Fishing Prosects For 2013

[straw hat]

I just read the 2013 "Fishing Prospects" report from the MDC. Looks like they are expecting an exceptional year for largemouth and a poor year for crappie. Anyway, just though you all might be interested in reading.

http://extra.mdc.mo.gov/fish/prospects/?m=13#a67

[zarraspook]

Thanks for the info !!!!

Time to sharpen the hooks on the old ZARRASPOOK ..............

[powerdive]

Very interesting news about the year classes at each lake. Thank you!

[frying eyes]

Thanks Straw Hat! I don't fish for bass much but I've caught alot last couple years. Alot of them have been previously caught to. They don't taste as good as them walleye & crappie!

[luckycraft]

If they don't taste good, leave them in the lake to grow bigger for me to catch.

[frying eyes]

I let them all go, only tried eating them once. I enjoy fishing for all fish! I'm a catch and release guy, most of the time. Keep what you can use and let the rest go!

[Walcrabass]

Straw Hat,

Once again you have provided us with some accurate and interesting information. It is great to see that we have a large number of 12" Bass in the lake. I hate to ruffle some peoples feathers again but here goes. Let's all get together and write the good people in the Missouri Conversation Department and BEG THEM DEARLY for a slot length on Stockton lake for the Bass. If we cash in on this bumper crop of ALMOST SPAWNING SIZE BASS we could keep this thiing going for many many years. Not to mention the fact that we would ALL be catching bigger Bass. Isn't that what it is all about anyway???? Quality size fish??? Mature Fish???? More spawning??? Straw Hat.....do you know who to contact or how to go about this????? There is surely someone in the Department that shares my feelings on this matter and would help.I've even got an advertising slogan.....BBBF......BIGGER BASS, BETTER FISHING!!!!!! After the mild Winter we have had there should be plenty of Shad to feed these guys .......growth rate for the next couple of years should be great. Whaddya say??!!!??!!!????

[9LB]

I am all for it. While we are at it how about a Walleye season that opens on March 15th. I think it is crazy no walleye season just catch all you can.

[powerdive]

9LB, we've talked to MDC about closing down the walleye season in late winter/early spring for years, but it always falls on deaf ears. The MDC folks feel that with very little overall recruitment (natural spawning success) at Stockton, that makes it a put-n-take fishery--so in their view the pre-spawn walleye butchering can continue.

[straw hat]

You know what I would like to see walcrabass? I would like to see spotted bass treated like a panfish like crappie. The spots have nearly identical fecundity (eggs per pound of fish) and similar growth rates. I would like to see a 10" length limit and a bag limit of 10. I think that would really help the crappie and the largemouth popuations. The fear that fisherman can't tell the difference between spots and largemouth I think is a poor excuse and an insult to fisherman. If there were sucha limit on spots and a fisherman caught a small bass they weren't sure was a spot he could simply return it unharmed to the water and continue fishing. The popuation of spots in the lake could provide another great panfish population for the fisherman to enjoy.