MoCarp

We have a 25 acre city lake that got hydrila for those that knew fishing was great, some huge readears big bass, the local tackle shop sales crashed casual anglers couldn’t bobber and crawler fish, pressure to do something about the weeds and the ducks Who’s poop was blamed families fed ducks and geese for decades on a lazy weekend...once the weeds were sprayed fishing was good then crashed...too much harvest always equals sub standard fishing...lake never has been right since... I guess where I’m going with this is simple...more bass meet a fillet knife than people know, getting caught and stressed out from getting hauled all over isn’t good ether....want bigger better bass fishing? Lower pressure, lower harvest by the tools in managements tool box....might even mean parts of lakes here no fishing is allowed or limit numbers of anglers, pay walls like boat permits, or days of use limits...we can all agree we have waaaaay to many tourneys, perhaps a pricy tournament tag....nothing will be popular. even tourneys changed, how many bass can you catch? Personally I’d like a tourney that no fish under say 18” counts....quality over quantity.....

It’s all about habitat and predators man included...the bitter winters were hard on ol bobwhite....don’t see many jack rabbits ether....

You have a point yet many lakes can offer great fishing for multiple species...Stockton has published growth rates they break 10”by year 3....gizzard shad stay smaller longer in Stockton reducing the population significantly could allow them to reach larger sizes so a bigger meal for bigger fish, I remember crappie anglers bytching the tiger muskies eat all the crappie...yet when the 10”/15 regs came into play crappie fishing got really good again...Stockton used to have a significant mayfly population...unsure if that’s been studied...some re establishing of mayflies has been done in lakes up north...walleye get more intense pressure than in the past as anglers here have learned to fish for them...perhaps slot limits on walleyes? As more people use Stockton, more needs to happen to buffer boom and bust fishing that people want...you can go to most any lake for LMB....IMHO Smallmouth/walleyes are their fame, a Canadian experience right here in Missouri, not much shore development lends itself to that feeling...heck we even see loons....

USDA map is temperature for planting information...each lake is sampled on its own

Funny you say that...I think many predator fish expend too much to get a meal...common carp are excellent forage for quite some time before the become to large for some fish to eat..with higher caloric and more importantly fat than even rainbow trout...common carp eggs and larva get are great forage for crappie and bluegills...it seems bass And walleye YOY Are spawned at the right time to take advantage of carp at a time they need that initial growth burst to survive...IMHO Stockton could use more diverse prey, with warmer winters than the late 70s another thread fin shad stocking could be warranted, yellow perch/ walleye predator prey relationship is well documented...and a great food fish for anglers as well...spreading harvest away from crappies and walleyes....a few tiger muskies if we have any over population issues... biodiversity can’t hurt

Connecticut regulations Common Carp Spearing and bow and arrow use prohibited in streams or stream sections stocked with trout. Spearing prohibited in all lakes and ponds Legal Methods Area Open Season Minimum Length Daily Creel Limit Angling, Ice fishing, Bobbing, Bow and Arrow, Spearing All areas Open year-round No minimum length, only 1 fish >30” 5 Trophy Carp Waters: daily limit of 1 fish per day with a maximum size of 26 inches in the entire CT River and its coves, Batterson Park Pond (New Britain), Squantz Pond (New Fairfield), and West Thompson, Lake (Thompson).

This has been going on the last few days, one reason the State put favorable regs on commons... coming A lake near you! 1st place paid $10,000...plus $2,500 for big fish

Could be worse

Yeah thought that was a bit rough as well....

“Below: Growth rates for crappie, fall, 2019. Fish from 2018 and 2019 flood years were 75% of Black Crappie numbers. Not all fish were aged. Odd growth patterns were from low sample sizes of some year classes. Black Crappie grew slower than White Crappie, which is normal for the FCRs. It takes about a year longer for Black Crappie to grow over 12 inches. Few White Crappie older than Age 3+ were seen because of harvest. There were more Black Crappie older than Age 3+ because it takes them about a year longer to grow over 12 inches. Also, they tend to stay in cover while White Crappie suspend in open water where they are vulnerable to trolling.” that plus the year growth rate cart...Stockton rates are not far off...you just need to scroll down on that post to see...harvest is the biggest limiting factor on crappie

https://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/hunting/2016/02/embracing-9-non-native-and-invasive-species-we-love-hunt-and-fish/

This is a big issue up north recently but studies show, carp and suckers are the biggest prey items...some species we don’t have here like whitefish, Cisco and but here largest shad, suckers and carp...I’m sure that somewhere data has been gathered from pomme

I posted the growth rates from grenada, Stockton is comparable...I think you might be surprised on just how many fish get taken from Stockton, boat ramps spread all over gives less perception of use.. Grenada..soils are more fertile yet Turbidity can limit sight feeders like crappie. I grew up fishing south Mississippi and it’s noticeably colder from around Jackson north...it’s more about fish having time to get big before harvest...we grow huge fish here In Missouri, found these fish on the MDC records page 4-9 and 5-0 I’d bet a steak dinner that a 12” mll, and boat total limit reduction would produce wall hangers on Stockton, we still have people now filling freezers well beyond bag limits..perhaps a few examples made of people with a new set of regs changes would increase quality fishing

Best way I’ve had them https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/buffalo-fish-ribs

I had a huge black on for a bit that I lost was at least 2.5 my next Biggest landed was 1 3/4 that was 14” Most bigger fish 12 to 13 inches

I posted the usda growing season maps Stockton is comparable, fertility is probably a bit higher yet Stockton has plenty of shad, also Grenada is a lot like Stockton with few coves compared to other waters, dropping the limit to a 10 per and a boat total should drop over harvest, bumping the limit to 12” is doable might not get 4 pounders but bet you get more 2s

Bass limits traditionally have been generous in the south, catfish are not as popular there as here ( lots of bullheads) bream or sun fish get pressure...it’s my understanding gizzard shad stay smaller longer in Stockton, enough food so a crappie hit 10” plus in 3 years...it’s logical to think they could hit 12 in another year...

I agree it seems to have declined in numbers of people practicing, It is a lot of work to dispose of 300 pounds of fish after a long night shooting, yet only a handful of BFers can devastate the larger fish in a population...It seems the most pressure is during the spawn, when the biggest fish are concentrated and less wary.... The fish definitely act different now, at least the bigger fish seem to be running run deeper...that or the fish populations that ran shallower More vulnerable to getting shot....are gone...... I have noticed more waters said to be “shot out” On the BFer FB groups/pages and increasing hostility to lights getting shined into lakefront property owners at 2am... new regulations in Texas have given additional protection for Alligator gar...impact on the buffalo population is unknown and unstudied...anecdotally Anglers are Not seeing the really big fish as much...with the new information on aging we can’t know the long term effects...

https://www.ms-sportsman.com/content/crappie-hotspots-series-grenada-lake/

https://www.mdwfp.com/media/300180/grenada-reel-facts-2020-final.pdf

People will travel a great distance to fish for buff....many even from across the pond. You can even hire guides to fish for them....Missouri has or did have monster buff...took a 50 to be a big un...now 30s is a nice fish...since the early 2000s seems far fewer than before....in Oklahoma black buffalo are a species of concern just like Alligator gar, one a day limit and it must be reported to the state...a rule broken every night from March till fall....

https://www.ndsu.edu/news/view/detail/37752/