Length limit on lake conway?

How would you feel if the Arkansas Game and Fish put a Length limit on lake conway? Something like 8 inchs and over as the Length limit with no more than 5 crappie allowed to be under 8 inch? My buddy parents dont keep any crappie under 10 inch long. I was talking to them the other day and they where wishing that the Arkansas Game and Fish would put a Length limit of 10 inch on lake conway. Well after talking to them it made me wonder what other lake conway fisherman would think about it if the Arkansas Game and Fish put a Length limit on lake conway?

I'm not cutting 4 inches off no matter what they say.

actually I would ask them why? Give us your theory.

I'd be for it...
there's a chapter in an In-Fisherman Crappie Fishing book I read that talks about how Missouri and Texas both saw good benefit from 9-10 inch limits. Especially on the large resevoirs. Appears that limits in these states resulted in the harvest being larger more mature fish in the south. Northern lakes don't appear to see the same benefits. Also is dependant on the growth rate of crappie in each reservoir...acidic lakes slow the growth of crappies and limits don't seem to have as much value...

I'd be for it too. Im not saying theres anything wrong with it but I have seen alot of people keep some small crappie on lake conway. Like crappieawlogist said I have seen on the other southern state boards where a 8-10 inch limit has up the size of fish they are posting on there big fish page. With hunting, I wasnt a fan of the 3pt rule but in the last few yrs I have seen alot of nice deer killed at my deer club. It helped in that situation, so I would give a length limit a try.

it would definetly improve fishing in three year to benfit everyone 10 inche is what most people do any way except for the meat fisherman

This would vary from lake to lake. There are a lot of lakes that are overrun with small white crappie bc they multiply so fast and in large numbers. It vary's from lake to lake. I follow the 10 inch rule but there are days that i go take a bunch of "pan fryer's" out of the population bc at one time my home lake was overrun with small whites. We talked to a biologist with the game and fish and he told us that we needed to cull out a lot of the small whites, and that is what we did and in three or four years the fishery was 10X better. So there are different circumstances on diff lakes.

My Vote is for a 10 inch rule state wide, I would concede to a 9 inch rule but 10 inches is my first pick. If a lake is overpopulated with 6-10 inch fish then the AGFC has the means to cull some out and repopulate a lake that needs them. I'm pretty sure they have taken some out of Conway to stock other lakes. There are some other lakes in the state that could benifit from a reduction and some other's that could benifit with a stock from the lakes that were reduced.

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Originally Posted by CrappiePro

My Vote is for a 10 inch rule state wide, I would concede to a 9 inch rule but 10 inches is my first pick. If a lake is overpopulated with 6-10 inch fish then the AGFC has the means to cull some out and repopulate a lake that needs them. I'm pretty sure they have taken some out of Conway to stock other lakes. There are some other lakes in the state that could benifit from a reduction and some other's that could benifit with a stock from the lakes that were reduced.

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That sound like a good plan to me russ.

I'd be for it but I would like to see them start it off at 8 or 9 inches for the first year or so and then move it up to 10. I think that would give the smaller fish time to feed and grow a little. I haven't been on Conway but two times so I'm just going off opinion but I think in the long run it would make a good crappie lake even better. :)

all of you but mooney need to take a day off from fishing and read a little on management practices. You can't say that because a 10 inch limit works on Norfork( example only) that it would work on Lake Conway. They are different lakes and need to be managed individually. You can end up with stunted crappies before you know it. Seems to me like Conway is doing pretty good as it has been. Screw with it at the risk of screwing it up.

i am for a 10in size limit state wide i know it makes a difference i have fished in ms. the past 10 years and reason is because of the size of the fish you catch on any lake,most lakes have their on size and creel limits . one of the oxbow i fish has a 30 fish limit but you can keep 5 under 10in and 25 has to be over10. some of their larger lakes is over12 in. that is the only thing i havefound better than ar. is their crappie fishin. their game and fish seems to do a lot better job of manging their lakes , in ar if you dont say trout they do not hear you just my opinion.

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Originally Posted by MEATGETTER

i am for a 10in size limit state wide

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This WILL NOT work. There are lots of variables to be considered. The size of the lake being one. If the lake opens up at flood stage into another water way is another. Where there is an over population problem, the crappie will not grow to a larger size. You can restrict the limits to 10 inches or above, and before long, no crappie will be 10 inches or above. I'm sure a biologist could shed more light on this than I, but the way I see it, a state wide restriction like this will ruin a lot of lakes. I have personally seen the effects of overpopulation, by crappie in a lake, and it's not pretty.

It did not work on Lake Charles. I fish the N. Mississippi lake also and I sure hate to throw back a 10-12" fish that has been hooked in the gills that you know is going to die.

Is there that many fisherman on Crappie.Com on the Arkansas Board hafting to keep below a 9-10 inch fish anyways? If your home public waters has this problem (stunting). Then I would be on the phone with the AGFC who needs to step in and manage it with nets and shock treaments and transfer these fish to lakes that needs crappie. Cos all the fishing in the world won't correct the problem. Once a Lake is stunted it's very very hard to unstunt it with a fishing pole. Wow it's my day off so im going fishing.:)