Walcrabass

To All, Keep those Drum to eat. Soak the fillets in Heavy Salt water with a couple tablespoons of White Vinegar in the bowl too. After 24 hours in the fridge take them out and rinse off. Put them back in plain water. Repeat for 3 or 4 days with plain water. Chunk them up and cook in frying pan full of water, maybe a little butter. Dip in Cocktail sauce. Or bake them in the oven with Italian dressing on them. Good eating .......................... Walcrabass

Dutch, Stockton is a great Top water Lake. A 1/2 oz. Black N Chrome Pop R works wonders. Vary your chugging sequence and add a little swimming in there too. Another great one is the KVD Sexy Dawg Junior. Carolina Chrome, Nude, Clearwater Minnow, Sexy Shad, all good patterns. I believe it to be better than a spook. Better hopping and side action................. Walcrabass

TO ALL, So............... there seems to be a lot of talk about water clarity.............. I was not aware that water clarity stunted the growth of Crappie ?? !!!! Good information !!!!!!!!!! What I was thinking was that if it were ILLEGAL to remove them from the lake unless there were a longer length than 10" then we would have bigger fish !!! I guess I am going to have to re-think my idea huh ???? Leave the hogs in the pen when they reach 200 pounds, keep feeding them, they get bigger. Take them to the meat processor, they don't. Your friend in the food business, Walcrabass

MoCarp, I can see that intelligence runs through your veins. What you have presented in the Data shows exactly what you and I both know to be true. If you harvest a Crappie at 10" it is never going to make it to 12". Harvest, Harvest, Harvest, the biggest controlling factor IF FOOD IS AVAILABLE. Let's see...... Deer............. remember applying for Doe tags because they did not want them killed. Reason? Harvest of them knocked down the number of deer................. I personally applied for one every year and them made sure I did not use it. Helped the population all I could...................... I see no argument for the 10" length limit at Stockton. 11" minimum and 12 would be better. Cut the daily bag? OK. Limit the number of fish over 17" to two or three per day? OK. We finally came to our senses on the Kentuckies at Stockton. Stopped another Table Rock part two. Let's wake up on the Crappie also...................... Walcrabass

MOCarp/Olfishead, You guys are right. 12" Limit does increase the size of the overall top end of the population. Also do not want to change the regulations each year. Covid 19 fishing pressure is on target also. What does all this boil down to? Longer length limits on the lakes that have enough food to support it........................ Maybe changing the limit to include only so many fish over like 16/17" also? Just thinking about the long term quality fish, Walcrabass

To All, Internet says: Oldest Crappie recorded: 15 years Black Crappie Life Span: up to 10 years White Crappie Life Span: Up to 7 years "Crappie will reach 10" by 3 Years" Walcrabass says: Nuff Said.......................... Walcrabass

LVN2Fish, Sorry you feel this way. I personally do not fish at Stockton anymore. It is a proven fact that the quality of fish in a lake improves with increased length limits as long as the food is there to sustain that population. Kind of like feeding hogs...................... if you have plenty of corn but you slaughter them when they are undersized you have missed the boat..................... Walcrabass

As I remember................. I stated a couple of years ago that with the large number of Crappie being caught, many, many , limits................ and a lot of them being over 11" in length..................... I requested that the length limit be raised to 11" the following year and hopefully to 12" soon after............. Sure wish that had been done........... plenty of food in the lake................ now we are hoping for 10 inchers again................. Walcrabass

To All, Gotta remember one thing guys.............................. MONEY................... it is what spurs the tournaments onward............. in more ways than one....... and also our fishing regulations in some ways......................... MONEY............................. Walcrabass

Waterpossum, I am kind of surprised he did not have someones fish basket in his mouth .................. Walcrabass

Lifes2short, Please send picture of your "fish catching" jig................. Walcrabass

Ryan, All my information has come from the biologists that I have questioned on the matter. The 4% of them reaching 15 inches in the lake was a figure given to me by one of them. This information has been acquired over a period of about the last 4 years. I agree with you entirely that our lakes are managed well. Especially the ones with the 12" rule for Kentuckies. Walcrabass

Archdale, You may be thinking of a post I made a couple (?) of years ago. A biologist told me that IF a Kentucky makes it to 15" in Table Rock that it is within the last 6 months of it's life. Yes, they live to be around 6 years old. I like the comment made by the Biologist concerning the Kentuckies in Stockton Lake, something like, the 15" length limit on Kentuckies is actually a catch and release regulation. The same is true for Table Rock. Only a teeny tiny percentage of them ever reach 15". One of the biologist I emailed has told me that they spoke to the tournament guys and they were happy with the 15" rule. One has to remember here that money is involved in their decision. The Kentuckies bite readily and if you know a spot where the ancient ones hang out it can be a way to put that 5th fish in the livewell. Keep in mind that the "Money thing" comes into play with the guides also. Once again, the Kentuckies bite readily and make the guides prosper. They too want as many of them as possible in the lake, even if they never reach a harvestable length............... Walcrabass

