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Can any lake be fished out? We have a Lake that isn't stocked and it's public. People take out fish even through it is supposed to be regulated. People use social media to publish their catch and the next time you're at the lake there are hundreds of People fishing.
I’d say it could for sure be way over harvested to the point it couldn’t sustain a healthy population.
according to fish biologists I have spoken to panfish like crappie reproduce like mad and it's the quality of the spawn that determines populations and fishermen are not as big a factor as most think. In my home lakes I know I hear guys talk about it like a few guys taking out fish are ruining population and I have to stifle a laugh as there are tons of smaller fish there and if you know where to fish lots of bigger ones as well. But many only fish where the smaller ones congregate and don't have a clue as to what is reality.
On one smaller lake in particular located close to a city folks think there are only small crappie but lots of them in lake as that's all they ketch. But a buddy of mine who is probably only one planting brush in it on certain docks is pulling Big crappie up to 3 lbs out of it and NO ONE but a couple of his friends who fish with him have even a clue. I have been with him when he pulls out yuge crappie from right under the docks he has stocked.
So don't get too excited if some social media post gets a lake a lot of traffic for short time. If they arn't ketchn a lot of fish they won't come back.
Good post hdhntr, thanks
TN has some great crappie fishing. But if it were not for the yearly stockings of 100’s of thousands of crappie it would not be that way. These yearly stockings have been going on for decades. So yes fisherman can do a detriment to a lake.
Regards
Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com
Seems they fluctuate the water level during the spawn on my local lake. Sometimes it is flooding others is bringing the lake to full pool during the crappie spawnQuote:
Originally Posted by Alphahawk
Welcome to Logan Martin........:biggrinQuote:
Originally Posted by DockShootinJack
Same here on Chickamauga
@Homboy I say let's use math to answer your question using 10 Crappie Guides on a Lake that work 5 days a week & only have 1 person on the boat catching a limit twice a day:Quote:
Originally Posted by homboy66
25(Tx Crappie Limit) 50(Crappie per Day) 250(Crappie per week 1 Guide)
x's x's x's
2(People Per Tx Limit) 5(Worked Days per week) 4(Weeks in a the average month)
------------------------- ---------------------------- --------------------------------------
50(Crappie per Day) 250(Crappie per week 1 Guide) 1,000(Crappie per month 1 Guide)
x's x's x's
10(Crappie Guides) 10(Crappie Guides) 10(Crappie Guides)
------------------------- ----------------------------- ------------------------------------
500(Crappie per Day) 2,500(Crappie per week) 10,000(Crappie per month)
x's
12(Months in a Year)
-----------------------------------
120,000(Crappie per Year)
Sir, these figures are the lowest figures you will see & so below average on a lake like Lake Fork here in Texas where 1 Guide is averaging 300-500 Crappie per week. Why are the numbers still way Low???:scratchheadWe haven't added regular fishermen, tournaments on the lake, people who are pro's or catch fish way above average that are retired & do it 7 days a week. Heck I took off work for a week last month & caught 300 in that week & I'm just a regular Joe Smoe. :Rofl
Taking a Rod & Reel going to Fish Out a Lake isn't going to happen. I know people with Cameras underwater that can see the fish & can't catch 10.rotfl Can people with Nets & Electroshocking techniques overfish a lake HECK YEA. You aren't going to see that on a fresh water lake. Now understanding every fishery is different but using Lake Fork for example. That lake has been getting HAMMERED:bash:bash Daily with 200+ HAWGS FOR NEARLY 5 YEARS. & THEY KEEP CATCHING 3LB CRAPPIE. :dono Just saying... :highfive:cheers2:biggrin
What do I knowrotfl This is "1 Guide Only".. You can click Lake Fork Guide Cameron Burnett THIS IS JUST 1 GUIDE!!!!! :Rofl
@Homboy I say let's use math to answer your question using 10 Crappie Guides on a Lake that work 5 days a week & only have 1 person on the boat catching a limit twice a day:Quote:
Originally Posted by homboy66
Attachment 474571Taking a Rod & Reel going to Fish Out a Lake isn't going to happen. I know people with Cameras underwater that can see the fish & can't catch 10.rotfl Can people with Nets & Electroshocking techniques overfish a lake HECK YEA. You aren't going to see that on a fresh water lake. Now understanding every fishery is different but using Lake Fork for example. That lake has been getting HAMMERED:bash:bash Daily with 200+ HAWGS FOR NEARLY 5 YEARS. & THEY KEEP CATCHING 3LB CRAPPIE. :dono Just saying... :highfive:cheers2:biggrin
What do I knowrotfl This is "1 Guide Only".. You can click Lake Fork Guide Cameron Burnett THIS IS JUST 1 GUIDE!!!!! :Rofl
once read a creel report on a Texas lake that nobody really hits all that hard , it only encompassed the boats leaving the ramps , there are tons of "crappie houses" on that lake as well .....55,000 was the number at the boat ramps and to be very sure they never counted our cooler fulls when we visited it ......:Rofl
here tell inside them crappie houses they limit out so fast it's stupid ,never seems to make a difference in how many are there when I visit it .....
