How Long Will It Last?

What is everyone's thoughts on the future of Taylorsville Lake regarding crappie. I personally worry with the pressure it gets daily, the amount of fish kept and the undersized fish i see people keep every single trip i make there.

Let me be honest, i stopped fishing Taylorsville Lake two years ago. I started fishing it at the beginning of the making of the lake before the highway was installed. My father had a houseboat on it for around 20 years so I know every inch of that lake and how to catch crappie on it.

I stopped going for a few reasons but mainly because i own property at a private lake and i can catch all the crappie i want year round.. no real big fish but you can grab the occasional 15 inch. Another reason is I am to old to deal with the ramp and parking lot issues all around the lake. Always a traffic jam and im not parking at the top of the hill and walking down.. Im too old to deal with amateur hour, watching idiots try to back a boat down a ramp. I also don't have patience to deal with people blasting by me a 60 mph no further than 20 yards.

I do wonder if the lake can sustain the fish being removed. Im all for catching what you are going to eat. I question some guys bragging of catching thousands out of the lake but hey, maybe they have a large family or something like a large fish fry. Coach Bobby Redman used to catch thousands but he also had a fish fry at the beginning of the football season at Male High. I know a guy who catches a bunch to support his church fish fry. Good for all them.

I really wish the Department of Fish and Wildlife would set up shop at the ramps once a week randomly. All budget issues for the Department would be fished and the restocking program would be even better. Wonder what you guys think if the lake can keep up with the pressure as small as it is.

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I dunno, buddy .... I'm 74 and haven't had launching/parking problems I couldn't deal with, but I don't fish it as often now as in years past. But, that's more on account of the 10" size limit and the 1.5hr drive to get there.

Personally, it doesn't bother me as much with the 60mph glitter rockets going by as it does with those that plow at 1/2 throttle.

I don't pay too much attention to those saying they catch thousands out of the lake (mainly because I don't believe most of them). But, that being said, a limit a week is 780 fish per year, so :dono

I agree that a creel check officer showing up randomly might deter some, for awhile, but there's still gonna be a few that will game the system.

My biggest fear is that the Crappie population will decline to the point where Crappie anglers quit going there, and then the "rip & run" crowd will take over. :Doh:

I fish it weekly and there are plenty of crappie there, just most are small.
I still manage to get 6 to 10 descent keepers when I go but I do fear there are a lot of people
taking small ones out. But with all the little ones I catch, maybe it's a good thing to
cull some out. I don't know, maybe the KDR needs to reevaluate size limits.
If it gets to where only small fish are caught then maybe less will fish there
and it will change. Every lake has its ups and down years.

I agree the lake gets a ton of pressure especially in the Spring, but it seems to just keep producing. Im not a great fisherman, but when I fish the lake I tend to catch a decent size range of fish, which is a good thing Ive been told for longevity. Ramp is always somewhat crowded, but I launch at VanBuren so its almost always about 95% fisherman. This time of year I think all the lakes are pretty crazy. I was on Nolin yesterday and while not "insane" it was busy. I believe that the KY department of wildlife does a really good job, especially when compared to some other states, (IN) so I think they will monitor numbers and size and adjust accordingly, hopefully. Just my .02

Crappie are such prolific spawners that you shouldn't worry. For the longest time there were just too many in there resulting in a small overall size. It's been probably 7 years or more since I've fished Taylorsville, but when I did fish it there was no shortage of crappie under 9", there were some days I'd run out of minnows long before I had a limit of keepers.

KDFWR fisheries biologists know what they're doing, they've spent many years learning and studying fisheries management long before getting the job. With their continued monitoring and adjustments of minimum size length and creel limits based on what the fishery can support, you shouldn't worry.

I used to worry about this too but after the Crappie Connection video with biologist Josh Johnston I don't worry anymore about it. He talks about this sort of thing. I highly recommend listening to him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHxLATeCVjA

Very good video in my opinion. I’ve heard all my life to turn the big crappie back in, but according to all the biologist who do nothing but study fish, they say that crappie only live 4 to 5 years. When crappie get real big they are short timers anyways, so why not make some great table fare from them. I always follow the rules and regulations when fishing, but if they say I can keep 15 fish over 10” and I catch that many I will keep that many. My family eats lots of fish per year, I also supply the elderly in my community and my church family with fish throughout the year. These lakes are continuously monitored by the biologists and they know what they are doing, I don’t feel we have to worry about loosing our crappie population. God Bless to all and happy fishing.


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Great video. A lot of good points. Still wish KDFW would license check more often. I fish in Alabama a lot. Usually 4 to 6 trips per year and you see state troopers and fish and wildlife on every trip. They may not check me but you see them all the time. Wish we had that in our state. Thanks for the feedback.



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I was told that the large crappie were able to defend the nest better and
had a much better survival rate of their young.
I have thrown some large females back in early spring when I catch them.
I fish often enough I can be selective.

They haven't done a thing on KY lake. It used to be the premier Crappie Lake. They let it die. Taylorsville is no different. The department has its eyes focused on Elk, Deer and Turkey. To heck with the people that fish, quail hunt, grouse hunt, or rabbit hunt. Thats just the facts. Prove me wrong if you can.