Okay You Crappie Biologists Out There....

[horseshoer]

I had a couple hrs so grabbed a doz minnows went to my sacred back cove on Diascund for a bank fishing quickie. Fished a blowdown tree in the very back of the cove was in 1'-4' water. Caught a mess of very small crappie, I
mean 6-8", not one bigger. Now I realize it is way too early to expect to catch anything spawn-related, I am just curious if anyone has any idea why this 1 size-class would be present? There were no bellies, extremely dark fish, nothing that would indicate anything having to do with the spawn. I think these fish were too juvenile to do it. It was like this last year also and
then the water warmed, length of day, etc...and the bigger fish showed to do their thing. Any ideas? I appreciate it, am just curious.
Jeff

I didn't keep any. Even my standards are higher than that. But I do hear you can gut em, pop the eyeballs out, and do em over an open fire like a marshmallow at that size.

[Boscoe]

Before it was illegal my buddy use to go to the pond at Bayville park on warm winter days and catch little crappies like that. He would dump them in various borrow pits and ponds all over the place. They were full of little mud worms, scuds and other tiny creatures. He figured the shallow dark bottom areas would warm up on sunny days and draw the fish in, probaly to the same areas that that feed in when they were fry. Little fish like that don't have the fat reserves of larger fish and need to feed every chance they can.

[Andy Clayton]

BOSCOE you just ruined my day. I'm heading up to the lake in the morning and we're planning on catching a "bunch" of those small critters. Was going to "gut and pluck the eye balls" out of half of them and have our annual "Young Crappie Cooked Al La Skewer BBQ". (50th Anniversary). The other half we were going to put in the farm pond. :D I'm one to buy my license and just go fish. What where you refering to about before the law was changed.:rolleyes: Is it illegal to catch and release in waters other then were the fish were caught.??

AC

[Boscoe]

The 2006 regs do not mention " restocking" that I can see
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing...x.html#Changes
I would think if you're dumping in a private pond with permission you'll be o.k.

[Boscoe]

found the answer, allmost got to be a lawer to find stuff in the state regs
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp...+4VAC15-320-60

[horseshoer]

Andy, no need to pop the eyeballs out if you like them just a tad on the rare side, but when you try cook them up anything past medium-well there have been so many people gone to the burn centers with retina splatter when they blow that I just advise removing them completely.
Jeff