Conserving our Crappie Resources - Something to Think About

[cousinlll]

Tough topic to talk about.....

Crappie fisherman are, for the most part, "meat hunters".  We are looking for nice slabs to fill our dinner plates.  A few of us, however, have recently been expressing our concerns on the status of Crappie in our Arizona lakes - like Bartlett & especially San Carlos.  We all know that Crappie are NOT an endless resource & fishing pressure can have a dramatic effect on a particular lakes population.

That being said, here are a few articles & web links I found on this topic.  Yeah, I know - It's more reading that you might not want to do right know.  But when you do get a second, please take a few minutes & read it.  After reading these articles, take a second & think about how this applies to our Arizona lakes?  Do you agree or disagree?  What are steps we as Crappie fishermen can take to help preserve this resource?  Please post your thoughts & comments....

Below is an article from Crappie.com regarding a lake in North Carolina.  For the full version, here is the link: http://www.crappie.com/crappie/content/284-article-what-s-happened-bite-my-favorite-lake.html

WHAT'S HAPPENED TO THE BITE ON MY FAVORITE LAKE???

If you have been fishing the same lakes for the last few years with good results and suddenly it seems like you are having trouble finding good keeper sized fish... or it seems like you are having to work extra hard to find a mess of keeper sized fish; this article may give you the information you need to help you understand what might be going on... why it might be going on... and how long it could take for things to change for the better.

Spawning habits for the two crappie species are very similar. They (both) typically spawn one time per year in May or very early June, and here in the southeast, usually in water temperatures in the mid-60s, and in depths from 3 feet up to about 6 feet. Males of both species choose build and guard nest sites that are usually situated in colonies. Both species mature early (usually within 3 years) usually have a life expectancy of 5-6 years and are considered very prolific reproducers among fish species. A large female for example may produce well over 100,000 eggs.

So Does This Mean Crappies Are An Unlimited Resource?  The common belief among fisherman is that crappies provide an unlimited and continually renewing resource is simply false. Is it possible to take all the crappie out of a lake? Of course not, but crappies, like any other fish, are subject to intense year around predation and fishing pressure, which can make a considerable impact in the overall population balance of a lake year to year.  In some lakes, especially those with poor spawning habitat, lower nutrient levels or those more prone to drought conditions or frequent low water levels, recruitment — (the number of young fish that survive beyond the first year of their lives) — is already much lower so that predation and fishing pressure have a far more drastic affect on the numbers of fish that even make it to maturity. It is clear that both of these factors (both) (natural and external) continually at work to negatively impact the numbers of mature fish that ought be maintained in a lake year to year to keep it balanced and productive.

Adding to the problem... crappies typically don't get off a good spawn until around age 3, at about 10 inches long. Second-year fish, 6-8 inches, occasionally do lay some eggs, but not nearly as many as more mature fish. Crappies in their fairly short 5 or 6 year life span only effectively spawn 2 or 3 years if they are lucky—that is if they live that long without being harvested. These facts should really begin to show us the importance of maintaining certain numbers of mature crappies in our area lakes and reservoirs consistently year to year.

Are State Regulations Enough To Protect Our Lakes?  The quick answer to this question is absolutely not! Sure, biologists try to set size and creel limits so that fisheries can sustain even heavy angling pressure, but it's still not... and probably will never be an exact science... so it is clear the real conservation of a fishery truly resides with the fisherman themselves. This is sadly where I believe we lose the handle on things... because as a general rule... human nature is to catch all the fish possible when they are most vulnerable and not worry near as much about tomorrow until tomorrow comes.

Modern day anglers have much more knowledge, skill and high-tech equipment than ever before in the history of crappie fishing and have learned to take full advantage of these fish when they are most vulnerable. In this example let's just take a quick look at Jordan Lake here in Central North Carolina and try to apply some safe hypothetical numbers in order that we might see the impact that fishermen can have on the fish population balance of our area fisheries.

A notorious winter hotspot at Jordan Lake is the "pinch-point" at the Hwy 64 Bridge in late winter when everyone knows that (conservatively speaking) there are 35-40 boats per day fishing at that location with at least two anglers per boat (average) or 60-80 fishermen who are fishing that location per day. If (only) 60% of these anglers (each) caught 40 total fish to cull his or her limit of 20 ten inch fish... that's 1,400-1,900 fish per day that are caught at that location alone. If these averages continued for the entire 3 – 4 week period (30 days) that crappies are holding at that location... that's nearly 50,000 crappies that are caught and removed at that location over that 30 day period alone.

Those numbers would also mean that there are about 800 undersize fish that are caught and released at that location per day. If it is reasonable to say that at least 10% of those caught and released fish will die from being deep hooked or from the negative effects of barotrauma... that would tend to indicate there were approximately 80 undersize fish that die each day at that location alone... or 2,400 undersize fish that will die over the 30 day period that crappies tend to hold at that location alone.

I spoke to a fish biologist with the North Carolina Department of Wildlife Resources Commission recently about the subject who said that crappie species in some of the smaller North Carolina lakes and reservoirs sustain an annual harvest of as many as 30-40 percent of the entire 3 year old and older adult population. This should begin to show you that heavy fishing pressure (year around) over a period of just one year... can easily eradicate almost half of all mature fish in a heavily fished lake or waterway.