if a lake is small enough and or a pond and the masses descend on it , they could theoretically mess up the amount of fish in the lake / pond for sure and some water bodies can withstand the torment much better than others without a doubt .
look at a tiny lake like weatherford and the amount of crappie ketchn that goes on there , it stays the same year in and year out and trust me on this , it gets way more pressure per acre of water than any of those large impoundments east of dfw ....
lake size plays a larger role in what it can withstand on fishing pressure , most of the larger bodies of water can handle WAY more anglers than they currently have on them .
but remember this , some fish ....ie ,,,,crappie are prolific at reproduction and if there are not enough predators after them they will over populate in a real quick minute.
and in the end , most of the time when folks think a lake is fished out by masses of anglers (when it comes to crappie ) its very likely that they just ain't holding their mouth just right ......:Rofl
Attachment 474580Quote:
Originally Posted by Ketchn
:biggrin
Sorry I tried to delete this post above because it didn't line up. My bad on the duplicate.Quote:
Originally Posted by UnLikeU
My favorite crappie lake was a 5 acre city park lake. I could go there and catch a dozen or more slabs with some 2-3 lb giants which I always released. I considered them my pets and would take a picture or two and let all of them go. Word got out and masses showed up and wiped out most of the bigger crappie and the bass too. Haven't caught a slab there in over a year. Nothing but little 5-6" crappie now. Remove all the big predators from a lake and now the lake is shot. Maybe it will recover but it's going to take a few years. Small lakes and ponds just can't handle the pressure like big lakes.
@Jingle Hello.. Are you fishing from a boat or bank?Quote:
Originally Posted by JUNGLEJIMJIGS
this is fact , small waters and high harvests on keepers will impact the average fish size for sureQuote:
Originally Posted by JUNGLEJIMJIGS
we often hammer small fish by the hundreds if not thousands in small lakes to give the left overs room to grow
was asked to do it on several smaller lakes over the years , under 5 acres or so ...
all of them 2 years later had real nice slabs in them where there were about zero before that ...
had an under 10 inch rule in place on those harvest reductions ...
worked well if you can hit around 750 to 1500 a year in smaller lakes and ponds :cheers2
You’re/We are a big predator but no one wants to keep 5 inch crappie so highly doubt it was fished out but it’s overpopulated. Big and little fish competing for the same food.Quote:
Originally Posted by JUNGLEJIMJIGS
Fisherman are not that good.
They are very resilient. Once the large fish stop being caught the crowds will move on to other places. Then the lake has a chance to rebound
possibly yes maybe no , if one particular age class of smalls dominates the pond they will stunt before they get big , there is method to the madness on pond crappie for sure my friend ....Quote:
Originally Posted by DockShootinJack
Reply to post. Great comments. I do understand a large or very larger Lake can take fishing pressure better but, smaller Lakes can take a beating and not recover if someone does not take control and manage these Lakes PROPERLY. I seen it happen in a 900acre Lake. No or very little law enforcement and no restocking.