Release more crappie with eggs!

[Phil Lilley]

Everybody is talking about releasing bass on the Rock - what about crappie!?!

MDC:

Anglers released less than 4 percent of all the legal size crappie they caught in the lake (only 1% up the James River Arm). The average size of crappie harvested was about 11 inches. Crappie recruitment in Table Rock is much lower and more inconsistent than bass recruitment, so harvest definitely plays a much higher role in reducing the overall densities of crappie in the lake than it does for bass.

What about starting a campaign to release at least ONE female crappie with eggs in the spring. See how many we can confirm released to help recruitment.

[5bites]

I hate it. I only caught one crappie on table rock this spring. I was sight fishing for bass and saw it guarding. That was a first for me. It was extreeeeeeeeemely aggressive. I let it go though. I didn't want to dirty a knife for one fish. That and Stockton donated some crappie to my freezer.

[Bill Babler]

Absolutely.

[J-Doc]

Bass are seen as sacred

Crappie are seen as dinner

Stripers are seen as invasive and eat bass

Trout are seen as trophies

Catfish has a mixed following and seen as table fare

Gar....trash fish (which isn't true)

More people should educate themselves based on facts and not myths. And fish management is essential but the catch and release of bass is overdone. Too many are released which can be counter productive. I don't care for the taste of bass so I don't keep them. Or else I would.

I agree Phil. Management of crappie is needed. Beaver seems to do well with crappie but every angler should turn loose their biggest female with eggs every trip. take a photo and be proud. Then let her go to make more.

[Phil Lilley]

I'm not sure how MDC or any fisheries manage crappie...

I believe in the spring when the "spring spawn" brings out every seasonal angler in search of the sacred white meat, they catch and keep ALL THEY CAN. I think there's a lot of poaching, double dipping, load the freezer going on. How can you manage anything when this practice is going on?

I don't think enforcement can handle it either. It's too prevalent.

The question is - can a practice by a few conversation-minded anglers (us) help the crappie fishery by releasing at least one female crappie with eggs on every trip we take in the spring?

Some might already practice some sort of release... I'm talking about a public campaign to promote crappie fishing futures on Table Rock.

[J-Doc]

I agree Phil. I thinks it has to become the popular practice by anglers encouraging and educating other anglers and it will take time. Back int he day, people used to keep bass and EAT THEM!!! (some guys on here just fainted). Lol!!

[denjac]

I wouldn't mind seeing a 12 inch limit on crappie. I believe that in itself would help alot.

[Riverwhy]

I wouldn't mind seeing trout become strictly a C & R species. If all those stockers were released think about the resources that could be targeted towards stocking crappie. Geez, I guess we will advocate releasing carp next.

[dtrs5kprs]

I wouldn't mind seeing a 12 inch limit on crappie. I believe that in itself would help alot.

At least something above the current length, and a lower daily limit. If you want more crappie you have to let some of them live. Right now they seem to be the designated meat fish in most lakes.

[MOPanfisher]

I honestly believe there is something else going on witht he crappie on TR, I am not sure what. Looking at the 2014 Annual Fisheries Report, shows a decent size to them but the numbers sampled were low and got lower during the last few years, coincidentally the number of bass went up. There is a terrible amount of abuse of the limits that go on with crappie fishing, however lakes like Truman and LOZ get more crappie caught from them by far than Table Rock and continue to produce, not sure if Table Rock suffers from a lack or cover for young hatch crappie or exactly what is limiting the population and reproduction but it is more than just fishing pressure, or predation.