Release more crappie with eggs!

[5bites]

Does the flooding that helps bass spawn the hurt crappie spawn? The timing seems right for it.

[5bites]

Starting a campaign about how bad the crappie fishing sucks at table rock would help as well probably. The people would go elsewhere lol.

[MOPanfisher]

Honestly I don't believe high water levels hurt the crappie very much. A drastic and fast drop would, but high, or steadily rising I can't imagine would hurt them. I always have to look at Truman, I mean high water (rapid rises) is the norm, but it produces crappie like a slot machine normally, not every year but you seldom hear about missing year class on Truman. On the other hand Truman is a very fertile lake, lots of nutrients wash in from the uncontrolled rivers (Grand and Osage), I don't know how it all comes together but just seems like some lakes have a tough time producing crappie, while others can't seem to stop producing them. Some lakes you have to know the waters very well to produce a nice meal of crappie, others like Truman and LOZ often pay off like a broken slot machine.

[Feathers and Fins]

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

I would love to see 12'' and 10 fish per person on all our lakes, they are capable of producing some true monsters. I base it off opinion that cleaning anything under 12 is not worth the time for the return on the meat and also it only takes 2 crappie over that size to feed myself and my wife so 10 would feed a family of 4 easily with other fixens.

But people see or hear Crappie biting and thoughts of full icechest and freezers sends them in to a frenzy, Hey first few days of them biting good I load up but only enough for me and my wife twice a month till the great winter bite.

Starting a campaign about how bad the crappie fishing sucks at table rock would help as well probably. The people would go elsewhere lol.

That will bring in every Crappie Angler for 200 miles. Saying it sucks and or any Negative report seems to be like ringing a diner bell to crappie anglers.

[jcioni]

biggest crappie I ever caught at TR was 17 1/4", chucked full of eggs, I took a good look at her, then said, this is an investment and put her back in the water. I only hope the next person who might have caught her, did the same.

[Jason Essary]

I caught more crappie this year from TR than I have in the last 3. Had a couple days where we caught dbl limits per person, of course only taking our limit. But yes I did take home my limit multiple times. I let this one go because I was bass fishing instead of crappie fishing and didn't feel like cleaning one fish. For me the fishing was great but I do most of my crappie fishing during February and early March. Once it gets nice enough for the crowds I let them have them.

[vonreed]

I agree with releasing some of the female crappie. I'd rather protect them than bass. I get so sick of hearing about the poor bass being kept and the way people are attacked for keeping some to eat. I fish a lot, but not more than some of you. I fish to eat. I also fish for fun. Most of the time I have a goal of catching a meal for the family because we love to eat fresh fish and we aren't real picky about what it is usually. Some days i just release everything when I get to thinking about how many I've kept. I wish they would lower the limit on crappie to 10 total or up the size limit to 11 inches. It'd be more fun fishing for them if they were more reliable to catch more often.

[bfishn]

Releasing one fat slab is a good start, but why stop there? Throw one of those annoying bass (that shouldn't be hanging around with your crappie anyway) in the cooler instead. Keep the bass filets separate, and make sure your mother-in-law gets them at the fish fry.

Win. An extra shot at ~2K crappie fry.

Win. A bass that probably had a taste for crappie is out of the picture.

Win. Your MiL will think twice before she rains on your parade in the future.

[Feathers and Fins]

Releasing one fat slab is a good start, but why stop there? Throw one of those annoying bass (that shouldn't be hanging around with your crappie anyway) in the cooler instead. Keep the bass filets separate, and make sure your mother-in-law gets them at the fish fry.

Win. An extra shot at ~2K crappie fry.

Win. A bass that probably had a taste for crappie is out of the picture.

Win. Your MiL will think twice before she rains on your parade in the future.

Always heard bass were a wife deterrent But hell had someone told me Mother-in-law I would have been keeping them for years. Might have kept a smallie or three even.

[Champ188]

Regarding crappie populations at LOZ and Stockton, neither of those lakes have the overall clarity of Table Rock. And as was brought up earlier, doesn't have the abundance of cover that those lakes do. Crappie seem to flourish where the water is more fertile ... i.e., not as clear as tap water. I'm sure Dewayne French or someone else with greater fisheries biology knowledge than me can explain in more depth.