3DHusker, Yep I believe that wholistically !!!! From what a biologist told me I know that it is all 4% of the total lake population............ Walcrabass

Olfishhead, From what I have seen and what my buddies tell me the Growth rate is: TERRIBLE !!!! AND the density is: one Kentucky per 1 cubic inch of water. Nearly all of them under 15"..... ( occasionally there is a freak of nature that makes it....) ( Sorry, as I know this is the Stockton Forum. Phil, please feel free to post my comments on the Table Rock Forum.. ) Walcrabass

Phil and others, Thank you for pointing out my oversight............. kind of................... just letting my opinion be known about my JOY concerning the ruling for Stockton and supporting this regulation by showing it now falls in line with so many other lakes. I would be happy for this to go to the Table Rock Forum even though I don't read that one. AND, as long as it will be going there................... with the "invention" of tournaments that "weigh in" small bass ( like the Kentuckies at Table Rock) there is a new name I have heard applied to Table Rock. "Guppy Lake". When I was a young man I never would have dreamed anything like this .................... Walcrabass

Ok Guys, We made some progress last year on the Kentuckies with the new 12" length for Stockton. Let's Review some facts..................for lakes with the 12 " Kentucky length............... Bull Shoals----------12" Lake of the Ozarks---------12" Montrose Lake---------- 18" Oops !!!!! Oh Yeah, they have Florida strain. yeah for them !!!!!!!!!! Norfork Lake------------------- 12" Pomme De Terre----------------- 13" Stockton-------12" Truman---------- 12" Table Rock.............. I am ashamed to print this........................ 15" Do you get my point??? Walcrabass

Walleyed Mike, I will be sure to hit my knees when I am at that ramp !!!! Walcrabass

To All, Interesting reading on the OPEC oil embargo................ One theory I have always had is this............... Along with all the other stuff like oil prices etc. that are mentioned in the article, it also mentions the reduction in speed on our highways from 70 to 55 MPH. In my opinion for an economy that is supplied and moves largely by trucks this reduction in speed made a directly correlated/ directly proportional slow down in our economy........... Thus we got double, triple, quadruple ( depends on how you look at the big picture ) whammy-ed during this time !!! No wonder my teen years were so tough !!!! Walcrabass

To All, I definitely remember the Gas Wars !!! I also remember asking my Dad what the little 4 meant on the gas pump. He replied that is was 4 tenths of a penny and explained it to me. Gas that day was 12.4 cents per gallon. In the wars as I remember they would cut 1/10 th of a cent at a time to fight the competition. Just for something to do................. Look up the price of gas in Venezuela right now.......... Don't cry too much................... Walcrabass

Olfishhead, Your reply definitely helps !! Looks like we could expect 5 to 6 years of age for a Crappie if it did not get caught and end up in the oil !! I am kind of the old farmer type of guy. If the hog will live long enough and you keep feeding it the hog will get bigger. I think bumping the length limit on the Crappie to 11 inches might be a good idea. We could deal with a bad year or two if we had to do that. As for the Bass........ I am so grateful for the 12" length on the Kentuckies and I tout the Biologist that instituted it the highest !!!! Smart person !!! I do believe there is room for a slot on the Largemouth though. Something like cannot keep anything ( for tournaments either) from 17" to 19". My opinion is these are prime spawning size/age Bass. And of course nothing under 15" either. Thanks for the information. Hugely appreciated. Walcrabass

Olfishhead, You are obviously a person with a great deal of knowledge on this topic. I greatly appreciate you contributing to the post. What is the expected life span of a Crappie in Stockton Lake? 6 Years?? Maybe they could withstand a couple of bad years to reach the 11" or 12" Length limit?? I remember when the Crappie length was 8" on Stockton and the Bass were 11" ????? Somewhere along the way we bumped it up a little?? Walcrabass

Rootman, I am so glad you sent the picture of the 13" and the 11" Crappie. This shows exactly why I have been asking for a 12" length limit on Stockton for the Crappie. Just LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE in SIZE ? !!? !!!!! 1. Stockton has a good supply of Crappie. Black and White both.................... 2. Stockton has a great supply of Shad.................... 3. Stockton is obviously deep enough to hold these type of fish, even through the worst winters and hottest summers. Fish Biologist please answer me.................. Why don't we have a 12" length limit on the Crappie in Stockton Lake??? You helped us out greatly with the lowered length limit for the Kentucky Bass please help us out with this one too !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Walcrabass

Lifes2short, I see on your posts that you like Fly fishing in Colorado. Have you ever been to Westcliff or Silvercliff? I have fished there a couple of times and it was really good. PM me and I can give you some details. Walcrabass

Dutch, On the trailer.................. I put mine on so that the trailer comes out slightly below the bend of the hook. Then add the trailer hook on top of it and of course something to keep it there. I do not have problems with the trailer hook getting the way of the action even if I am using long tail skirts on the Spinnerbait. The trick I have found is to keep everything slightly below the bend in the main hook. Freefallin, Yep, Red Colorado is a killer........... love it on Chartreuse OR White Baits. Walcrabass