He went on to say:

"Overharvesting clearly affects the fish size ratios of a lake and "I think a lot of anglers assume crappies are an unlimited resource that can't be overharvested, but that's quite simply not the case at all."

"Crappies are prone to what is known as stunting. Because a strong year-class often dominates in a lake or reservoir, crappie might appear some years to be all of the same size or "stunted". When these fish of a strong year-class grow large, however, the lake can quickly gain a reputation as a crappie hot spot and then over the course of a couple of more years might just as quickly fade into mediocrity as a younger year class takes over again and the population crashes and the cycle starts all over again. This cycle is why you hear so much about lakes tending to have (either) a few really nice crappies and lots of small ones, or a good number of good-sized fish with few small or large ones."

It is clear that crappie populations are cyclic or erratic in (both) abundance and size distribution in any lake or waterway. When a strong year class develops in a lake, it can dominate the population for several years. Reproduction is limited and survival of young crappie is low until the dominant year class has been thinned out or environmental and hydrological conditions again become favorable for survival of young crappie. This pattern usually results in two to three years of good fishing followed by two to three years of fair to poor fishing... which may be the part of the crappie life cycle where your area lake is this year.

So there it is!! The dominant year class may survive longer with more stringent regulations, less fishing pressure and more conscientious conservation efforts by fishermen. What if anything are you going to do differently to aid in this effort???

[cousinlll]

Here is an article from Crappie Now Magazine - "Stewardship Strategy for More and Bigger Fish" starting on Page 8:  http://www.ddoutdoor.com/home/index2.php?option=com_flippingbook&view=book&id=13

[timbo]

Thanks for the info. I'll be throwing those under 10" & over 15"  crappie back now.
I only keep what we're going to eat right away. That way I have to go more often.

[redmule]

Thanks for the info, Cuz...

If you have any doubts about this, ask any Muskie or Walleye fisherman in Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Canada...  Muskie were the fish of 10,000 casts, until Muskies Unlimited help people learn proper catch and release...  I never take more than a meal or two from the lake...  I have learned proper catch and release techniques...  I love to catch fish, but I love to just be there with a line in the water even more...  There is something special about catching a 9 lb walleye you have been fishing for all your life, and put him back so someone else can have that same feeling...  I'll never criticize anyone else, as long as it's legal, and I won't start now...  Something to think about...  Just my 2 cents worth...

[cousinlll]

This is somewhat a long read - I get that.  Clicking on da links above is probably a better read along with helping to get the point across easier....

Thanks for da input!  I'm maybe as "guilty" as the next guy for keeping too many fish?  But it's always within the limits and they NEVER go to waist.  When Fish Hawk & I fished Roosevelt that week after Christmas, was cool being able to take pics then release.

I'm certainly not judging anybody with this post.  Just putting info out there for people to think about the next time your on your favorite Crappie lake.

LLL

[Fishless]

good topic, I have for years asked g and f to take an active management for crappie like they do, trout, lg. mouth bass etc. and they basically feel it is a endless resourse. In the old days maybe but with our growth and snow bird population that think a 10" crappie is good size it does not take long to knock down populations. There was not floatilla fishing 10-15years ago it was spring, some summer night fishing and then fall, now it is 12 months a year. Bartlett went through a cycle after the big fires up there where the spawn quit for several years and just recently has started to take off again (which may be terrible this year if the lake continues to drop at its present rate) and when the lake drops to 35% or lower it is the (old fish in the barrell). Even alamo which is a small lake has the potential to be over fished where as a lake like roosevelt or powell is more able to handle the onslaught in my opinion. Pleasants crappie population is way down but I think that is more due to the shad numbers going down and the eating machine stripers San carlos is the only lake with a limit and that can be to many but Bill tried in vain to find out the water demands and plans and basically got a run around so do you fish the hell out if to catch what you can before they die or hope that we have wet winter and less irrigation use . I would love slot limits or minimum size limits and at times actual limits on crappie. I often release all crappie or keep enough for a couple dinners (the rest I educate on not biting a jig)

Just my 2 cents worth.

[Piscolli]

I think it's time to leave SC alone for a year. I know that my effort to do so will not have an effect  but I think I will anyway. Maybe others will follow. 

[Stevert]

Limits would be a start.  The midwest states like Minnesota use that to manage fish population.  It seems to work at SC.......look how dreadfully low that lake gets often and it still bounces back.  If they let us take as may as we want I'm thinking the crappie population would be affected.  Why would Bartlett, Alamo or Roosevelt be any different?  Seems like setting and enforcing a generous limit would at least help. 

[cousinlll]

Interesting comments from all - thanks!

[Fishless]

lake powell regulates crappie limits lately it has been 10 since the population crashed due to lack of forage now with the lake coming back up and shad numbers at records levels you will probably see the limit increase. Lakes like alamo and bartlett are so low you don't have far to go to locate fish and with 10-20-30 boat floatillas even during the winter you can hammer a population which used to be the (quiet time of year) lakes like roosevelt etc. which are so large can sustain a 40 boat floatilla as there is lots of lake for crappie to survive, spawn and grow up. I think limits and size perameters could be done on results from creel surveys, water levels etc. would just mean g and f would have to get off their backside and manage, the local wild life managers are a great source of info when they are out checking people for fish etc. The surveys g and f fisheries people do is not a good indicator or fish numbers since they don't gill net or shock up well compared to bass and other species.