Do any of the waters you fish suffer from overfishing in numbers, qualtiy or both?

A few local lakes I fish have been going downhill in quality regardless of species. My fish & game club has tournaments on the private lake we own property on and bass number and weight in particular are much less than 15 years ago when 3-5 bass were caught more often. I wonder if tournament weigh-ins do damage regardless catch & release. Dry nets can't but do damage to slime coats and especially if fish are dropped accidentally.

Crappie size-range of 12" or better is a thing of the past on this lake and I know the lake like that back of my hand. I fish it off and on from late March to Nov. Daily numbers, that include all species, is still fine at anywhere from 40 to over 100 fish per outing - many of which were spawned in the lake. (I've posted many photos of those fish on C.com to illustrate lure and tackle theories.)

Other lakes that are public also have suffered dut to overfishing plus and no fish regulation enforcement is present from my experience or from the doz. or more anglers I know I compare notes with. I see illegal crappie (numbers, size and out-of-season fish) taken out of variuos lakes I fish at least 5x a year. Saying something, as I've learned, only gets me a middle finger - definitely not worth a tire being punctured.

Oh well, I'm after numbers anyway and catching any fish that bite my creations. Got no problem catching large suckers, white perch or large catfish any day! No one keeps them for any reason.

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With so many into fishing year round and using all the new electronics the pressure is much greater these days . Just a few years ago most Crappie fishermen concentrated efforts in the spring. Don't see pressure letting up and most fishermen get upset when you suggest lower limits or slots .

I would endorse a larger size limit and smaller creel , but our state says this about that.
We don’t stock them , we don’t breed them and they take care of themselves!
I don’t really see fishing pressure causing harm here EXCEPT for big fish , the big fish are the ones hurting, everyone with ffs chases them down relentlessly these days , Fork has really suffered terribly, it used to pump out 3 lb fish all the time , now you never see them .

Since Covid in 2020 there are a lot more people fishing than ever. More people taking fish home means less available fish to catch. I fish small lakes and ponds from 2-25 acres from the bank and in the last few years have seen a sharp decline in quality fish. While it's almost impossible to catch all of the big fish in a lake they can be fished down enough to create a situation where the majority of the fish are tiny and not worth keeping. My favorite 5 acre crappie lake was pretty much wiped out in one summer. I used to catch and release 10-20 crappie over 12" with an occasional 2-3lb. giant. Word got out somehow and the crappie got pounded hard all summer. They were keeping the bass as well, even the ones under 18" which is the legal size for them to keep. Now the only thing I can catch are small 4-5 " crappie and bluegill and these fish are skinny and not growing. Big fish are gone!!!

I agree with Ketchn. It takes size limits and creel limits. Most of all, it takes enforcement with stringent fines. Many of the reservoirs I fish, in Northeast Kansas are fished quite heavily. The fish populations are in good shape and self maintaining

Not nearly enough GW's around in my parts to try regulating game laws. It's been this way for years now.

What I find strange about my club is that educating the newbies is not top of the list when it comes to conservation. I'm sure it's that way with most clubs in my state. At least there are ony a few panfish tournaments on the private lake the club has access to and new homeowners fly around the lake in speed boats but don't fish.
We all know the principles or protecting our quarry the same as deer hunters observe hunting regs. But fish aren't a priority when it comes to enforcement. I just wish I knew what my annual fishing lic. fee goes towards. Certainly not protection.

Crappie populations go in cycles at my favorite lake. Some crappie spawns are epic and it shows 2 years later. Some years the lakes are really low do to drought and it effects the lake for a couple of years.

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Originally Posted by Grainraiser

Crappie populations go in cycles at my favorite lake. Some crappie spawns are epic and it shows 2 years later. Some years the lakes are really low do to drought and it effects the lake for a couple of years.

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This is also quite common, some spots really beam a few years after a great spawn :highfive

EVERY lake is cyclical. The size and numbers go up and down in cycles. Most lakes that were phenomenal 20 years ago are not like that now. It's just the way things work. While fishing pressure could affect some of the smaller 2-25 acre water bodies mentioned above it's extremely unlikely that it will affect larger lakes. Especially for crappie. The reason folks don't see the numbers of big fish in some lakes is because those lakes don't support fish that big any longer. The biggest driver of that is the catch and release culture. Fish need to be taken out of the lake in order to maintain a healthy population. Just like deer need to be culled to manage a healthy herd. So all the folks on their high horse about people keeping fish.....you're the problem! I'm not specifically talking about folks on this thread or even this forum. But people want to scream CPR form the rooftops all over the place.

The lake I fish in is part of a state park and it gets A LOT of pressure. I also notice early in the season people taking 5 gal. buckets full of crappies home (the limit I believe is 20/day). I'm not a fish biologist but I do not know how long the lake can sustain that.

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Originally Posted by soonerdg

EVERY lake is cyclical. The size and numbers go up and down in cycles. Most lakes that were phenomenal 20 years ago are not like that now. It's just the way things work. While fishing pressure could affect some of the smaller 2-25 acre water bodies mentioned above it's extremely unlikely that it will affect larger lakes. Especially for crappie. The reason folks don't see the numbers of big fish in some lakes is because those lakes don't support fish that big any longer. The biggest driver of that is the catch and release culture. Fish need to be taken out of the lake in order to maintain a healthy population. Just like deer need to be culled to manage a healthy herd. So all the folks on their high horse about people keeping fish.....you're the problem! I'm not specifically talking about folks on this thread or even this forum. But people want to scream CPR form the rooftops all over the place.

