What size is better to keep to eat during the spring spawn 10',11" keep the males throw back the females.What size is best to keep?
What size is better to keep to eat during the spring spawn 10',11" keep the males throw back the females.What size is best to keep?
I like a crappie 10-12 inches for eating best. I am going to release some big fat females to spawn, I am starting to feel bad about filleting them all. It bothers me to look at a 2-3 lb female full of eggs and thinking about the beautiful fish and all her 1000's of crappie fry im about to kill. I just cant do it anymore.
Well said Russ...... X2 ! ! ! !
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Originally Posted by CrappiePro
A good question! A 10 to 12 inch crappie should have several more years left to spawn whereas a 16 to 17 inch sow may be nearing the end of its productive life. Those 12" do eat better for sure! I think that this time of year you should just take enough to have a good, fresh fish fry. Stock the freezer with limits after the spawn is over, not when it is easy to limit. You might have to go more often :highfive, but Limiting out is not that important...... is it?
I like 10 to 12 inch to fry but the bigger ones bake better
It's a personal choice. Keep a legal limit of crappie and if you choose to catch and release on spawning females so be it.
If you take a sow crappie in august,,or march, the results are the same..one less female to spawn.
A better idea would be to get rid of the trawlers dragging minnows and limit the SPORT of crappie fishing to a maximum of two poles, maximum of two hooks per pole. Another helpful idea, when you catch him,,you keep him..too many gilled crappie floating down the creek, turtle bait....Thats just my opinion
xring's first sentence is the way I look at it as well. I am keeping what I catch.
Oh here we go again. Its all the trawlers catching all the crappie. I see plenty single pole guys on here catching just as many fish. A limit is a limit xring no matter how they are caught with a yo yo, single pole in each hand, or 6 poles. You gonna ban the little old lady sitting on the bank or in her boat with 5 cane poles too? It doesnt matter the method used because there are guys fish 2 poles ad catch just as many as he rest of the trawlers. I guess we can next be limited to the number of day we fish too so we can only take a limit 1 day a week lol. Just my opinion
My dad would keep the smaller crappie and bream to fry up whole and fillet the rest.
LOL Those danged trawlers catching up all the fish!! As long as they are being eaten and not wasted I have no problem at all. The biggest difference between a trawler and a single pole is how long it takes to limit out.
Yes,,they do catch too many fish, way too many, and when their limit is reached, in short order most of the time, culling begins, and continues until they are out of minnows, out of daylight, or out of breath.
Look at it anyway you wish, but spider rigging is not much sport, Its more like running a trot line. Its legal, so go for it, but for me, I'll do it in a more sporting manner.
I have took more than my fair share of crappie I assure you, and I will continue to catch crappie as long as the good lord lets me crawl up in my ole boat, whether or not there are spider riggers, just don't confuse harvesting with a man pole fishing.
X1000. A limit is a limit.Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbowhunter
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That depends on the location of the fish. Hard to spider rig in the weeds and bushes.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigKev77
My best advise is to be versatile in your fishing. I love the thump, and if that's the most productive way to harvest my limit, then that's Great. If Spider Rigging, Long Lining, or Cranking is more productive then so be it. With the limited amount of time some of us have, it's better to be as productive with that time as possible. For you die hard single polers, God Bless you. That's why we are fortunate to live in America!!! To each his own. Our main goal should be to promote the sport of crappie fishing, and make it better for our children, no matter the style you choose. This topic has been bickered over for years, but it still comes down to, A Limit is A Limit!!!!! We are all brothers in the same battle, some of us just use different ammunition!!!!
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BTW, I like to eat 10-12" fish. They seem to fry better to me.
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Xring, don't knock it till you've tried it. Lighted up brother. It's all fun to catch. I don't condone catching over the limit though.
I throw everything over 11" back, in the cooler in the back of my boat. I am sorry I have little time to check for a ho-ha or a he-he. I will have to say that I do feel a little bad at times when I clean them. It makes me think.
Brm good words and well said. The same argument is seen in the hunting industry also between archery ,gun and muzzleloader hunters. We are all sportsman and enjoy the outdoors. If you don't like one method doesn't mean all others are wrong!!!!!
OK Xring - When the day comes that I can fish more than one day a week I might change my fishing habits. I will fish for crappie and other fish in any legal method set by the game and fish comm.I have run yo-yos, spider, single pole, long line, cranks,slip corks, wadded. trot line ,hoop nets, in my youth sucba dived and snagged ( last 2 half legal limit) A limit is a limit and you see 90% of the fish I catch and know as well as others I Dont Limit Out. Lets stay friends now.
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Originally Posted by bigrivermarine
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One breeding pair can produce more crappie than an acre can accommodate, so if he bites my jig... I'm bitting back.
If I spider rigged like alot do using minnows, I'd kill hundreds of Crappie If kept any or not. Years ago I remember trolling minnows and all the small fish swallowing the hooks. Here you can run yourself ragged taking off small fish trolling minnows.Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbowhunter
I will never allow a difference of opinion to influence my choice of friends, I have Democrat friends, I have republican friends, I have friends who spider rig, which I hate, lol, but they, I hope will remain friends.
Then again, I have never had a opinion that I feared stating, I think some of you are thinking that I am putting myself above you because I choose NOT to spider rig. Thats not the case, to me crappie are the ultimate fish in the food chain, a fish I love to eat and I also love to catch them on jig and bobber, tight lining, poleing the brush, bumping a 1/8 oz. jig across a rocky bottom. I also admit that I have hooked crappie too deep, and if it was a small fish, I have tossed it back. The question was,,what should we keep, I answered that question in my first sentence, the rest of that post was simply my opinion.
I really believe that with todays electronics, and the sheer number of crappie fishermen the resource is taxed, possibly beyond its capacity to rebound. I also believe that tournaments are the worst possible thing that could have happened to crappie fishing. I give credit for the original tournaments in fresh water fishing to Mr. Ray Scott, he turned a wonderful past time into a run and gun marathon, my first bass boat cost the princely sum of $2,011.00 rigged out....in a few short years, the same boat cost $8,000.00............the trend continues with crappie...
Thanks for reading my opinion, concerns, whatever you wish to call it, and certainly feel free to differ in your opinion. Its still a free country, mostly.
Lets get rid of the spider riggers, long liners, yo yo's and have only one man and one pole per boat. LOL!!!!! I believe a limit is a limit no matter how you catch them. I have watched many old men with one pole out fish me and catch bigger fish.
Oh got side tracked 10-12" is what I like to fry
I spider using nothing but jigs and nibbles. Rarely will one swallow deep and be killed. If it does it goes in my box toward my limit. I don't cull once fish go into my cooler. Thats just how I roll. Being versatile is key to saying with the fish in my neck of the woods. I cant tell you about spidering with miners as i hadnt done it in a long time. A lot of people do use minnows fishing and not spidering so are we to outlaw live bait cause it aint fair to the fish? Good thing I use plastics.
I remember the first time we took J.W. fishing when he wanted to "see how that spider rigging works", he looked around the boat and said, "are you sure we don't need any minners?", we just laughed! That is the one big difference in the way we fish ..... the fact that WE DON'T USE MINNERS....strictly jigs! If they don't want to bite a jig they can keep on swimming! I don't think J.W. has bought a minner since that day either and judging from his pics and posts, hasn't needed any, LOL!!! 95% of our fish are hooked in the roof of the mouth or the lip. Believe it or not, there is a science and a methodology to successful spider rigging. It's just like every other method, 20% of the spider riggers catch 80% of the fish. Look around, they ain't all just pulling in fish after fish... Just because you are dragging around a string of minners don't mean you are catching fish.........I also wanted to note that very very few of those 10-11 inch fish ever make it over 2 lbs. and a 2-3 lb sow puts out a lot of eggs!!! You got to leave a few for seed or our sport will fade. I know this will upset a lot of folks but I wouldn't mind outlawing fishing during part of the spawn, period. To me that is the worst time of year to fish anyway. Too many Yahoos churning up the water in a frenzy during their once a year crappie trip!! The best fishing for me is thumping the Crappie when I can't see another boat on the water! I'm also in agreement with Xring in that we should all be friends even though at times we agree to disagree.
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Originally Posted by arkansasbowhunter
:deadhorse
X-Ring tell me what you know about Piney. I fish Illinois Bayou, Delaware and Goose Island with my nephew from Russellville. Mainly the waterworks dam and strip mines in the Bayou.
Could you be a bit more specific in the imformation you need?Quote:
Originally Posted by petercreek
I'll take a shot at answering your question, Piney is,,I believe the largest stream entering into lake Dardanelle, its a mountain stream and has water in the 30 ft range in the lower reaches. Its high shear bluffs are breathtaking and its not uncommon to see bald eagles fishing above you.
