a crappie over 4 pounds in Southern Illinois. So states as far north as KY can produce world class fish, with the proper management.

There is a lake in Illinois that has rules like this. You can go there and catch up to 200 bass per day. I posted the link on the Illinois section of this forum.


These rules can and will benefit any fishery that implements them.:)

So go to IL or TN. :D OR start by getting TWRA to lower their limit to mirror KY. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me for some invisible line in the middle of the lake to dictate that sort of creel limit discrepancy.

You say that people come and spend money to catch a trophy fish.. they also come and spend money to catch a quantity of fish. Most people aren't coming to KY Lake looking for a 4 lb crappie or a 17 lb largemouth.

Like CP & Wiskers said, a failed spawn has one heck of a lot more to do with it than fisherman mortality.

BTW.. you can catch 50 to 100 bass on any given day on KY Lake if you hit them right. ;) Very rarely do I ever seen a limit of bass being cleaned from the lakes... unless I am doing it myself. :eek: