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Size limit on my lakes is 10in. I use ice to cool my water, recirculate and aerate the livewell and keep 95% of my fish alive until I get home and clean them, even in the heat of summer. I threw this one back, too close for me. Throw back or keep?
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Throw Back...
Better safe than sorry, throwback
almost an inch short, THROW IT BACK I wouldn't keep anything under 10 1/4 inches.
Since you have a 10" limit that is definitely a throwback. We don't have to worry about size in Va (except 1 lake) but I still limit myself to 10" or better. Unless I just need 1 or 2 more for a good supper. I wonder how many tickets have been given throughout the states for a 9-10" crappie.
Why is that even a question?
At 10.125 lots of fish that are above the 10 inch minimum get eaten ....
It’s a personal preference kind of thing I think ...
I hit lakes where above 10 is a 1 in 10 fish and on those lakes at or above 10 they keep them .
I like a bit more wiggle room on them myself if I am going to eat some .
One thing for certain if they are that close they might get scrutiny from local law enforcement on a bag check .
Keep in mind the average size of a crappie as well , 9 inches is considered the avaerage length from what I read .
Of course some spots have large crappie without a doubt , but lots more don’t .
Looks illegal why the question.
Looks to be over 10” to me on one side but I alway close the tail and make sure it’s over the minimum length on both sides .they do shrink so I wouldn’t chance it on that one!
I'm confused
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The pic make it look like a 9” but if you zoom in you can tell it’s just over 10”... to close for me
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That’s a keeper when measured, assuming the head is “sitting right.” A TWRA agent once told me that the Frabil Checker is what they use to measure. That being said, if I’m not immediately heading to the ramp after measuring that one, it’s probably going back.
Too close for me, I'm not about to get into a disagreement with a CO over an eighth inch, cause I'm not likely to win.
Any that I keep need to be at least a quarter inch longer than the minimum.
I have 20/20 vision and I swear that looks like a nine. Ohh I see, this is one of those games like the different color dress thing right????
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Ohhh I see it now!! The 1 is hard to see. Throw back.
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I thought it was a 9 too. A fish that close for me goes back. Why take the chance? You could eat steak for a week for what one ticket would cost you.
That is the 10in mark that his tail(one lobe) is just barely over, my board needs a good dunk in the lake. For me, both lobes of the tail and the depression or cut in the tail must be over before I keep them. From eyeballing this fish I figured he would be close so I measured him and returned him promptly. Sorry if the picture looked like he was 9in, a throwback for sure.
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Throw back. Be careful of those measuring devices also. I had a fish that clearly showed 10 1/8 and when the biologist put it on a golden rule it was short. Not by much but short just the same. Alive and released there was no issue but had it been the TWRA man, different story. If I look at the fish from the top and it has small shoulders, it gets a pass. Even if it’s 11”.
I thought it was a tad over nine at first but now I see the 10. Throw back.
Too close to call, that bad boy is going back to grow up.
I have thrown back a plenty of those, I mark my golden ruler 1/4" above the length for the lake, I am fishing. The MS wardens make there quotas with short fish. They wait for you to load up and then check you. No excuse then. P.S- they are doing their jobs, no complaints with them!!
Unless you leaving right then it's back in the water for that one. It takes a while for them to shrink.
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We measure with mouth closed and tail pinched . If I was leaving soon I might keep one barely over.Staying Over three hrs.longer , at least a quarter over . :twocents
yep! and they put it on the measuring devise with as much pressure as "they " see fit. Had a man on Smithville lake (Tenn/tombigbee waterway ask me at the ramp if I would take his two to go with my five . I never keep anything under 10 inches. When I measured them both were short. He was a little miffed that I refused to take them . Told him that I don't like surprises and coons have to eat also .Quote:
Originally Posted by trypman1
Get a good bump board
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Ah sweet....just in time for the "is this one a shooter?" discussion. haha
My bad. I too thought I was looking at a barely 9 inch fish. This spring I was on Jonathon Creek and had a guy motor over close to me. He must have had 12 to 15 empty beer cans piled up around his seat. He got to talking about fish length and told a story about the game warden that "broke da dang lower jaw on his crappie an den smashhhhed it n da dang mesurin tray so hard it was 2 inches shorter den when he kautt it". "Gave him a dern tiki too"Quote:
Originally Posted by t00lmanii
I to have a checker with a permanent red marker on the back side at 10 .25 and make sure all fish tails go past it when I am keeping fish from spots that don't have many big fish
easy to see and no questions ….that said
do not put a 10.25 from warm water on ice for a while ….it will for sure be short after a little while in the ice ...fyi
I've kept and thrown back fish that measure like that.
When the GW visit you are you comfortable with having a questionable fish?
Is keeping one even barely over worth hundreds of dollars and the embarrassment of being ticketed?
Are there bigger fish to be caught?
Will you go without a meal if you threw it back?
I say you answer these questions and it'll answer your question....
Unless i'm workn on my 7 feesh during a tourney I won't keep anything under 11 inches but that's just my personal preference.....
The few times i'm had a GW on my boat they've never had to pull out the measuring stick and that's just how like it....
If all's you're catchn are those lil'uns you might want to make some changes, different jigs, another pile, deeper or shallower waters..... just sayn....