As in all streams that I'm aware of, the crappie migrate upstream in the winter months and early spring to spawn. The last time I was there, a few days ago, the crappie were still scattered but were concentrated in the upper 25 % of the "narrows" The water temp was 53.9, I caught fish in 20 feet of water and also caught some in 10 ft of water, they seem to me to be moving out on the flats for short periods of time before returning to the steeper breaks along the channel. No males were showing any color change as of then. I suspect that another week or so of warmer weather will see the water temps approaching 60 degrees and the males staging on the shallower flats. Hope that helped
Man Don... I cant wait to get back over there and do some Good Ole Fashioned spiderrigging with minnows. Sure you dont want to join me in the Dark Angel for a beautiful evening on the water with an eight pole set, with double minnow rigs, and I'll bring my Little Dog Pixie Lou for a little added excitement, when we have three poles with fish on at the same time, two or three tangled up, and she is nawing on your ankle at the same time. Just think about how sporting that visual could be my friend? It's got me laughing just thinking about it. Rofl
Note to All: This post is intended to be humorous in nature and is in no way met to offend or encorage the arguement between spiderriggers or single polers. LOL LOL
Let's just state our thoughts and not bash anyone. I have fished just about everyway possiable. My dad and most of the older guys spider rigged back in the day. Some folks catch hundreds a day spiderrigging minnows here. If you don't believe it ask some of the guys from last years Crappie camp. We have no shortage of Crappie , they have too much spawn most years. I know not all lakes are this way, that is the reason for specific regs for certain lakes. Like someone stated , does'nt matter when you catch a big sow if you keep it. I see lots of big slabs caught on yoyos early spring during high water. The regulars do it to fill their freezer and some of them only fish yoyos. I have a neighbor that fishes yoyos and don't think has a fishing pole.
I'll bring scooter dog and you'll spend all day trying to keep from having little scootpixies running every direction.Quote:
Originally Posted by CrappiePro
Which,,In my opinion would be much more entertaining than trawling with minners.
Scooter just now came swaggering in, a cigar clamped between his teeth, all bleary eyed and smelling of 4 paws colonge and cheap liquior. He loves to fish but wouldn't lower himself to spider rigging, my dog has class, except in biotches, much like his daddy I'd say.
So, when do you want to go....roflmbo
We aren't killing hundreds of small fish. That's a crock. No more than most GIVE AWAY!!!! Sounds like Lake Nimrod needs some fish removed anyway. Over populated with small fish from what I've been hearing.Quote:
Originally Posted by NIMROD
No personal remarks, or bad mouthing intended. I just disagree.
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my dog has class
With 100% humor intended, you could learn something from him!!! LMBFAO.
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Your honor, I move that this be removed from the record, my client is not on trial here. He is a fine upstanding member of society, a honorable man, and your honor,,he DON'T spider rig....Thank you your honor.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine
Lol. CASE DISMISSED!!!
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If one fishes the beds (and I can't resist it once in a while, myself) it pays to remember that every male taken, even if released is one failed nest. Males may or may not renest. The females tend to assemble off the actual nesting area a bit and will recover and still spawn if released. The bigger the female the more eggs she carries and the higher quality they will be. If she is not in shape to spawn she will not be there. The females scatter their eggs between a number of male nests; so the bigger she is the more extensive her bigger and higher quality eggs will be distributed. IMO those are the best breeding stock to maintain; so I suggest that spawn harvest be limited to smaller females, and the bedding males not be targeted.
Up here in Minnesota we get a lot of aborted spawning due to some dramatic weather changes. That usually means the males desert nests and may or may not start over. If you see year classes missing from your crappie population that is normally the first thing to consider anywhere you are. A bed can also be dispersed by too much commotion. It may reform and it may not, it is the touchiness of the bedding males that is the cause.
There is no question that up here smaller average crappie size results from over harvest, but that varies from lake to lake. My opinion is that overharvest is more often the cause of reduced size than overpopulation depending on the size of the water. Very small waters can very easily end up with stunted overpopulated crappies, especially true in ponds that are not actively and carefully managed but around here anyway IMO that is not a concern so much on larger waters, say over 100 to 300 acres especially if there are other species around that prey on fry like bluegills and perch and larger predators that prey on juveniles.
One lake here deep in the metro is a very good example. About a decade ago when I started fishing it, the crappies averaged 7-8", the 9" fish were rare, and the 10" and above fish were unknown. It was heavily harvested, but about half a decade ago the DNR posted consumption advisories on the crappies in it and they got heavily reported in the media. The harvest declined dramatically, and even the first year the average size started to inch up. Now 12 and 13 inch crappies are reported pretty regularly and the biggest I heard of last summer was 15". A nearby lake of similar size and fish community that did not get hit with the consumption advisory is still harvested at the prior level and till only produces 7-9" fish, heavy on the smaller sizes.
do you fish with a pole in each had? what if you had 6 hands,then you could trawl!!!!