Thread: KY Lake Big Sandy

Originally Posted by Lane47

I'll try to explain what TWRA told me, not in the meeting, but on the phone. Crappie grow from spawn (birth) to keeper size (10" to 12") in 4 years on average, and normal growth rate. If the spawn is say, 30% less this year, then in 4 years, we will have 30% fewer fish to catch. This was the only explanation TWRA provided.
i think, and many agree, that the growth rate is also down, lower. It's taking crappie 5 or 6 years to grow to keeper size, due to less food in the eco system. This also adds a 3rd factor, mortality rate, each year after birth, a % of crappie die.
So now we have 3 reasons for fewer keeper fish, plus 2 other popular explanations.
1. Fewer were born in past spawns
2. Amount of bait / food is less
3. Greater mortality if it takes 5 or 6 years to grow to 10"-12"
4. Water is clearer (if anyone has evidence of this, please provide)
5. Increased fishing pressure (I think this is true, I fish 10 months now v/s 2 in past)

I also think Asian carp is a factor today, and will become a bigger factor. I see more carp, and less bait fish, than in past years.

3yrs for a 10in fish in tn,fish in miss are 12in in 3yrs.Everyone I know caught fish the first half of last year,from all the people I know.I fish 12 months a year and 3-4yrs ago the crappie I caught in the summer were thin,that's what I'm going by on how healthy they look to me,but just what I'm seeing.I have also fished from the Paris landing bridge to beach river to the south in the last year and a half,been all over the lake chasing crappie.I attached a pic below showing angler success rates from the western ky fisheries facebook page,it shows what they have seen also.

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