What is the LIFE SPAN OF A CRAPPIE--WHITE OR BLACK, UNCAUGHT,SWIMMING IN PERFECT CONDITIONS ASSUMING NO OTHER PREDATOR EATS HIM? MALE OR FEMALE
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What is the LIFE SPAN OF A CRAPPIE--WHITE OR BLACK, UNCAUGHT,SWIMMING IN PERFECT CONDITIONS ASSUMING NO OTHER PREDATOR EATS HIM? MALE OR FEMALE
Trying to determine the lifespan of any fish can be difficult particularly fish that are found in different locations around the country or world. Like humans, there is a large range of how long fish can live, mainly because of conditions in each area. The availability of food, predators and the overall quality of the environment play a significant role. For the crappie fish, the average lifespan in the wild is about seven years. This is only the case when the fish is found in abundant food areas as well as in areas that are not heavily fished. Add an angler into the mix (or many) and you will find that the lifespan is cut drastically. The oldest recorded lifespan of a crappie is 15 years. Some varieties, such as the black crappie can average 6 to 10 years of life.:fish :fish
found this.....not sure I believe it....:dono
Attachment 188194
then again....why not.....? :dono
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The oldest fish they found at Crescent when they wss there pulling the earbones was either 5 or 6. And that wss that super black pig Stu caught. A bunch of fish over 13" was caught and checked that day. So that chart must be from up north with the short growing seasons.
If speckanator chart would be correct then those 2 1/2 lb rs must be 10 or so years old and 3 lb say around 12 years old or so?? There must be a point where throwing those biggies back is pointless if they just gonna die from old age anyway?? Lol
Here are some points to ponder.....Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappiegirl1
#1. They are harder to fillet and they need to be cut up into strips, especially when frying them with smaller fish so that they get cooked good.
#2. If Speckanator throws him back, I have a chance to experience that thrill. I catch and release it, CG1 now has a chance. She does the same and maybe even Slab (maybe that's exaggerating too much:Rofl) will get his chance. The biggest thrill would be if someone catches one that big slab for their FIRST time, especially a kid.
#3. The state record of 3.83 lbs will never be broken. Everyone I know would love to be the one to break that record.
#4. Releasing a biggun shows true sportsmanship.
Just my :twocents
What TNT said times two. I think the chart that Mike showed is from up north, I think the fish in the south have better food source and a much longer growing season. I talked to a biologist a few years ago and he said they grow 1" to 2" a year depending on the area and food source and that it took 5 years to grow a 10'fish. I also think that those 2+ pound fish are from 7 to 10 years old. If they made it that far in life they deserve to get put back and have a chance to live out their life. That doesn't mean someone else would catch them and put them in the hot grease. For me it's personal preference and I feel good when I give them a second chance. I also think that it's good sportsmanship by doing what I do. just my:twocents
http://www.crappie.com/crappie/arkan...-growth-2.html Here's a link to a thread from the Arkansas forum where one of the state biologist is on the board and readily answers questions. The biologist in this thread is screen named D10
From what he says in the thread, I would think that growth chart was from a place with a short growing season.
Fyi. This was a question that I sometimes wonder about and the reference to eating the Old fish was a joke as I too believe in saving them to swim another day. This thread was just to get the subject out there to possibly find the answers
Tt I do agree with #1 lol
Thank u are crappie I have gone over to their board and invited him to our thread for input
CG, Matt is a great guy and a wealth of information. On top of that, he's passionate about fishing. I'm sure he can help.
something to ponder!Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappiegirl1
Thanks for the invite. I love to talk about the biology of fish, especially crappie. As many have pointed out, crappie growth is variable around the country. Many factors contribute to this (# of growth days, genetics, exploitation rates, and productivity of the water body). These conditions even widely vary in Arkansas. I really only know about growth rates of crappie from the lakes in my district in central arkansas. So I speak on these lakes. Arkansas has a good number of growing days relative to more northern states but not as many as our neighbors to the south. Lakes in my district are characterized as having very good growth and high exploitation (angler harvest). Our waters are very productive and take on a very green color in the warmer months (phytoplankton bloom). I also think that a couple of our lakes may have developed superior genetics over time. Generally speaking white crappie put on more length than black crappie at an earlier age but black crappie catch up the whites in the end. Black crappie tend to put on more girth than white crappie initially but white crappie catch up in the end. Females of both species have the potential to grow larger than the males. Most of this growth is in the form of girth (egg mass and mesentery fat). The life span of a crappie is mainly determined by the exploitation (angler harvest) of the species. If you have a lake that has little to moderate exploitation rates, you will see older crappie. If the exploitation rates are high, you will not see very many old fish because they are getting harvested before they have a chance to reach an older age. I have seen some crappie that were almost 10 years old in one of my lakes. This lake has a moderate exploitation rate. These older fish were not that larger either. They were around 14 inches and 2 pounds. On a different lake, Lake Conway (my home lake) I caught 4 white crappie that were between 2.5 - 2.7 pounds and were 16" long. These crappie were all 3.5 years old. Also an angler recently caught a 3.2 pound crappie, that was a little over 16" long. That fish was 4.75 years old. I could point out many examples like this. My guess is that lakes in Florida behave similarly to lakes in Arkansas. Depending on exploitation rates, productivity, and genetics of the lakes you are talking about, will have a big impact on the questions that you were pondering. I hope this may have at least given y'all a little more to ponder. If you have more questions, you can find me on the Arkansas board. Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappiegirl1
Matt
Thanks Matt....very good read. Several of our lakes have some big fish in the 2+ lb range but the pressure is also extremely heavy. I just hope the big fish continue to exist for us. Most of us practice a slot type fishing by releasing the smaller ones and anything in the two pound plus range. One day I hope to catch a 3 pound crappie!
Thanks again for your input!
Thank u Matt. Hope to get your way sometime