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I was always of the belief that the Fish & Game agency gets funding from the money I pay for a license too monitor our lakes. They know a heck of alot more as to what is going on than I do. They do surveys that let them know if the population if healthy. We currently have a new lake that everyone is chomping at the bit to open so that they can fish it. They are constantly upset that the open date keeps getting pushed back because they are constantly releasing water before the lake fills. They refuse to accept the fact that the lake was built to supply water to the northern burbs of Dallas. Hunting and fishing is a very far second in rank of importance. I'm not expecting it to open til next winter.

I fish a real big lake. I've seen boats so thick around a bridge in the spring crappie run that you could literally walk across boats for 100 yards or so. Still catching crappie there.
With all the bass tourneys they have there I figured that would go first, but it is still a top 10 bass lake year after year.

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Originally Posted by Grainraiser

I was always of the belief that the Fish & Game agency gets funding from the money I pay for a license too monitor our lakes. They know a heck of alot more as to what is going on than I do.

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I agree and if like MO the biggest majority of their funding is from sales tax so outdoors people do not always come first.

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Originally Posted by Gone Fishin'

I fish a real big lake. I've seen boats so thick around a bridge in the spring crappie run that you could literally walk across boats for 100 yards or so. Still catching crappie there.
With all the bass tourneys they have there I figured that would go first, but it is still a top 10 bass lake year after year.

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I know the lake well and it gets just as crazy during the winter along the dam.

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Originally Posted by NIMROD

With so many into fishing year round and using all the new electronics the pressure is much greater these days . Just a few years ago most Crappie fishermen concentrated efforts in the spring. Don't see pressure letting up and most fishermen get upset when you suggest lower limits or slots .

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At one time Fishing was the number two sport to Cycling. I don't know today how it ranks but it has to still be close to the top.

hammering them hard (crappie) in a really small lake might do some damage to the general population numbers ....BUT , the size of the surviving population might go to the moon , just saying
seen hammered small waters go south on big numbers and way north on average size more than once or twice , seems the hammering backs off as the ketch rate slows and the left over have more food than they can eat .....nice mix for sure.

When I remember the stories and look through the black and white pictures of 60-80 years ago of my grandfathers and fathers…Yep fishing isn’t even close to what it used to be in size and numbers.
As far as lakes and wildlife being cylindrical sometimes….sometimes not,there are a few lakes around here that had great fishing in the 70s one for crappie one for yellow perch both are terrible now and have been sense the mid 80s, invasive species mainly Zebs are taking there toll also,it’s hard for a fishery to thrive when the microorganisms are filtered out.
Now if you see a jack rabbit around here it’s cause to celebrate, in the 60s-mid 80s a winter drive to town at night every corner you turned and the headlights scanned the field there’d be jacks running,Minn DNR says there cylindrical…they must be on a 40+ year cycle.lol.

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Originally Posted by Ketchn

hammering them hard (crappie) in a really small lake might do some damage to the general population numbers ....BUT , the size of the surviving population might go to the moon , just saying
seen hammered small waters go south on big numbers and way north on average size more than once or twice , seems the hammering backs off as the ketch rate slows and the left over have more food than they can eat .....nice mix for sure.

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There is a guy who has a Youtube channel that catches some monster crappie and bass. He mostly fish small ponds in subdivisions and I wonder how those fish get so big in ponds less than 2 acres. I know those ponds are not being managed for big fish and they should be overpopulated.

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Originally Posted by keeferfish

I agree and if like MO the biggest majority of their funding is from sales tax so outdoors people do not always come first.

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AGFC also gets part of a 1/8th cent sales tax. Arkansans starting to question where is all the money going? Some feel it is not well spent in some cases.

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Originally Posted by Grainraiser

There is a guy who has a Youtube channel that catches some monster crappie and bass. He mostly fish small ponds in subdivisions and I wonder how those fish get so big in ponds less than 2 acres. I know those ponds are not being managed for big fish and they should be overpopulated.

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Funny how some small water bodies can be full of dinks but a few fish get ahead of the curve and get huge in the same water .

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Originally Posted by Rojo

At one time Fishing was the number two sport to Cycling. I don't know today how it ranks but it has to still be close to the top.

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We used to seldom see a Crappie fisherman on most lakes except around the spawn. Now they are out in numbers about all year long. I hear it asked here ''Does anyone work anymore?'' Years ago, except for a few Duck hunters or an occasional Commercial fisherman many lakes were deserted in the winter.

I know it used to be just me during the winter on the lake. Then I started fishing with my buddy and it was just us. Now there are probably a dozen or so.

Fishing pressure usually isn't a problem. What it comes down to is the number of fish caught & released vs kept where the total number kept adds up year after year. Worse is when those numbers include illegal sizes and bags. Crappie, bass, sunfish and pickerel are the only species (supposedly) protected in NY. Luckily there are many small lakes in my area few anglers fish and less for pannies if they do. Those waters either have decent size fish and/or large numbers of dinks. Various ecosystems and birds-of-prey determine both along with any effect humans might have.